propane tanks and refills or exchanges


 
G

George Curtis

TVWBB Olympian
so i have two empty tanks. they are the ones with all the safety stuff but are probably well over 10 years old.
they are finally empty. i have another tank that i'm using now that is even older and came with an old genesis
i bought 3 years ago but still has some propane left in it.
what would be my best option ? just exchange ? get them filled someplace ?
as you can see, i don't use gas much. just for my q220 and my fryer burner which i use very rarely.
thanks,
 
Up here the lifespan is 10 years, then off to the recyclers they go. Filling is generally cheaper, but exchanges are pretty well at every corner store. Plus you don't have to worry about the tank getting to end of life.
 
I would try to have them refilled if you know of a place that does it. If they won't fill them because of the age of the tank then do the tank exchange.
 
I think it's 12 yr here. The date should be stamped on the collar and if it was re-certified that date should also be there. U haul has the best prices for refills.

Tim
 
Just exchange it, if you have had propane in it for over 3 years by the time you try and get them refilled again they will certainly be past their certification date by then.
 
When exchanging tanks, you might want to check the tank's stamped manufacture date or the stamped re-certification date before proceeding. There have been instances where an exchanged tank was only good for a single refill due to the date.

Tim's information on the 12 yrs seems to be correct, on a new tank. And 5 yrs on a re-certified tank.

Good thread. Time for me to look at my tanks. :)
 
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Matt H. said:
blue rhino is ridiculously easy. much easier than getting it filled at a station IMO.
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True, and only $17.99 by me. I've read on numerous other boards that they used to fill the tanks to only 17lbs because of some safety transportation issue, now they only fill to 15lbs to justify gas prices.
If you have more than one tank ( I have 7 ) U haul is the best bet for the long haul.:)
Edit: As long as they have the OPD valve, you should be able to exchange them regardless of the date. Let the propane dealer deal with the re- certification cost. But like Bob said check the date on the exchanged one.
I was out of town, and my Son took one of my newer tanks (09) and got an (02) for the exchange, sure looked nice all painted up, but I only get a year on refills..
Tim
 
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timothy said:
True, and only $17.99 by me. I've read on numerous other boards that they used to fill the tanks to only 17lbs because of some safety transportation issue, now they only fill to 15lbs to justify gas prices.
If you have more than one tank ( I have 7 ) U haul is the best bet for the long haul.:)

Tim
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well that sucks. i wonder what the cost comparison is then. i've found it to be pretty comparable to getting it filled, but if they aren't filling it completely that kind of kills it.
 
well, i checked mine today and they are 14 years old. can't believe it as these are the original ones i bought, never refilled or exchanged !
guess i'll exchange them. thanks again !
 
Jeff Brown (KY) said:
I have mine refilled and it is cheaper than exchanging them and I get 5lbs more to boot.
Tank exchanges are a rip off.
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No argument on that one. I figure I save at least $5 everytime I have mine refilled versus doing the tank exchange.

Checked the dates on my two tanks earlier today and the dates shown on them are 01/05 and 03/06 so I won't need to exchange them until 02/2017 and 04/2018. Nice to know I won't need to do this for a while.
 
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