RV Inspections – Propane Tanks

Propane Tanks

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Ok for this post, let’s talk about 2 types of Propane Tanks and the checks done on each one.

First up up is ASME tanks, those are normally found on Motorhomes, they are the fixed one, mounted to the frame and have to be filled at a propane filling station or a truck has to come to you to get your tank filled, they are NOT the portable ones like you use on a gas grill(the big tanks, those little 1 lb ones we will talk about another time about why you shouldn’t refill them and legally why you can’t(yes they make refillable ones and a kit you can use to refill them from a 20 lb cylinder but I digress).

An ASME tank looks like this:

13.B.1 – ASME Tank

A

F

P

NI

NP

13.B.2 – ASME Tank Size	Gallons
13.B.3 – ASME Date of Manufacture	Year

13.B.4 – ASME Regulator Covered

Yes

No

NI

NP

13.B.5 – ASME Regulator Vents Downward Covered

Yes

No

NI

NP

13.B.6 – ASME Hoses and Regulators

A

F

P

NI

NP

13.B.7 – ASME LP Shutoff Valve Installed	Yes	No	NI	Not Visible	NP
13.B.8 – ASME Extend-a-Stay Valve Installed	Yes	No	NI	Not Visible	NP

13.B.9 – ASME Signs of Rust or Damage

Yes

No

NI

 

Next up are DOT Tanks.  Those are the portable ones, like on your gas grill, they have an expiration date, look on the collar for a 4 digit number, what does that look like to you below?  They are only good for 10 yrs, that is the month 05, the letter A and what is the two digits after the A?, Is it a 10?  If so, this expired May of 2020.  A propane company will not fill this up(or they shouldn’t), so how do you “swap” it out, if it is one of those 20lb tanks on a gas you can swap them at grocery stores and gas stations for one that is NOT expired(or at least you hope) :).

13.B.1 – DOT Tanks

A

F

P

NI

NP

13.B.2 – DOT Cylinder Arrangement

Single Tank

Dual Tank

Dual Split System

Triple Tank

Quad Tank

NP

13.B.3 – DOT PSI Regulator on split tank more than 60 inches	Yes	No	NP
13.B.4 – DOT Regulator Type	Dual auto-changeover	Single Input/Output	NP

13.B.5 – DOT Regulator Vents Downward

Yes

No

NI

Not Visible

NP

13.B.6 – DOT Hoses and Regulators

A

F

P

NI

NP

 

For each of the tanks, you will get a block like this one below in your final report.

13.C.1 – DOT #1 Cylinder Size

20LBS

30LBS

40LBS

Other

NP

13.C.2 – DOT #1 Date of Manufacture

13.C.3 – DOT #1 Rust or Damage Condition

YES

NO

NI

Next week we will start a multi-week piece on Kitchen Appliances.

See you next week 🙂