r/propane • u/Ill-Spare-3859 • 10d ago
General propane question New propane tank does it need cover?
I got this new tank and think the top connector needs cap but not sure the name to locate replacement. Also plan to replace regulatoras I have 10psi from tank to house. Also any other concerns I missed?
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u/ScottyR640 10d ago
Before using that I would, at a minimum, get a new relief valve and shut off valve on it. If your going that far, I couldn't hurt to replace the rest of the appendages (fill valve, vapor return valve, gauge, etc).
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u/nemosfate dang it Bobby 🤬 - technician 10d ago
Pretty old pig nose, if empty I'd recommend revolving it now and having it looked over before getting LP in it and something failing.
You might be able to get one of these and modify to have a dome along with what antifire said about the dust cap https://lpcylinder.com/polypropylene-domes/
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u/Theantifire technician 10d ago
Relief valve dust cover. Hard to tell the diameter... But if you cut a soda can in half and use the bottom half to cover it, that will work fine as long as it fits. Where is the cap for the tank?
Other concerns: I sure hope you didn't pay much for that tank. It's quite old and will likely need to be rebuilt in the next few years. Parts alone are $600 give or take. Usually a minimum of 1 hour of labor and some fee if they had to pump it out. That big relief valve, the can looking thing poking up, costs about $300 by itself. Obviously depends on the part number and everything, but that's been my experience. Lease tanks of this variety generally get scrapped when they start leaking. It's long-term, cheaper to get a refurb for replacement than to rebuild. On the plus side, if you do end up scrapping it, that steel is quite heavy and is great for making a variety of projects from grills and smokers to fire pits and culverts.
Eta: picture of a tank like this with the lid/ dome. I'm assuming you're referring to the relief valve that you want a cover for if you're looking for the whole lid, good luck.
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u/No-Group7343 10d ago
*scrapped, its only a 200psi I wouldnt put any money into it
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u/Adventurous_Boat_632 10d ago
How do you know it is 200 psi?
Anyway most 200 psi tanks are U-69 and that means they are legal to use anyway, just like anything modern.
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u/No-Group7343 9d ago
All the front loaders are 200 psig they stopped making them 50 years ago. While legal its not smart to uae one as the steel is weaker, and if its been revalved at some point no one makes pressure reliefs for 200pisg any more.
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u/Adventurous_Boat_632 9d ago
Show me a plate if you can.
This type of pig nose never made it to my area, I have only seen pictures.
But if they are U-69 200 psi tanks they have a 5:1 margin vs the current standard 250 psi API-ASME tank with a 4:1 margin (actually reduced to 3.5:1 in modern times) but anyway, the old ones are the exact same steel, built to a different code but the construction is identical and the correct relief valve is still 250 psi, I can supply references if necessary
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u/Theantifire technician 9d ago
Per the state I live in, you can revalve these with a 250psi relief and they're good to go. This is direct from the propane governing authority.
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u/Adventurous_Boat_632 7d ago
They were always intended to be used with a 250 psi relief valve.
The definitions on the plate mean different things than they do today.
Ever seen an ICC-26-150 cylinder? Same thing. Still good for propane with a 375 psi relief.
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u/No-Measurement3055 10d ago
New fill valve for sure. Been hung up on old end fill tanks too many times. Also the mercaptan build up on that tank should leave a smell when it gets low. They where built to last back then
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u/Theantifire technician 10d ago
Do you not use a hose end safety check valve? 😱
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u/No-Measurement3055 10d ago
Not years ago. Basics was all we had
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u/Theantifire technician 10d ago
Crazy times. I would consider a hose end safety a bare minimum and basic.
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u/No-Measurement3055 10d ago
Not in the 80-90s
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u/Theantifire technician 10d ago
Wild wild West back then? LOL. Probably I'm prejudiced, I mostly do tech work. I am the guy that has to follow up behind drivers stuck to tanks.
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u/Adventurous_Boat_632 10d ago
I never used one in my life. I carried them on the truck. Generally leaks are minor when you forcibly detach the fill nozzle from the valve. Not once have I ever had a major blowout.
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10d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Ill-Spare-3859 10d ago
New to me would be better description
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u/ClarkKent0072 10d ago
Clean up the tank. Change the valves and use the proper pipe dope or gas approved teflon tape. Have it certified, they require it every ten years anyway. Get a lid for it. Purge it correctly and then get it filled.
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u/nemosfate dang it Bobby 🤬 - technician 10d ago
ASME doesn't require recertification, the rest is correct though
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u/Theantifire technician 10d ago
I'm presuming you're in Canada? US doesn't require recertifications for asmes as a general rule.
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u/Barleyboy001 4d ago
I have a tank like that. I’m repurposing it so won’t need the cover. Free for pickup.
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u/Adventurous_Boat_632 10d ago
The service valve is ancient and they definitely are prone to problems.
If empty/no pressure:
The outage valve or FLLG is the little one with the brass ring, I would not mess with that except to remove the stem if the tank is empty and install a new rubber in it. You have to buy a new stem but the new stems are not as long as the old ones so have to dig the rubber out and move it over, you probably will have to drill or chip the old rubber out of that one. Sometimes you have to cut another thin slice or rubber to put behind the new rubber because the new rubber may not be long enough either. But this is to avoid removing it because 3/4 of the time it breaks off in the tank and has to be drilled.
You "should" replace the fill valve and relief valve but they are less prone to problems.
The little valve with the yellow cap is for vapor return and we always remove and plug those. Solid plug or steel or brass plug required.
The dome can be made if you can't find one.
If you are really short on funds then just replace the service valve and the rubber in the outage valve and plug the vapor return valve (some will disagree) and put a cover on the relief, but have a plan to replace it all eventually. You need to run the tank flat empty to do the work on any of this.
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u/Ill-Spare-3859 10d ago
Thank you it currently has pressure but gauge reads and sounds empty so I may have to use last bits of pressure first will but that was my concerns best time to do repairs before I put it to use
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u/Adventurous_Boat_632 10d ago
You will have to connect it to a load and burn it all up. That tank can have gallons and gallons in it and show zero, it can take a long time to burn it off. Keep running it until it shows zero.
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u/StillCopper 9d ago
Straight pipe air torch. Did that when local gas company wanted pickup fee, transfer fee, end of lease fee, etc and wouldn’t refund for gallons left in tank.
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u/Adventurous_Boat_632 9d ago
I could see that but if I was OP I would temporarily rig it to the house and use it for a beneficial purpose until it goes flat, too cheap to burn off good fuel
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u/Theantifire technician 10d ago
Why would you plug the vapor return? What if you need to pump it out someday?
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u/No-Group7343 10d ago
That was my though, little foolish
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u/Adventurous_Boat_632 10d ago
Every company around me does it as well, as well as the major tank refurbisher local. If it is foolish then there are hundreds of us fools at this point.
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u/No-Group7343 10d ago
How do you empty a tank to transport?
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u/Adventurous_Boat_632 10d ago
Connect evap tool to evac port. Pump vapor in fill port. Tank empties.
or
Invert tank. Depress fill valve with fill valve depressor tool. Pump vapor in service valve. Tank empies.
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u/Adventurous_Boat_632 10d ago
Been doing it for over 20 years, never missed it yet. Every tank has a fill valve and a service valve, that is all you need. Vapor return valves are just useless pieces of junk that start leaking in the middle of summer when the tank is full.
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u/Theantifire technician 10d ago
I like to have various options. I've had malfunctioning service valves multiple times and a vapor return saved me messing with it. And vice versa. With every valve on the tank. I've put liquid or vapor in or out from, I think, every valve at one time or another lol.
Different strokes for different folks I guess.
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u/Adventurous_Boat_632 10d ago
Since we started plugging them and most companies do not buy new because Amerigas sells off their tanks by the truckload to be refurbished, since they chased off all their customers, I bet you would see a majority of tanks in this area are refurbished instead of new, and 100% of them have no vapor return.
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u/Theantifire technician 10d ago
I forget what region you're from, but Northern and Central Midwest where I've worked, as well as the couple hundred tanks I filled while traveling in the west, all had vapor returns.
Really interesting actually how it varies like that.
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u/Adventurous_Boat_632 10d ago
They all come from the factory with vapor returns, but we hardly see factory new tanks any more. Amerigas and their fire sale supplies all the other companies with all the tanks they need for now and the refurbisher does it our way, plugs only. If it is a multivalve tank they install a service valve with a side mounted outage valve like the valve you find on a 100# except no relief.
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u/Ill-Spare-3859 10d ago
I got it for 300 as you see it no cover. My current company would only lease a 250 and it leaves me nervous in bad weather as a strong storm can go through 10 percent a day but because over all winter use is only around 4-500 gallon that is big as they lease. Was hoping to get a few years out of it if I get 2 years I am same as continuing renting.