Riviera camper Bus propane tank

[lx450landcruiser]

Posted: Yesterday 6:52 pm Post subject: Riviera camper Bus propane tank
hello all Im new here and have a few questions regarding a 1976 Riviera camper Bus propane tank.

I bought the tank to use on my camper trailer as i like the size however I have some questions regarding the tank.

1. Are people still using these tanks? where and how do you fill them?
2. It looks as though this tank hasnt been used for awhile how do i go about making sure its ready for use?
3. Is it possible to use the tank in the upright position? (i.e valves upright)

sorry if some of these questions are dumb but im new to these.
Love the info here its a great site

Mike

 

[kjp1969]

Posted: Yesterday 6:52 pm Post subject: Riviera camper Bus propane tank
hello all Im new here and have a few questions regarding a 1976 Riviera camper Bus propane tank.

I bought the tank to use on my camper trailer as i like the size however I have some questions regarding the tank.

1. Are people still using these tanks? where and how do you fill them?
2. It looks as though this tank hasnt been used for awhile how do i go about making sure its ready for use?
3. Is it possible to use the tank in the upright position? (i.e valves upright)

sorry if some of these questions are dumb but im new to these.
Love the info here its a great site

Mike

Do not use that tank. Propane tanks are stamped with a "born on" date, and 12 years later must be recertified. They will fail (and should fail) if they are rusty or in disrepair. A propane pumping guy is supposed to check the tank for the date and reject it if it doesn't have a current (within 12 year) certification date. But they often dont.

I've worked on more than one case involving out of date tanks unexpectedly venting their contents, to dire ends. Propane is Very Bad Stuff when it releases, and you should treat it with the utmost respect. It makes gasoline look like Evian. Old sleeping bag, old truck, old cooler, but new propane tank. Please!

 

[lx450landcruiser]

Im not saying i want to use it as is, but i was told that these can be re certified if tested. my question is how do i go about doing this? do most rv places do this? the tank is a 1976 and its just minor surface rust-dirt (they are mounted under the van) There great little tanks but to buy a new one is $400 plus which is just insane. there are many wesfalias and rivieras on the road today with working propane so what are they doing?

I understand propane is nothing to be played with but if i can safely reuse this tank id like too.

 

[kjp1969]

Call your local propane supplier- Suburban Propane, Amerigas, etc. and find out who they use that's close by. They likely have a regular outfit that they use, and they may have someone on staff themselves.

You may be tempted to beadblast and repaint it, but let them see it first. They may also have to take it apart and view the inside, and will likely require new regulator and valve, and pressure relief valve at a minimum. It should probably get some kind of pressure test as well.

 

[kjp1969]

Seeing that cylinder of yours reminded me of one case in particular: a farmer up near Merced CA bought an old butane cylinder at an auction. It's condition looked a lot like yours. He thought it was a propane cylinder, and convinced the propane delivery guy to fill it- the delivery guy didn't look for a cert., and there were all kinds of reasons why it shouldn't have been used. The biggest problem was that butane has a lower working pressure, and the pressure relief valve (PRV) just barely held during the fill. The next day the tank heated up in the sun and the PRV opened, venting propane until it found a source of ignition. The resulting fire almost killed a guy (70% burns), and burned down his house.

So, long story short, that's one reason why I've got a "thing" about old propane tanks. Here's some more info about recertifying an old tank:
http://www.propane101.com/propanecylinders.htm
There's also a link to photos of tanks that were rejected for various reasons, rust included.

Good luck!

 

[njtaco]

Do not use that tank. Propane tanks are stamped with a "born on" date, and 12 years later must be recertified. They will fail (and should fail) if they are rusty or in disrepair. A propane pumping guy is supposed to check the tank for the date and reject it if it doesn't have a current (within 12 year) certification date.

Technically this 12 year requirement does not directly apply to a "DOT" tank, like the one pictured...but that is my ONLY point of arguement with kjp1969's advice. Please do not use this tank. Your life is not worth the savings of a few dollars, even a few hundred dollars. Remember that LP tanks rot (rust) from the inside to the outside, too. There is no way to see this damage.

To answer your question #3, you must mount the tank as designed, with the valves oriented in "factory" location/direction. But that doesn't matter, right? Cuz your not gonna use the tank...right?