Fill Microlite propane tanks?

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

Locally we have a few RV dealers that advertise that they fill propane tanks and post a price that's about a buck a gallon less than what the other "fill stations" charge.

I can see their motivation, to draw in traffic. I just load my tanks into my pickup and go for a fill only. If approached by a sales person I just say I need to get back to the house and don't have time.

Halterman's RV in Marysville, WA had the cheapest propane prices, when I lived in Washington.
In all my travels on the West Coast, I never found any Costcos that sold propane gas.
But they do in Arizona, where I live now.

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by MGD1961

The 3/4 full thing is an industry safety standard that is accomplished with a Type 1 ACME valve on top of the tank that will not let it be filled above 80% capacity. Filling stations that have a clue will not fill a tank without this type valve installed.

There is almost no such thing as a tank without it because they have aged out “expired “ and have been disposed of. Weather you own the tank or it’s an exchange your tank can not be filled above 80 %. Even if you wanted to.

Many members do not truly understand "capacity' when discussing pounds or fill levels. Please read this FAQ thread to get a better understanding of a cylinders water capacity, the OPD, and the cylinders true propane capacity....so as to not mix them up.

https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...ml#post1503571

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by bikendan

Halterman's RV in Marysville, WA had the cheapest propane prices, when I lived in Washington.
In all my travels on the West Coast, I never found any Costcos that sold propane gas.
But they do in Arizona, where I live now.

Sadly, Halterman's is now out of business.

Bought up by Camping World.

[Aussieguy]

thanx for reminder I have to put one back
took it off when BBQing at the house and ran out of gas on the house BBQ

as others noted ... lift the plastic cover OFF then loosen the wingnut
remove hose and simply lift it off the empty

very easy to do ...

I take mine to local Ace hardware, they FILL it while I wait,
it's a little cheaper than using exchanging tanks

In your area simply Google ... "Places that fill propane near me"
My area U haul, Tractor supply, Ace hardware

In a pinch I will use exchange places as my tanks are the correct size.

[wphelander]

First off, thanks to everyone who replied - there's a lot of information and I will read through all of the replies.

It's apparent that the thing I was interested in is not an issue, and that is whether the full 20# cylinder can be safely lifted by a single person - it appears that is not a problem as no one addressed the weight in their answers.

Thanks again for all the input.

[Reverse_snowbird]

Originally Posted by wphelander

It's apparent that the thing I was interested in is not an issue, and that is whether the full 20# cylinder can be safely lifted by a single person - it appears that is not a problem as no one addressed the weight in their answers.

Depends.... The weight of a full 20 lb propane tank is around 37 pounds..... That's 20 pounds of propane plus the weight of an empty tank which is around 17 pounds.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by wphelander

First off, thanks to everyone who replied - there's a lot of information and I will read through all of the replies.

It's apparent that the thing I was interested in is not an issue, and that is whether the full 20# cylinder can be safely lifted by a single person - it appears that is not a problem as no one addressed the weight in their answers.

Thanks again for all the input.

I'm 70 years old and I still have no problems loading a full tank onto the tray.

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by wphelander

It's apparent that the thing I was interested in is not an issue, and that is whether the full 20# cylinder can be safely lifted by a single person - it appears that is not a problem as no one addressed the weight in their answers.

Thanks again for all the input.

The link in post 22 above has the weights.

[GolfingDave]

Originally Posted by wphelander

It's apparent that the thing I was interested in is not an issue, and that is whether the full 20# cylinder can be safely lifted by a single person - it appears that is not a problem as no one addressed the weight in their answers.

Darn invisible type. Gets us every time.

[MGD1961]

Just to illustrate how my brain gets the better of me and I just can’t let stuff go. On my weekend errands I read every propane cage that I found and couldn’t find a single one “sample size 10 maybe” that said anything about how full the tanks were. They all had the OPD labels and warnings but no fill advice. So again I surmise that must be a regional or State by state thing.

I further remembered that one of my son’s childhood friends drives a Blue Rino tank exchange truck. So i called him. He said that when they fill tanks at the depot they don’t have time to worry about what they weigh. Hundreds a day. They fill them until the OPD stops. That’s it.

My rant is done and I’m right again. At least in my mind. Lol

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by MGD1961

Just to illustrate how my brain gets the better of me and I just can’t let stuff go. On my weekend errands I read every propane cage that I found and couldn’t find a single one “sample size 10 maybe” that said anything about how full the tanks were. They all had the OPD labels and warnings but no fill advice. So again I surmise that must be a regional or State by state thing.

I further remembered that one of my son’s childhood friends drives a Blue Rino tank exchange truck. So i called him. He said that when they fill tanks at the depot they don’t have time to worry about what they weigh. Hundreds a day. They fill them until the OPD stops. That’s it.

My rant is done and I’m right again. At least in my mind. Lol

Take a picture of the cage signage next time you walk by one and post it here. From Blue Rhino's website:

https://bluerhino.com/propane-info/f...t-in-its-tanks

How much propane does Blue Rhino put in its tanks?

Inflationary pressures, including the volatile costs of steel, diesel fuel, and propane, have had a significant impact on the cylinder exchange industry. In 2008, to help control these rising costs, Blue Rhino followed the example of other consumer products companies with a product content change. We reduced the amount of propane in our tanks from 17 pounds to 15 pounds.

To ensure our consumers are properly notified, Blue Rhino clearly marks the amount of propane contained in our tanks, right on the package. Blue Rhino also notes the amount of propane contained in our tanks on our display signs.

See red box and arrow in pic below

[GolfingDave]

Weight could be on the wrap around label also on the tank itself. If it doesn't list the weight in a noticeable spot for the consumer it must be filled to capacity then.
Some more local only companies will put the 15 lb weight notice there.

Amerigas has the placarding on the cage as Blue Rhino if I recall. I do know they only fill to 15 lbs also.

Fyi, the most I have spent on a propane fill has been $28, don't have the lbs listed and I have another fill for $27 for 23 lbs. 30 lb tanks, I start thinking about taking one in once it gets below 15% on the Mopeka. One of the few apps I have set for alert notifications. No emergency trips then.

[Mr. Dan]

Originally Posted by MGD1961

Just to illustrate how my brain gets the better of me and I just can’t let stuff go. On my weekend errands I read every propane cage that I found and couldn’t find a single one “sample size 10 maybe” that said anything about how full the tanks were. They all had the OPD labels and warnings but no fill advice. So again I surmise that must be a regional or State by state thing.

I further remembered that one of my son’s childhood friends drives a Blue Rino tank exchange truck. So i called him. He said that when they fill tanks at the depot they don’t have time to worry about what they weigh. Hundreds a day. They fill them until the OPD stops. That’s it.

My rant is done and I’m right again. At least in my mind. Lol

How did your brain deal with the picture of said sign linked to in post #19?

[aufinger]

You don't mention your Micro Lite model, but it's my understanding that newer Mirco Lite trailers come with two 30 lb. tanks (my '21 did). Unless the extra weight is a lifting issue or for some reason the taller 30 lb. tanks won't clear, why not just go with two 30 lb. tanks. That's 50% more fuel and fewer times needing to refill them.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by GolfingDave

Weight could be on the wrap around label also on the tank itself. If it doesn't list the weight in a noticeable spot for the consumer it must be filled to capacity then.
Some more local only companies will put the 15 lb weight notice there.

The magic word is "Tare." It's a technical term for the amount of weight to be subtracted because it's container weight, not product weight. It dates from the days of butcher scales which didn't re-zero easily. The butcher knew the weight of his pans and subtracted that weight from the total weight before calculating charges.

The term persists to this day on propane cylinders. You will see stamped on the collar, in 1/2" font, the letters "TW" which stands for Tare Weight followed by a number, to one decimal place. It varies from cylinder to cylinder, reflecting manufacturing differences, but is usually around 17 lbs.

Another number on the collar, "WC", stands for Water Capacity, a volume indicator. and of course the collar can contain many expiration dates, one for each time it's been certified or re-certified.

[MGD1961]

Originally Posted by Mr. Dan

How did your brain deal with the picture of said sign linked to in post #19?

Just getting back to this there Dan. Next time I’m in town I’m going to go look.

[Mr. Dan]

Originally Posted by MGD1961

Just getting back to this there Dan. Next time I’m in town I’m going to go look.

That little graphic tells me you’d need your best glasses to see the sign - and from 4 feet!

[GolfingDave]

Originally Posted by Larry-NC

The magic word is "Tare." It's a technical term for the amount of weight to be subtracted because it's container weight, not product weight. It dates from the days of butcher scales which didn't re-zero easily. The butcher knew the weight of his pans and subtracted that weight from the total weight before calculating charges.

Not sure where you thought I was mentioning anything about the tare stampings on the tank. I mentioned the wrap. The companies info on the plastic shrink wrap around the tank. If there it may not have to be placarded on the cage. Some companies put their propane weight on the tank.

[wmtire]

Hey MGD1961, I was thinking about you this morning as I passed by a Blue Rhino exchange cage at my grocery store. They had the style signage I previously posted in post #31. However I saw a newer style at the convenience store I got fuel at and the 15 pounds verbiage is in a different position on the signage. I snapped pics of both with my cellphone.

[MGD1961]

Originally Posted by wmtire

Hey MGD1961, I was thinking about you this morning as I passed by a Blue Rhino exchange cage at my grocery store. They had the style signage I previously posted in post #31. However I saw a newer style at the convenience store I got fuel at and the 15 pounds verbiage is in a different position on the signage. I snapped pics of both with my cellphone.

I intend to go back and look but have been stuck in quarantine all week. I will admit that some of my samples have been drive by views looking for that block on the lower right. Others were walk up and look closely. Those were more likely local companies

What I would like people to hear is that according to one of their drivers who is at the depot every day they don’t weigh anything. They don’t have time to mess with it. They put them through a wash line. Replace labels and check expiration dates then fill them until the OPD kicks off. If that’s 15 lbs then fine if it’s 17 lbs that’s fine too. They don’t care. It is not worth the labor cost to them. They would have to start with either empty tanks or assume the tare weight and not all tanks are the same. I think the 15# thing in their minds is an “at least” 15# for fair trade purposes.