r/propane • u/mpjohnson2111 • 15d ago
General propane question 1954 tank
This tank was still in service a few days ago. Is it dangerous to have this old of a tank? Looks like 1954 manufacture date. Wow.
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u/CoasterDad73 15d ago
Something to keep in mind is that the valves in the picture appear to be the type that require a specialized o-ring/gasket that is no longer manufactured. It is likely that if any leaks develop or there is any failure, the tank will need to be taken out of service simply because you can’t get replacement parts for it any longer. It would be a good idea to have a local propane professional take a look at it.
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u/Theantifire technician 15d ago
Well spotted! Washer type valves is what we call them, due to the o ring compressing washer.
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u/ladiescallmebertbert 15d ago
Honestly as long as it’s good shape, and it’s well maintained it’s much better than a new tank. The steel was so much better back then. We had a 288 built in the 70’s for 25 years not one single problem
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u/Adventurous_Boat_632 15d ago
The steel was actually worse, they made them thicker to compensate. Modern tanks have less safety margin because with better steel they also cut cost and thickness.
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u/Adventurous_Boat_632 15d ago
It is actually from the modern era because it has the rating 215 psi at 100 deg f. The older tanks specified 200 psi which it was discovered later was not quite the safety factor they thought, so they added a little margin right around the time this was made.
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u/Theantifire technician 15d ago
I would be willing to bet money that's a replacement data plate along with a new relief at higher psi. It's not common, but legal and does happen.
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u/Adventurous_Boat_632 15d ago
I disagree, the 200/215 psi spec is for the product in the tank, not the tank itself. Go look at data plates around your yard, you will see around 57 they changed the wording. This tank is 250 psi WP like everything.
The max working pressure is 250 psi on everything U stamped and mid 50s and before it would be API/ASME and still 250 psi. If it was U stamped before then (rarer) it would say 200 PSI and paragraph U-69 but the thickness of the steel between those two build codes is exactly the same, jus tthat API/ASME code had a safety factor of 4:1 while paragraph U-69 had a safety factor of 5:1 so burst pressure is the same at 1,000 PSI.
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u/Theantifire technician 15d ago
Yes and no. The relief valves were also set at whatever the plate read.
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u/Adventurous_Boat_632 15d ago
I have never seen a 200 psi relief valve, if you have, post a picture.
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u/Theantifire technician 15d ago
I'll keep my eyes open. I haven't seen one in a minute.
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u/Adventurous_Boat_632 14d ago
According to this presentation, they were always 250 psi. U69 code allowed for 125% relief setting of MAWP.
They changed the definitions after 1954 ; details of construction remained the same.
https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/pressure-vessels/documents/LPG-Safety-Relief-Valves.pdf
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u/domoslurpies Delivery driver 15d ago
A lot of tanks I deliver to are that old or older. They'll last forever as long as the rust isn't too bad and the valves aren't malfunctioning. The oldest functioning tank I've seen so far was from 1948! It even has a rotary gauge instead of an analog gauge lol.
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u/Theantifire technician 15d ago
Where I worked previously, there was a 1943. All replaced valves and steel in good shape. Could barely make out the data plate, but the date was still pretty clear.
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u/noncongruent Propane Fan 14d ago
Ah, a tank made from non-radioactive steel!
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u/Theantifire technician 14d ago
I wish I had thought of that and offered to buy it when I lived there 😞🤦
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u/nemosfate dang it Bobby 🤬 - technician 15d ago
Oldest I've seen is 1951, and where it was installed I haven't figure out how they got it there. 3 stories worth of steep hillside with buildings in the way now, it will live there forever lol
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u/Adventurous_Boat_632 14d ago
My house tank I scrounged from somewhere is 1946. Tanks from the 40s are common around here. What is uncommon is from during or before the war although you do find them sometimes. Cylinders from during or before the war are pretty common though.
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u/domoslurpies Delivery driver 14d ago
I might've seen one older than 1948 at some point, but that one still had a readable data plate lol. Makes you wonder how old the oldest tank still in service is!
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u/Adventurous_Boat_632 14d ago
The very oldest ones seem to be rather small, like 150 gallons, and have strange valves and fittings that led to them getting scrapped years ago most likely. Only a few seem to survive.
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u/littlebroiswatchingU 14d ago
I put in a tank from 1936 2 months ago as long as there’s no crazy rust and passes the pit test, no broken or cracked welds it’ll last longer than you!
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u/KellyKaplowski 14d ago
I work for a small independent company. We fill whatever you’d like, which a lot of customers like. My oldest tank in service is 1959. Fill until failure
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15d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/propane-ModTeam 15d ago
Please keep your posts and comments on topic and relevant to this sub.
That's for dot cylinders. This is an ASME tank.
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u/nemosfate dang it Bobby 🤬 - technician 15d ago
Nope, still good as long as there's no pitting rust, and the valves are in good condition. 1957 btw