Frozen LP tank leaking??

Jim Eh. · January 17, 2018, 08:51:33 PM

Here, filling those tanks you are taxed with road tax (yeah, forklifts regularly drive on roads here

). May not be a significant amount, just burns me to pay yet another unjustified tax. They are filled via a pump that looks like a regular gas pump used for filling propane powered vehicles, thus the road tax.

luvrbus · January 18, 2018, 03:46:22 AM

What chaps me with the people that exchange bottles like the Blue Rhino sold about everywhere you pay a high price thinking you are getting 5 gals and you only get 4 gals at 5 bucks a gal,where I pay under 2 bucks a gal at my dealer.
Some places here in the US will try and hit for road taxes too if you have a chassis mounted tank,I got into with a station in NM and told him to take his propane out and I would go else where I was not going to pay road taxes

PP · January 18, 2018, 08:43:44 AM

Quote from: luvrbus on January 18, 2018, 03:46:22 AM
What chaps me with the people that exchange bottles like the Blue Rhino sold about everywhere you pay a high price thinking you are getting 5 gals and you only get 4 gals at 5 bucks a gal,where I pay under 2 bucks a gal at my dealer.
Some places here in the US will try and hit for road taxes too if you have a chassis mounted tank,I got into with a station in NM and told him to take his propane out and I would go else where I was not going to pay road taxes

But where was he going to put it once he got it back out?

luvrbus · January 18, 2018, 09:26:42 AM

Quote from: PP on January 18, 2018, 08:43:44 AM
But where was he going to put it once he got it back out?

Being the nice real guy I am I told him where he put it

richard5933 · January 19, 2018, 09:47:40 AM

Tanks repaired, updated, tagged, and re-installed.

LP dealer installed new relief valves, fill valves, and POL valves. I installed a new two-stage regulator and had new rubber hoses made to connect the tanks.

A bit of information I gathered in the process, which should apply throughout the US (if what I told was correct)...

There are two type of tanks in use - DOT and ASME. If the tanks are mounted permanently in a horizontal position AND they are ASME tanks, they do not require certification. If they are DOT tanks or not mounted in a permanent position horizontally then they require certification after 12 years. After that, they require re-certification every five years. The relief valves are good for ten years once replaced.

My tanks were permanently mounted and horizontal, but they are DOT tanks and not ASME. Therefore they require certification. The relief valves have never been replaced, so those were overdue. Leaks were found in the fill valves as well as the POL (output) valves so they were all replaced.

Each tank holds 33 pounds, or just over 7 gallons liquid. Total cost today for the refill and all the replacement parts (installed on tanks) was only $185. I paid another $60 for the two rubber hoses and regulator. All said and done, it's pretty reasonable to have two safe tanks in place, filled and ready to go.

For anyone interested, the tanks weighed in at around 70 pounds each when filled. Not the lightest things around, but still manageable.

luvrbus · January 19, 2018, 12:16:47 PM

The discussion comes up here sometimes between the DOT and ASME tanks and it will surprise you how many do not know the difference, same with the people filling the tanks

PP · January 19, 2018, 03:27:48 PM

Quote from: richard5933 on January 19, 2018, 09:47:40 AM
Tanks repaired, updated, tagged, and re-installed.

My tanks were permanently mounted and horizontal, but they are DOT tanks and not ASME.

Richard, are you sure that's correct?
Will

richard5933 · January 19, 2018, 03:54:51 PM

Pretty sure. DOT is stamped into the upper guard ring.

Unless you are asking about something else. In that case, I may not have a clue.

PP · January 20, 2018, 10:21:32 AM

Quote from: richard5933 on January 19, 2018, 03:54:51 PM
Pretty sure. DOT is stamped into the upper guard ring.

Unless you are asking about something else. In that case, I may not have a clue.

Sorry, I should have been more specific. You said they'er permanently mounted, but they look removable for servicing. My bad

richard5933 · January 20, 2018, 10:36:28 AM

If you're talking about permanent installation, then you are correct in a way. There is always going to be a debate as to what constitutes permanent, since it really just depends on how many nuts & bolts someone is willing to remove. I don't think I've seen an ASME tank in a horizontal position that wasn't bolted in place. In my case, since the tanks are DOT tanks, it really made no difference. Permanent or not, a DOT tanks need to be re-certified on a regular schedule.

The cost for the re-certification was only $5/per tank. Not that much at all. Five years from now I'll plan to do the same thing again - take the tanks for re-certification and refilling at the same time.

Speaking of mounting, the Custom Coach team did a really creative job of mounting these two tanks. They lay in cradles to keep them in place. At the back of the bay behind each tank there is a 1"-thick piece of wood cut to perfectly fit into the bottom ring on the tank (bottom, if the tank is standing up). As the tanks are slid into place in their cradles the metal rings mate with the wood blocks, and then only one bolt is necessary on the front ring of the tank to anchor into the cradle. Really couldn't be much easier to pull the tanks when needed for service. The addition of the rubber hoses makes it even easier as there is no longer any copper lines to get in the way.

luvrbus · January 20, 2018, 04:18:19 PM

ASME tanks are.250 wall (thickness) Dot tanks are .125 wall thickness,ASME tanks require a ASME certified welder DOT require no ASME certification and ASME tanks are stationary design not to be moved, a huge difference in the 2 tanks

chessie4905 · January 20, 2018, 06:11:05 PM

http://www.propanetankstore.com/dot-asme-tank-differences/

Dave5Cs · January 21, 2018, 04:36:08 AM

ASME=
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers

That site left out Mechanical?

richard5933 · January 21, 2018, 06:26:45 AM

Lots of great information. Thanks for the links.

If I was to rebuild, I'd certainly opt for a tank that was ASME. I just looked through the 1974 Lee Cylinder catalogue that I found in the literature that came with our bus to see what tanks were available from them in 1974, and it looks like they did not carry any ASME tanks, only DOT certified. In looking at motor homes from 1974 I only see DOT vertical cylinders in use. There probably were ASME tanks around, but they must not have been all that common on the RV world yet.

Interestingly, all the accessories and house systems on our Custom Coach conversion seem to fall into a few categories: Anything roof vent related seems to have been pulled from the Airstream parts bins. Same for some of the interior light fixtures. Electrical systems and parts look to have been taken from Marine catalogues. Same for the generator. Interior was styled after vintage Airstream trailers with the laminated walls and rounded corners. The rest of things look like they used whatever they could find that would work, which is probably why we have these LP tanks that in every way look like they belong on a forklift and not an RV. LP dealer says that in their current configuration and use they are safe, so we'll leave them alone for now.

buswarrior · January 21, 2018, 05:49:25 PM

More busnuts that want portable tanks should consider those horizontal style 30 pounders.

Easier access to tank connections/less wasted space to do so, versus the lost volume of airspace in a bay that has to be left above a vertical tank so you can work the connections.

Don't have to move the coach to fill the propane.

Nice tidy package and accessible. Don't mess with success!!!

happy coaching!
buswarrior