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Old 04-22-2016, 07:17 PM   #1
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Top of propane tank cover is cracking up!

The white cover around my propane tanks is cracking up on the top.

The rest of it is still in good shape.

Is there any repair to fix the top, or do I end up buying a new one complete?
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Old 04-22-2016, 07:52 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by mickrock View Post
The white cover around my propane tanks is cracking up on the top.

The rest of it is still in good shape.

Is there any repair to fix the top, or do I end up buying a new one complete?
Why bother fixing it if it is broken $22.55 for a double 20lb cover. Sometimes you got splurge a little.

Amazon.com: Camco 40523 Heavy-Duty 20lb Propane Tank Cover (Polar White): Automotive
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Old 04-23-2016, 07:03 AM   #3
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What crunchman12001 said.

Treat the propane cover as a wear item and replace it. It can be subject to a great deal of wind pressure and you don't want it disintegrating while on the road.
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Old 04-23-2016, 07:09 AM   #4
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Yes "Slip on's" are cheap, I always liked the Early ROO covers that were Formed to the Tongue and front of the trailer! Youroo!!
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Old 04-23-2016, 07:29 AM   #5
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I would drill a hole on each end of the crack to keep it from getting bigger.

Then grind a channel along the crack, fill it in with JB weld and let cure.

Sand it down smooth and paint.
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Old 04-23-2016, 12:44 PM   #6
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I bought one of those white plastic covers when our fabric cover started falling apart. It was $10 more than a replacement fabric cover. The fabric covers crack and rot pretty fast in Colorado UV.

Can't say I'm a lot happier - I had to bungee the plastic cover underneath to make sure it would stay on. The plastic just doesn't fit very tightly around the tanks.

I will admit the top access to the valves and switch-over regulator is much, much easier than lifting off the fabric cover.

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Old 04-24-2016, 07:02 PM   #7
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I had to bungee the plastic cover underneath to make sure it would stay on.
My trick for this was to use steel fishing leader wire with aluminum carabiners on each end.
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Old 05-09-2016, 01:14 PM   #8
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I was just about ready to buy a new cover,

when I thought about a tube of white bathroom caulk that I had only used a small portion of at an earlier time.

I took the cover off of the tanks and cleaned the top surface with some glass cleaner.

After laying the cover flat, I applied the rest of the tube of white caulk to the top surface area of the tank cover. I used a small piece of cardboard to spread it around some. Then I put the cover back over the propane tanks, and continued to spread the caulk into the cracks of the vinyl and around the entire surface of the top.

I actually felt like a modern artist, and the appearance has somewhat of a sculpted effect. Sorry, I won't post a pic, but the cover is saved.

I am guessing the cover will be good for another couple of years, with some vinyl protectant sprayed into the rest of it.

Thanks for the suggestions.

$5 for a tube of caulk versus $25 for a new cover...
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Old 05-09-2016, 04:17 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mickrock View Post
when I thought about a tube of white bathroom caulk that I had only used a small portion of at an earlier time.

I took the cover off of the tanks and cleaned the top surface with some glass cleaner.

After laying the cover flat, I applied the rest of the tube of white caulk to the top surface area of the tank cover. I used a small piece of cardboard to spread it around some. Then I put the cover back over the propane tanks, and continued to spread the caulk into the cracks of the vinyl and around the entire surface of the top.

I actually felt like a modern artist, and the appearance has somewhat of a sculpted effect. Sorry, I won't post a pic, but the cover is saved.

I am guessing the cover will be good for another couple of years, with some vinyl protectant sprayed into the rest of it.

Thanks for the suggestions.

$5 for a tube of caulk versus $25 for a new cover...
I thought you had one of the really expensive $22.00 ones, here is a vinyl one for $11.45.
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Old 05-09-2016, 04:29 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mickrock View Post
when I thought about a tube of white bathroom caulk that I had only used a small portion of at an earlier time.

I took the cover off of the tanks and cleaned the top surface with some glass cleaner.

After laying the cover flat, I applied the rest of the tube of white caulk to the top surface area of the tank cover. I used a small piece of cardboard to spread it around some. Then I put the cover back over the propane tanks, and continued to spread the caulk into the cracks of the vinyl and around the entire surface of the top.

I actually felt like a modern artist, and the appearance has somewhat of a sculpted effect. Sorry, I won't post a pic, but the cover is saved.

I am guessing the cover will be good for another couple of years, with some vinyl protectant sprayed into the rest of it.

Thanks for the suggestions.

$5 for a tube of caulk versus $25 for a new cover...
Heck yea! Money saved on that is money played somewhere else!

And if you had already purchased the caulk for another job then this repair cost nothing!!!

Improvise adapt overcome!
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Old 05-09-2016, 06:52 PM   #11
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A repair makes more sense on a vinyl cover. It shouldn't catch the wind enough to fly apart and into following vehicles.
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Old 05-24-2016, 10:10 PM   #12
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Okay this may be a dumb question but do you need a propane cover?
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Old 05-24-2016, 11:29 PM   #13
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I no longer travel with a cover on after watching my friend's identical cover blow off of her tanks on the highway. I was towing my A-Frame and following behind her.

My cover never stayed on 100%, it would catch air and a portion of it would be pushed up. After seeing hers fly off, I decided not to take any chances.
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Old 05-26-2016, 05:08 AM   #14
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We use a long bungee cord to keep ours on when traveling.
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Old 05-26-2016, 06:11 AM   #15
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Originally Posted by crunchman12001 View Post
Why bother fixing it if it is broken $22.55 for a double 20lb cover. Sometimes you got splurge a little.

Amazon.com: Camco 40523 Heavy-Duty 20lb Propane Tank Cover (Polar White): Automotive
X2

... or set a piece of aluminum flashing over the length of the crack and pop rivet it in place. Very few adhesives bond to plastics, especially flexible or greasy plastics
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Old 05-26-2016, 05:55 PM   #16
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X2

... or set a piece of aluminum flashing over the length of the crack and pop rivet it in place. Very few adhesives bond to plastics, especially flexible or greasy plastics
He is repairing the $11.00 vinyl one.
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Old 05-31-2016, 12:02 PM   #17
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The finished project -

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I appreciate all of the comments made about my vinyl top cracking up, and thought I would post a pic of the finished repair.

I used a partial tube of left-over bathroom caulk and painted it with some green paint to blend in with the pine trees at the campground.

It has withstood thunderstorms and highway travel well, and I expect it to last several more years!
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Old 05-31-2016, 06:07 PM   #18
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Yea ...its kinda like atrump hairpiece . ..love it.

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Old 05-31-2016, 06:48 PM   #19
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Yea ...its kinda like atrump hairpiece . ..love it.

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Old 08-13-2016, 10:05 PM   #20
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yeah, punk-trump like it.
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