Your gauge is only reading pressure which can vary depending on the temperature of the tank. Most LP tanks will have read green on your gauge until it’s almost completely empty. Just weigh them and minus the weight of the tank. Regardless tank exchange is and has always been a ripoff.
The blue rhino propane tank is probably filled at 80% or less, therefore making it safe to be out in hot temperatures. The one that you got refilled is about 100% filled so if you have that out in the sun it will explode.
5.7 gallons is too much, your tank is overfilled which is why the pressure is so high. the operator botched the refill, he should have closed the valve on his filling gun when liquid appeared, then closed the level check valve with the screwdriver after liquid stopped venting. the operator also should have verified the weight of the filled tank on the scale visible to the right of the filling station and corrected the weight if it was too high. also, comparing vapor pressure of propane tanks is not an accurate way to measure fuel quantity because the vapor pressure is very steady untill the tank is almost empty when all of the liquid fuel has boiled off into vapor. the only accurate way to determine fuel quantity is by weighing the tank and subtracting the tare weight of the cylinder which is stamped into the tank handle. the real ripoff though is the exchange cylinder business, all 20-pound tanks are designed to safely hold 20 pounds of propane at any temperature but all of the exchange companies fill their tanks to 15 pounds, claiming that it is not safe to fill a 20-pound tank to a full 20 pounds, which is a lie. in my area propane is $2.59 a gallon, or $0.65 per pound. an exchange tank costs $19, or $1.27 per pound for 15 pounds of fuel. literally twice the price... unfortunately, because of operator errors and negligence there are a lot of places in this country where portable propane tank refilling is not allowed, so the only option is tank exchange.
@@GG-vx7gi opds can fail. A 20lb cylinder when filled to 80% by law should be between 4.2-4.8 gals depending on atmospherics. However, you point about the exchanges is still valid as they are usually filled to 3.8-4 gals. When I asked our exchange supplier why the short fill , I was told it was to offset the recertification costs to meet a price point depending on the price of propane
@@tobahero I encourage my customers to refill unless the tank is out of date. But do so with the knowledge that a 20lb should hold about 4.5, 30lb 6.6-7, and a 40lb around 9 gals. Overfilling does nothing good for you. At best,it wastes your money as the gas bleeds off as the tank warms up, but at worst it can kill you. I also avoid big box stores b/c there is a chance the person filling your tank, was shaking paint the day before and may not actually hold a LP license.
Seen a lot of comments here saying you can't put 5.7 gallons in a 5 gallon tank. That's probably true if you have a 5 gallon tank. 20lb bbq cylinders are not 5 gallon. They are in fact mostly 5.7 gallon. But yeah, the safety valve should have never allowed it to be topped off. Law is 20% underfilled to allow for expansion when warm. Otherwise risk blowing the release valve. The video still has good meaning, the trade in only has 15 pounds, a properly filled 80% full cylinder will have 20 pounds, or 4.7 gallons.
20# thank holds approx 4.5gal. 40# thank holds approx 9.4gal. Only fill tanks 80%. Leaves necessary room for conversion from liquid to gas. Gas is what your using, not liquid.
Those gauges are a joke and are not accurate! All you are seeing is propane vapor pressure and propane changes pressure with temperature! A True accurate gauge for a tank would be mounted permanently to the tank registering the liquid level of the propane in the tanks and that is the only accurate gauge!
Have the same guage and works great. Many others doesnt know these things. I called one local place and the guy answered from NC a few states away, large companys buying small ones and wont do things they did before.
Great video! Better than trying to explain it. Shop around if you have different suppliers, decide for yourself. I used to pump propane at U-Haul. They had the best deal in my area.
I knew it when I bought a blue rhino bottle that it was much lighter than my old bottle that I use to have filled. Good video. Info everyone should know that uses propane bottles.
5.8 in a 20lb tank the tank is way overfilled. I worked propane for 13yrs for major company’s, if i filled one that full i would of been FIRED. They are suppose too weight 20 pounds FULL. That tank must have a bad valve or the wrong valve in it, i have changed thousands of valves in 13 yrs. the valve should have shut the tank OFF before it got too 5 gal. Your passing out BAD info.
I've been wondering about buying a tank at Costco or somewhere, but I don't think I see any advantages vs. buying into a tank at a swap place and then just having that tank refilled. This seems like the best of both worlds. The disadvantage to buying the tank is that eventually it ages out and you lose the investment.
15 pounds of propane is 3.54 gallons. 15 pounds X 0.236 gallons per pound. The second 20 pound tank, even filled to 100% capacity (which is dangerous) should only hold 4.72 gallons not 5.7 gallons.
Holy mackerel, not sure how that guy is still in business. That's WAY overfilled. Better keep that tank dark and cool or you're going to be buying a new garage...
No way to physically stuff 5.7 gallons into that tank. Fill station is maybe ripping off a little bit? Advantage is having a completely full tank (overfull?) Thanks for the effort!
This video should come with a warning label!!!!! If you have 5.7 gal. in that tank i'd be very surprised, on the handle/collar is a stamped TW (stands for Tare Weight) thats the weight of the empty vessel. LP weighs 4.2 lbs per gal. Weigh the vessel full of LP, subtract the TW and divide by 4.2 that'll tell you the gallons. That looks like a 15lb vessel to me, and if it has 5.7 gal in it, it's dangerously overfilled. All grill cylinders require re-certification 12 years from the date it was manufactured, and every 5 years after that. Federal regulations for dispensing and refilling propane tanks are set by the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Individual states and local jurisdictions may vary from federal regulations, so it is important to check with your state for variations.
@@jneihart2 @ 3:18 he states, filling his tank took 5.7 gal, of Propane...His tank was filled by Volume, the Blue Rhino tank was filled by Weight...simple differences
@@65GasBoy Watch the video at 1:41 you will see the actual numbers are 4.6. He just mis-spoke! Just stating the facts as a lot of folks were blaming the employee for over filling his tank!
Good info, switching to propane garage heat from kerosene due to high cost and decreased availability Looks like refilling benefits outweigh the convenience of exchanging..
That's what I do. I have a few old 20 lb tanks that need to be re-certified. I'm using those first, these days. When empty, I'll exchange for a Blue Rhino with plenty of time left on it. In the future when this new-to-me tank is empty, I'll have it refilled at our local Tractor Supply. BTW, shop around for the best exchange price. Around here, the price varied, considerably, with some places charging $3-$4 more than others, per exchange. For re-filling, look for a place that sells by the gallon and not per refill. FWIW... I've also bought a couple more new tanks from TS and had them filled, too. For supplemental heating in a grid-down situation, along with charring a few steaks since spring is returning. And as a hedge against inflation, as I suspect prices will be rising considerable in the future.
When I get my propane refill by a pro on amerigas it last 3 months When I buy a exchange it last 15 to 24 days That's is not good Refill is like $ 15 Exchange $23 +tax for less gas Thieves
You need a understanding of physical characteristics of propane and you got cheated out of your money with that gauge that tells you nothing of the volume only if the tank has liquid in it or not. Study up on vapor pressure.....
The ONLY safe and legal way to fill portable tanks is by weight. Your one tank is overfilled and is dangerous if not deadly. I would recommend NEVER going to where you had it filled. Those tanks are designed to hold 20 lbs of propane. 20 lbs divided by 4.2 lbs per gallon gives you a little less than 5 gallon. There must be room in the tank to allow for thermal expansion. When your gauge is in the green, it indicates that there is liquid and vapor in the tank. How far it goes or does no go into the green is ONLY related to the temperature of the propane in the tank. It is TRUE that you are getting ripped off 5 lbs of propane when you purchase a partially filled 20 lb tank that only has 15 lbs of propane in it.
@@TheJimbob1603 My LWS filled one of my 30 lb tanks the other day. They overfilled it because the float or OPD valve failed. They had to dump a lot of propane into the atmosphere. They typically fill to the dip tube but he was occupied doing something else and did not shut it off when liquid hit the dip tube and the valve failed. The same place had overfilled my 100 lb tank a week or so before (no crappy OPD valve). I had got it filled at lunch and went back to work. The police called and said that the tank was leaking propane in the parking lot. The pressure relief valve was dumping excess pressure. I took it back to the LWS and it had quit leaking. They removed a little by weight and all was good.
@@CPUDOCTHE1 Being retired and having the time available, I'd take it back to the man who originally sold me the the defective OPD tank and insist on a replacement or immediate repair. If not satisfied, then notify their insurance carrier (via return receipt mail) that their insured is knowingly selling/filling defective propane tanks. If still not satisfied, take 'em to small claims court ..... you'll win because they won't bother to show up.
@@TheJimbob1603 They were all used tanks. I got 3 tanks for $25 each. and two tanks for $25 for the pair vs $119 for one new one at Tractor Supply. $100 for 5 tanks and $120 for 4 valves saves me $380.
I have an old, rusty, paint-peeling tank in my shed my dad left around. No labels on it. It is my understanding I can still exchange it despite the age?
He was opening the bleeder valve, so he could get the tank completely full. However, as others have pointed out, you don't actually want a completely full tank. And I believe that's why the gauge pegged out.
All the people in the comments talking about 5.7 gal... do you guys not see the meter in the video? it show 4.6 gal. Not 5.7 Now, if you were charged for 5.7 instead of the 4.6, you got ripped off ^^'
5.7 gallons in a 5 gallon tank.... If you do the math... Is impossible. I could explain why but it would be a sarcastically lengthy write. Just know that, whether the OPD is functional or not, it is physically unable to have over 5 gallons of liquid in a 5 gallon tank. Im no physicist, so please.. dont take my word as concrete. Im just inviting everyone to do their own research and explore multiple resources.. (He likely meant 4.7 gal)
I've done the math. The interior volume of a 20# propane tank is slightly under 6 gallons, not 5. You can calculate this yourself by taking the WC# (water capacity) and dividing it by the weight of a gallon of water. 20 lbs of propane in the same tank will take up 80% of that volume allowing room for liquid expansion under hot conditions. If you have ever had a float actuated toilet fill valve fail to shut off before the water level in the tank reaches the overflow tube, you'll understand one of the limitations of an OPD. Some OPD protected tanks will never reach their nominal capacity before the valve shuts off and others will accept slightly more than rated capacity.
I buy them fix them and sell them just got done with the Honda EU 2200 it's the same as the 2000 but it's the newer model and it will put out 2200 Watts for 1/2 hour and then 15 amps which is 1800 watts for as long as he want to run it I have 450 into it I will let it go for that price to you if you give me a couple of shout-outs and pay for shipping
I think most aluminum tanks for fork lifts deliver liquid. You do not want liquid for most purposes. You could sell that forklift tank and buy 3 or 4 20 lb tanks.