How much did you pay to certify your ten year old 20 pound portable propane tank?

[Tamborino]

I just assembled a brand new duel fuel portable generator based on this thread and now I have to buy for the first time in my life a propane tank.

do portble generators make such a big deal about starting watts?

It seems most people get the twenty-pound propane tanks even though there are all sorts of other sizes - so my first question is to clarify that.

But mostly my main question is how much did you pay for a hydro test?

Luckily, I won't need a hydro test for 10 years since I don't have a tank so I'm going to have to buy a new one for about $60 it seems from googling.

I googled enough locally to know that I have three choices for refilling. (a) I can refill at home from my 500 gallon tank for the most convenience [That's about $3.50/gallon with no tax but it needs a $250 hose.] (b) I can refill at a store within 30 miles (at about $4/gallon + tax) [While inconvenient, the cost difference can't justify the $250 hose.] (c) I can exchange my new tank which is a rip off based on my calculations [They only fill to 15 pounds (3.5 gallons) so it's about $7/g + tax.]

Always willing to buy tools if they pay for them self over time, I can't yet justify the $250 hose since it would take over a hundred refills to recoup the cost of the hose at only a $0.50 price difference per gallon.

Although I like the convenience of being able to easily refill at home given the nearest exchange/refill store is an hour's drive round trip.

At this early stage in the cost:benefit calculations, I think what I'll most likely do is buy one new 20-pound (4.6 gallon) tank for about $60, and if that runs out, I can switch over to gasoline (so I buy only one tank).

After ten years, I'll have to decide whether to keep my tried and true trusty twenty-pound propane tank and get it hydro'd or exchange it.

I can't complete the calculations without knowing the hydro cost though. How much did you pay to certify your old 20 pound portable propane tank?

[Clare Snyder]

Have not paid to have one certified, but do yourself a favor and buy

30 lb instead of 20 - and if much over 5000 watts you want to have 2 tanks connected so you don't freeze up the single tank. Ihave an 8500 and it really frosts up a single tank in a hurry under load -

The only advantage to 20 lb tanks is you can easilly exchange them

[mike]

Clare Snyder [e-mail]> wrote

I read the reviews here which back up everything you said above.

A 20 pound propane tank holds 4.6 gallons (exchanges are only 3.5 gallons) and weighs about 35 pounds.

The 30 pound propane tank is about $100 at Home Depot and it weights 23.5 lbs empty and can hold up to 7.1 gallons for a final weight of 53.5 pounds.

The next size up is a 40 lb tank which weighs just over 70 lbs full.

Most stores like Home Depot will only exchange the 20 pound tank size. But all the refillers will refill almost any size portable propane tank.

A full propane tank hydro is good for 12 years. Then you can recert them. If the recertification company hydrostatically tested it under pressure, then it is good for another 12 years. But if the test was only visual (they take out the valve and with a light they inspect the inside) then the recertification is only for another 5 years.

The five-year stickers can wear off so protect them from UV light & rain.

The only time you need to be within those certification dates is for full transportation and for refilling. Exchange and use are not regulated.

Nobody said what the cost was but a few people said the recertification cost more than the tank does (which seems a little expensive to me).

[RonTheGuy]

How big is a forklift tank? They look like they're in between the 30 & 40.

I'm not sure if they're liquid or gas output though.

Nor if the regulator opening is the same 3/8th inch that a 20 pounder uses.

But you can probably exchange them at wherever they do forklift tanks.

Ron, the humblest guy in town.