Propane

[CitizenQ]

Guys,

Tell me whatcha know about propane. It being hurricane season and residing in a hurricane lane -- in addition to being a Responsible American Citizen Who Chooses To Prepare -- I ran over to Costco last weekend and grabed two extra 20 lb. propane cylinders. Then I ran over to Ace to get them filled up. Sheesh...the fellas over at Ace need to back to propane school if you ask me. They were telling me all 20 pound tanks weiged 18 pounds. I made them put mine on the scale empty (it weighed 20 pounds). Then they set the scale to 36-pounds to fill it. Grrrr.

Tell me whatcha know about propane. Does a 20 pound tank hold 20 pounds of propane? How do I best store extra propane. Should I invest in some larger tanks? What is the shelf-life of a tank of propane?

The more information the better! :thumbup:

 

[Bob W]

I find the friendliest and most knowledgable propane people at the KOA, and get my tanks filled there.

 

[Diamond Dog]

I don't know how much help I can be but for what it is worth...When I go to the mountains I see that the mountain homes have really large propane tanks. I can attest to having the propane be stored for a couple of years in my garage and has worked fine. I figure if the cannister still feels heavy or full than there is still propane in it. Not very scientific I know. I think propane is a good alternative source of fuel, but as always be careful everything is plugged in right and that their is no leaks going out. I had a little leak from a small propane stove once where the handles were a small nut/washer was missing and I turned up the heat too much and all of a suddent the propane seeped out where the dials were and flames arose quick. I had to turn it off from the tank itself-small scare!

 

[B Finnigan]

I just used a 5 gal tank that was over four years old the other day on my forge. Since we have alot of power outages around here I always keep two five gal and two ten gallon tanks full. By cooking on the BBQ and not using the electric stove it frees up more power.

It is a very versatile fuel and stores for a long time.

It is good to see you being prepared! That way I won't see you on CNN whinning about how bad it is and not having anything.

 

[alco141]

i dont think there is an expiration date on propane, you can store it indefinately. you can also buy a fitting that will allow you to fill the small disposable bottles from the large tank, so you can have many of the small bottles available and they can be used in stoves, lanterns, coleman has a propane oven even. and just refill them when you need to. i have a couple of 20 lb cylinders around that i keep full, i weigh them once in a while and they have held their weight. i also keep a bunch of the propane bottles around th handle cooking and lights.

propane bottle filler

alex

 

[CitizenQ]

...It is good to see you being prepared! That way I won't see you on CNN whinning about how bad it is and not having anything.

When I was filling my tanks at Ace I mentioned to an older lady behind me...

"Got a couple of extra tanks just in case we have a Hurricane."

To which she replied...

"Now let's not get hysterical!"



To which I repled...

"Hysterical? No. Prepared? Yes. Very prepared."

What is it with people anyway?

 

[CitizenQ]

i dont think there is an expiration date on propane, you can store it indefinately. you can also buy a fitting that will allow you to fill the small disposable bottles from the large tank, so you can have many of the small bottles available and they can be used in stoves, lanterns, coleman has a propane oven even. and just refill them when you need to. i have a couple of 20 lb cylinders around that i keep full, i weigh them once in a while and they have held their weight. i also keep a bunch of the propane bottles around th handle cooking and lights.

propane bottle filler

alex

CHACHING Alex! Thank you! :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

 

[Codger_64]

I keep a supply of the smaller bottes on hand. I have two lanterns and a single burner stove and use them all when the power goes out. I got in the habit when I lived in Pensacola. I keep two oil lamps and spare lamp oil too. Oh. And I am not Catholic, but I do go to Catholic yard sales occasionally. You know those huge cathedral candles? Man, they give a lot of light and burn a looooong time. They replace them pretty often when they get dingy or only a foot long.

Codger

 

[1894]

It's been a few years since I had anyone use a scale when filling my small proane tanks . The just loosen the little flat head screw on the side of the shutoff and fill the tank untill the liquid comes out . then charge by the gallon.

Re 20# tank , probably does hold 20# of propane . I believe that standard practice is to only fill a tank to 80% of capacity . This allows for expansion inside of the tank in hot weather. Atleast that's how they fill our big tanks at camp , they have a guage on the tank and stop at 80%.
At camp we just use propane for lights , cooking stoves , refridgerator , and a small heater for the back room when we use the room. Camp next door is putting in a shower using a tankless water heater :thumbup:

Phil

 

[B Finnigan]

To which she replied...

"Now let's not get hysterical!"



To which I repled...

"Hysterical? No. Prepared? Yes. Very prepared."

What is it with people anyway?

PATHETIC!!!!!!!! If you fiqure out that mentality let me know because I am equally confused by it.

The flip side of that scenario is wait for a massive power outage and wait in line for hours or just looking for a place that even has propane. That is hysterical and as long as people have that thought process going I am very concerned for our civilization.

 

[GEC]

I also have a couple of propane tanks and small bottles stored for emergencies or BBQ/camping. Does anybody know if these tanks have an expiration date or something?

 

[22-rimfire]

I have always wondered the same thing about the portable tanks. I think it a very good idea to have a grill rigged for a large propane tank for cooking. There are auxillary heaters you can buy which mount on a exterior wall which work real well for heat. I keep kerosene in the winter for emergency heat (last resort for me) although I have a gas fireplace which would be useful in an emergency during the winter time. Expensive to operate, but it works.

 

[psy-ops]

When I was filling my tanks at Ace I mentioned to an older lady behind me...

"Got a couple of extra tanks just in case we have a Hurricane."

To which she replied...

"Now let's not get hysterical!"



To which I repled...

"Hysterical? No. Prepared? Yes. Very prepared."

What is it with people anyway?

I just let those comments roll by. If there is a hurricane and you guys lose power, she will feel stupid. If there isn't one, she'll think you are hysterical. Only, she doesn't know that propane lasts a long time and can be used for other reasons.
Sometimes biting on their bait, only plays fulfills their expectations. By not biting, you are actually saying the strongest response.

 

[kenk]

From what I've read ...

The empty 20# LP tank weighs about 17-18 pounds. This is called the Tare Weight.

Stamped on the tank you'll find two numbers:
TW = Tare Weight (empty weight) in pounds
WC = Water Capacity - how much water the tank will hold - in pounds.

The typical 20# tank will hold about 20 lbs (about 4.7 gallons) of liquid propane, so the full tank will weight about 18+20=38 pounds.

 

[yooperman]

The tanks themselves are good for 12 years at which time you can have them recertified. I have 7 20 galloon tanks that I keep in the shed, we use them for the grill, the camp stove and lanterns. Propane seems to keep pretty much indefinitely.

-Yooperman

 

[40swg23]

I work for a propane company as a service tech. Ask away, I should be able to tell you anything you want to know by now.

Edit...

As for the expiration date of the gas, there is none. Cylinders with a dot stamping should be inspected every 12 years. We have tanks from the 30's still going strong!