Propane tank is full but - - - -

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Some people still haven't fixed the clock on their VCR, or replaced it with a DVR.

What's a DVR? (LOL!)

[rfs]

Passed up a big stack of rock and roll 8 tracks at an auction last Saturday. Went for $ 2.50.
Dave

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

It can't come out with the tank not connected to the hose because there's an OPD valve as a safety mechanism. You might try to connect the tank to a hose with no fitting on the other end then open the valve to see if gas comes out. If so, it could be a bad OPD fitting on that side..

It isn't actually the OPD (Overfill Prevention Device, which is the float-based mechanism which shuts off the valve if the level gets too high), but this is another one of the safety features found in modern tank valves. As already explained, a hose end must be inserted to trip open this feature.

Another safety feature that might have been the problem shuts off if the flow increases too rapidly. This is called an excess flow valve, it is normally located in the tank end of the hose, and it is supposed to nearly cut off the flow if a hose ruptures. What it does far more frequently is stop a tank from working when the user hooks it up and quickly opens the valve by turning the handwheel. The fix is simply to close the valve, wait a minute, then very slowly turn it all the way open. No need to disconnect and reconnect the hose, and nothing to do with the float valve (OPD).

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by rfs

Passed up a big stack of rock and roll 8 tracks at an auction last Saturday. Went for $ 2.50.
Dave

Oh man! I have two cars with 8 track players. The tapes are getting really hard to come by.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Oh man! I have two cars with 8 track players. The tapes are getting really hard to come by.

My beloved 8 Track collection apparently got chucked (along with a few other things) when I left home to join the military back in '79. Ironically, I did find one of the matchbooks I used to wedge in to the player so the tapes would play correctly.

[hughharden]

So if my tank is empty but the automatic changeover valve is still showing full can I assume I have a defective valve?

[padlin]

If the changeover indicator shows green and both tank valves are open you should be getting gas to your appliances from the primary tank, primary being the one the lever points to. When the primary goes empty the indicator turns red and the 2ndary feeds the appliances as long as it's valve is open.

When the primary or both tanks are empty the changeover indicator should be red.

If you have a green indicator with the tank valves open but are getting no gas to the appliances, I'd suspect the auto changeover valve. Make sure you check more then one appliance though.

Might try closing both tanks, turn on the stove to release any built up pressure, the indicator should go red.

[hughharden]

Originally Posted by padlin

If the changeover indicator shows green and both tank valves are open you should be getting gas to your appliances from the primary tank, primary being the one the lever points to. When the primary goes empty the indicator turns red and the 2ndary feeds the appliances as long as it's valve is open.

When the primary or both tanks are empty the changeover indicator should be red.

If you have a green indicator with the tank valves open but are getting no gas to the appliances, I'd suspect the auto changeover valve. Make sure you check more then one appliance though.

Might try closing both tanks, turn on the stove to release any built up pressure, the indicator should go red.

Does it just switch over from green to red or does it gradually go as the pressure goes down?

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by hughharden

Does it just switch over from green to red or does it gradually go as the pressure goes down?

It's designed to flip over reasonably abruptly at a set pressure (chosen to be less than a tank with any liquid would produce).

Pressure doesn't go down gradually in a propane tank anyway, except as it chills due to rapid propane use. As long as there is any liquid propane in the tank, the pressure only depends on temperature - so between a nearly empty tank and a full tank at the same temperature, the pressure will be the same.

The temperature effect leads to one problem I've had with these auto-changeover regulators: in winter, with not much propane pressure due to cold but still enough to use, there wasn't enough pressure to run the switchover mechanism, so it sort of stuck halfway.