Jim,
I have seen discarded 20 pound propane tanks discarded by the road for a couple years now. The trash guys don’t pick them up, either. (At least not in my area)
They are tossed out because they have the “old style” valve in them.
At Wallyworld [Wal-Mart], they were swapping the old tank for an up-dated one for a pretty reasonable price.
I discussed this with my local propane guy, and he said they are losing about $1.00 each doing what they are doing. Now I found out why. The local Indian reservation has gas stations, and one of them fills propane tanks, without the state taxes. They cannot fill those tanks that are coming from the big box store! Actually, it is Blue Rhino who is pulling this. I guess Wal-Mart lets them deal through them. They are putting a special valve on them now, that can only be filled by Blue Rhino. I am not sure, but I think they have a magnet deal they put on the filler neck to open the trick valve they put on, and then they can fill them. So, that is why I contacted my local propane guy. He can put a Overfill Protection Device (OPD) valve, which is the new type, for just under $15. Then I can get it filled at the reservation for $8. I think Blue Rhino gets $12 to swap tanks. So, then I have a 20 lb tank that is refillable anywhere they fill them, but if you forget and swap it to the Rhino place, you lose your ‘good’ tank, and then you are forced to deal with the Rhino, or switch the valve again. Then you just put it someplace where it is protected from the elements, and it will keep indefinitely.
I bought a kit to run my generator off the propane tanks from a place in West Virginia: http://www.propane-generators.com/ (Gee, made in the U.S.)
I haven’t installed it yet, but it looks simple enough. They have several types to choose from, and have kits for about any size/make engine. They also have a digital tachometer that is also an hour meter that is the cheapest I have seen, compared to other places. The propane is a lot safer to deal with, and stores so much better, I thought I would go this route. I have been waiting for a paycheck for a while, and it just came, so I am taking my garbage-picked tanks to the propane guy to switch the valves. He has some kind of a power wrench to change them. I guess they are REALLY tight! I think to buy a new tank outright, is almost $45, or thereabouts. – Sid, near Niagara Falls
Letter Re: 20 Pound Propane Tanks and Differing Valve Designs in the U.S.
