Fiberglass Propane recertify test?
- Thread starter Fireman78
- Start date
fredgoodsell
Adventurer
Which brand of fiberglass tank do you have? One brand was recalled, and I think that has made gas-station type propane fillers nervous about all of the fiberglass tanks. Any real propane dealer should know the difference and be able to recertify yours.
screwball48
Explorer
Try an industrial gas supplier. The ones who deal with welding gasses. They may know someone to certify a tank. Or try a place that refills certifies fire extinguishers.
doug720
Expedition Leader
I posted this in the recall thread earlier.
Quote Originally Posted by doug720 View Post
A neighbor owns Mutual Propane here in SoCal and when I asked about composite cylinders, He said no, then "Hell NO"!
Big problem is how they are handled, he said all it takes is a wear mark or ding on the cylinder, and they will not refill it. People have them re-certified, but if the tank is beat up at all, they still wont fill them, as the company has no idea when the damage occurred.
He told me to buy an aluminum cylinder if I wanted a lighter weight tank.
My 2 cents.
Doug
Quote Originally Posted by doug720 View Post
A neighbor owns Mutual Propane here in SoCal and when I asked about composite cylinders, He said no, then "Hell NO"!
Big problem is how they are handled, he said all it takes is a wear mark or ding on the cylinder, and they will not refill it. People have them re-certified, but if the tank is beat up at all, they still wont fill them, as the company has no idea when the damage occurred.
He told me to buy an aluminum cylinder if I wanted a lighter weight tank.
My 2 cents.
Doug
precision powder
Backwoods Explorer
These are treated just like any fiberglass or carbon fiber HPA tanks used in paintball. I deal with these tanks ALL the time. any local welding gas supplier can rehydro test it for you. As long as the resin is solid with no chips or cracks, and the regulator is solid you are fine. Like I said I deal with these on a daily basis, just swing by a supplier and ask for a hydro test.
Fireman78
Expedition Leader
You know, I think peoples aversion to these fiberglass tanks is lack of info. I've been wearing composite tanks (SCBA tanks) on my back for many many years. I'm actually old enough to remember the old steel tanks. Of course, they are used for compressed ambiant air and not not propane, but still. The current SCBA bottles are 4500 psi bottles. Thousands and thousands of FFs wear thrm on a daily basis. I just don't see a huge worldwide pandemic of exploding composite bottles of any kind. I know it can and has happend, rarely though. Whether fiberglass, composite carbon fiber or kevlar wrapped,. Either way even if you toss a composite propane tank into a fire, it cannot BLEVE. It will melt before it builds up that much pressure. I have however, seen what a metal propane bottle can do to a house, and it isn't pretty. Either way, I thank you all for the info, I continue my quest and will report back. Cheers.
Disclaimer: (Of course this is my humble opinion, I could be totally off base here)
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Disclaimer: (Of course this is my humble opinion, I could be totally off base here)
Sent from my GT-P7310 using Tapatalk 2
Last edited:
precision powder
Backwoods Explorer
Any tank like that has s burst disc in the regulator anyway. I deal with 4500psi tanks and sometimes 3500psi tanks if the pressure gets too high it pops the burst disc. Its like a one time use safety relief valve
doug720
Expedition Leader
Comparing composite HPA and SCBA tanks to a composite propane, is like comparing apples to space ships!
HPA and SCBA tanks are aluminum cylinders wrapped in a ultra strong material, CF or Kevlar, and made for high pressure - up to a working pressure of 5000psi. A composite propane tank is made entirely of composite materials without a aluminum cylinder, and made for relatively low pressures - around 250 psi working pressure.
The quality, durability and costs of composite HP/SCBA tanks is very high, composite propane tanks are just the opposite, hence the issue of re-certification and reluctance by many propane providers to refill any propane tank with any mark on the composite structure.
Not saying they are bad, but they have their issues, just like aluminum and steel cylinders do also, just different.
HPA and SCBA tanks are aluminum cylinders wrapped in a ultra strong material, CF or Kevlar, and made for high pressure - up to a working pressure of 5000psi. A composite propane tank is made entirely of composite materials without a aluminum cylinder, and made for relatively low pressures - around 250 psi working pressure.
The quality, durability and costs of composite HP/SCBA tanks is very high, composite propane tanks are just the opposite, hence the issue of re-certification and reluctance by many propane providers to refill any propane tank with any mark on the composite structure.
Not saying they are bad, but they have their issues, just like aluminum and steel cylinders do also, just different.
AFBronco235
Crew Chief
I think everyone here has the wrong idea about what makes people nervous about composite propane tanks. Its not the pressures. The propane is actually stored as a liquid within the tank and so long as a certain pressure is maintained within the tank, about 40-50 psi I believe, it won't evaporate into a gas. Its not the tank itself exploding that they're worried about. Its the contents leaking and catching fire and THEN exploding. Its kinda like asking them to fill a glass container with gasoline. They're worried about combustion damage, not shrapnel.
If any of you have seen the episode of mythbusters where they try to blowup a propane tank with a bullet, you'll understand. Some rounds wouldn't even penetrate the tank. Just a little dent. Would a composite tank stand up to that abuse? Out of the thousands of people who transport personal propane tanks around, how many of them do you think actually take care not to abuse them, who secure them in the back of the truck or who make sure they stay clean and dry? All it takes is one who abuses his composite tank and kablewie! Steel propane tanks have a long history of taking abuse and not blowing up into a huge fireball. Its not so much that they don't think it will hold the pressure, so much as how much abuse it will take before it catastrophically explodes that they're thinking about.
Think about it. The guys who fill these tanks always inspect them. How many do you think they've seen that were abused to hell and back? They know how these tanks get treated. I honestly cannot blame them for not wanting anything to do with that, not with the potential consequences being so high stakes.
If any of you have seen the episode of mythbusters where they try to blowup a propane tank with a bullet, you'll understand. Some rounds wouldn't even penetrate the tank. Just a little dent. Would a composite tank stand up to that abuse? Out of the thousands of people who transport personal propane tanks around, how many of them do you think actually take care not to abuse them, who secure them in the back of the truck or who make sure they stay clean and dry? All it takes is one who abuses his composite tank and kablewie! Steel propane tanks have a long history of taking abuse and not blowing up into a huge fireball. Its not so much that they don't think it will hold the pressure, so much as how much abuse it will take before it catastrophically explodes that they're thinking about.
Think about it. The guys who fill these tanks always inspect them. How many do you think they've seen that were abused to hell and back? They know how these tanks get treated. I honestly cannot blame them for not wanting anything to do with that, not with the potential consequences being so high stakes.
precision powder
Backwoods Explorer
Do you understand the abuse paintball tanks see? They are thrown in the back of cars or on floors, people dive into dirt and mud, they are bounced off rocks, etc. They are actually very very strong. As long as there are no chips or cracks he is good. Sounds like the people filling them do not understand them enough. Just bring it to a gad shop and have it hydrotested then fill it yourself
AFBronco235
Crew Chief
The difference between a paintball canister and a propane tank is in the contents. A paintball tank has either nitrogen or CO2, both of which are inert and non-combustible. Propane on the other hand is EXTREMELY combustible. So if a paintball tank ruptures, you get a bang and some small shrapnel. If a propane tank ruptures, you get a bang and a boom and a big fireball that will barbeque anybody nearby.
Again, its not the tank, its the contents and potential scale of disaster in the worst case scenario for each.
Again, its not the tank, its the contents and potential scale of disaster in the worst case scenario for each.
jim65wagon
Well-known member
Um, no they don't. And some of these guys wouldn't recognize an abused tank if it bit them in the behind. They should but some people are lazy and don't even give so much as a glance at the bottle as they are connecting their line. Heck, I've had one local guy (it's close to home and accessible) look at my Ragasco on three separate occasions and say "I've never seen a tank like that before" and I just think to myself, "Yeah you have, just 2 months ago"
Fireman78
Expedition Leader
Well, technically, propane is flammable, not combustable. Using OSHA definitions. The point I was originally making was the fiberglass tanks will melt off, not BELVE. You can rely on a burst disc all you want on a steel tank but they can and do fail. In other words, if two people were standing next to a fire, one had a metal propane tank, and one had a fiberglass tank, and they both tossed the tanks into the fire.. Which tank will kill you a few minutes later....
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