Propane Exchange vs Refill | Useful Knowledge. 

Good stuff! Thanks for sharing!

The tank I was given in exchange was never inspected because the valve was inoperable. The truth is when people have an old defective tank they dump it and for $20 take their chances with an exchanged tank. Tha folks that got my 2 year old, good tank, made a good deal.

Agreed. I have found propane tanks on abandoned properties, Craigslist and side or the road. I take them to one of those machines and exchange for a newer one. Then I just refill afterward

@projektxent That’s a great way to upgrade!

Not always. I got an exchange tank this spring and just took it in for a refill and guess what? They wouldn't refill it because it was out of date 2002 and not recertified. Back to the exchange cage and now I LOOK to make sure it's a good tank.

Thanks for sharing!! Definitely good info here folks. The expiration date on tanks is a real thing. Thanks!

@@useful.knowledge If you own/buy an empty tank and it reaches the expiry date - you can get it hydrostatic tested and a new expiration date stamped on it (recertified). However, it is cheaper/convenient to pay the extra $$ in the first place to rent a full tank once, then refill it yourself until it expires, then take the empty expired tank back to the exchange location and get a newer tank.

Hi. Thanks for the info and sharing!!

I was just told recently that my bbq had expired and could no longer be refilled. This is at my local hardware store. They told me they could sell me a new tank refilled for $83. It’s typically about $19 to refill the tank up here in New York. I’m thinking I will do the tank exchange thing from now on.

@@mattdbk2440 Yep. If you look at the handle of the tank, there is a expiration date stamped in the metal. Just exchange it for another tank. Easy peasy.

That 10 year policy is a pain. Some folks are exchanging them and then having the exchanged tank filled back up when empty.

Thanks!!

Nice!! Thanks for sharing. That has been my experience.

True!! Very true.

Ruined my holiday with defective propane tank. I will by new one and only refill.

It’s happened to me so many times that I started carrying two tanks. Most folks at my hunting camp always have two because of issues like yours.

Thanks for sharing! Good info!

That a 𝟭𝟵𝟵𝟴 code. No tanks with OPD valves can be filled all the way because they have the automatic shutoff float inside.

Easy enough to get rid of the valve. When tank empty, remove the valve on top. Remove the float (or adjust it for 80% instead of 50%).

@crazysquirrel9425 Wow!! Thanks for sharing!! Great info!

@@useful.knowledge You are welcome. DOT 40 tanks used to be limited to 80% AND have a popoff disc that relieved pressure if it got too high. Take a look at BIC lighters. They used to advertise 1000 lights but no more. You are lucky to get them 50% filled due to tighter regulations (I think those came about after the McVeigh issue). You can still buy refillable butane lighters and fill them yourself to any level it will hold. Oh and all refillable tanks have to be recertified about every 5 years. When buying a tank or exchanging one, make certain the expiration date is well into the future or you might get stuck. You CAN get your tank filled to 80% depending on things. Like turning the tank upside down so the float stays open and the filling place will allow an 80% fill. That way no one can be burned for tampering with safety equipment. For expired tanks, so long as they are empty, you can legally transport them on highways - applies even to compressed air tanks. Illegal to transport an expired filled or refilled tank on the roadways. Of course, the cop or such pulling you over has to be smarter than a log to know squat lol They are usually after trucks hauling multiple large bottles, not the typical homeowner. More revenue for their city/State for violations. Propane for domestic use is WET - meaning it has water in it. For the best propane that is dry, you want R290. Even that has the mercaptan in it (rotten egg smelling chemical). To properly refill any tank, you should pull a vacuum on it for at least 30 min to an hour to evaporate any water. Water in the tank leads to rusting from the inside to out. But alas, no place I know of does that. Oh and the vacuum also removes air. Every time a tank is hooked up, it introduces air in it. HUMID air. To clear out any dirt that may be in a tank, invert the tank with at least 1/2 pound or more liquid propane in it (or whatever gas you use). Crack open the valve fairly wide briefly. It will blow out any dirt and debris as well as any liquid water that may be in it. Common sense applies here....

Completely agree!! Thanks for sharing!

100% agree

Same here on when to exchange or have them filled.

Interesting!! I’ve honestly never had this happen but I can see it would be a huge pain.

Good stuff!! Thanks for sharing your info and insight!

True!! Thanks!

If you get your tanks refilled at a place who charges by amount, it doesn’t matter so much if the tank isn’t completely empty. My hardware store charges by volume; my neighbor’s fuel business is a flat fee. Guess where I go.

Thanks!

Good stuff!! Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for sharing from out west!!

you mean 15 lbs . blue rhino admits that

@@ronblack7870 correct. Thanks for the point out!

True!

Nice!!!

I pay $8.99 for a 20 lb refill.

Thanks for watching!

Hi. I’m thinking that’s the exchange price. If you don’t have a tank yet to exchange, it’s going to cost much more to outright purchase the exchange tank with propane.

Thanks!

Thanks!

Classic rookie mistake.. should always have 2 tanks for major cookouts!

I had the same issue when we went camping at Bristol for the NASCAR race about 20 years ago. We barely found another tank in town. I always take two now.

Wow!! Thanks for sharing!

Thanks!

Nice!! Thanks for sharing!

ahh is that not normal ?? I mean why are the going to charge you for 4 gallons of propane if you only needed 2 ??

Thanks!

Thanks!

Thanks!

Thanks!

Thanks! God Bless!!

It's worth the few minutes it takes to fill. Getting more propane is just an extra bonus. Thanks for the comment.

Thanks!!

Thanks!

Awesome!! Thanks for sharing!!

True!!

I see that when we weighed the tanks (0:45 sec) on the left was the refill and the exchange was on the right. But when we did the calculations (2:10) we swapped what side of the screen they were on. Thanks for the comment. Sorry for the confusion.

So true. We work hard for our money, no reason to just give it away.

My exchanges are $20 ....

Hi. Yes you can. At least I haven’t seen an issue doing that here in north Alabama. Usually the labeling is just shrink wrap that can be removed from the tank.

Hello From Kentucky; I also have three of the Blue Rhino propane tanks and I went to a location in my town where I am nearest, to do a tank exchange and I was informed that the full propane tanks were out of stock. When I asked when they were planning on getting their stock replenished, I was told that there was nobody grilling steaks during the winter months and that there was no reason to replenish the stock. I then asked the proverbial question about what the people were supposed to do that used propane for heat with like the Mr Buddy heaters and such. The question that I asked resulted in a very blank stare and sort of an apology. When my tanks were empty, I have purchased the Blue Rhino refill tanks until I found out that I could have them refilled at the local farm supply stores. So I now have practically brand new Blue Rhino tanks in which I take to our local farm supply store to have the tanks refilled in which has much better run time over the refill tanks and for less money. I found your video to be 100% accurate speaking of my own personal experience. Thanks for your video.

@TheIronDuke502 Awesome! Thanks for your comments. I noticed it a few years ago and then a lady that was refilling my tanks told me how the refill company can only fill to a certain amount due to shipping. We live in North Alabama but love coming up to KY to the Red River Gorge.

@@useful.knowledge Red River Gorge is to the east of where I live. I am west of Lexington in Woodford County where the Woodford Reserve Distillery is located as well as horse farms and horses everywhere. For Me, I for some time was using an old stoker coal stove that I burned wood pellets as my fuel. Unfortunately, I had a transformer to fry in the control box which led me to seek alternative heat sources in which I decided to begin a gradual transition to propane heat. I purchased a Mr Heater Big Buddy Heater and found out really quickly that the 1lb containers were not the best way to go monetarily as well as run time compared to the larger 20lb tanks. This heating season has been a very big learning experience. So I have been watching lots of RU-vid videos and doing lots of research. My background is with welding and cutting. We had a couple of propane forklifts, So I was somewhat familiar with dealing with the forklift propane tanks for many years. Mostly I used OxyAcetyline fuel for my torches rather than the oxygen propane fuel for heating and cutting which doesn’t get quite as hot as the OxyAcetyline fuel mix does. If nothing else, I should be able to cook out with no problem and I am kind of looking forward to that.

Interesting!! Thanks for sharing! In Alabama they don’t care but it doesn’t surprise me about other states.

Very interesting!!

Very true!

Yes, definitely. I just take them and lay them on a paper towel and dry both sides really well and put them back in the box for the next time.

​@@useful.knowledge Great! Thanks for replying.

The date should be stamped into to handle area. Sometimes it seems that certain folks will take anything back and some will deny.

Nice!!!!!

I re-date all my tanks, clean them up and repaint them. The ten year expiry is just an industry scam.

Exactly. All these comments about the expiration dates are driving me nuts. Do it yourself or find a company that does it for free. I forgot to mention when I have the local propane company do it. They do not inspect them at all just redate your tank and refill. They are just happy to have your business. ​@@tomrogers9467

Those propane tanks are set up to not allow more than 80% filling. There is a value inside that prevents over filling

20 lbs, is under that 80%.

Send $ and I’ll do as many as you want. I noticed it for years but just never took the time to weigh things out and investigate. One of the workers where I was getting a tank filled told me all about so I checked and it was true. Send $ and we will do a statistically representative sample and run it through JMP. We are engineers at Useful Knowledge. 😂🤣

Ha! Sorry, no money for you. 😂

@markoshun Dangit!! 😂🤣

🤣😂. That’s it and I’ve traded them in just like that. Thanks !!

Yes they do and I have used them many times.

Very true!

Thanks for sharing!

Wow!! 👀😂

A 20# tank should hold 20# of fluid. You are thinking gas not liquid

⁠I doubt that is an actual federal law. So even if that may be the case where you are, it isn’t the case everywhere. Also, all modern propane tanks automatically vent if the pressure gets too high.

Go make your own videos. Maybe then everything will be exactly how you like it in your spoiled sense of reality.