Faulty Propane Tank ???

[John in Santa Cruz]

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Tom&Joan

I guess I should not post when tired! I did not mean to imply that you should leave the tank upside down!

Thanks for the clarification, but...

Originally Posted by Tom&Joan

Turning it upside down will reset the excess flow valve. Then turn it back rightside up and proceed as usual. Works every time. Turning the valve on too fast is what causes the lockup..

A sudden surge of flow is what triggers the excess flow valve, but no, turning the tank upside down will not reset it. The excess flow valve is not even in the tank - it's in the end of the hose. On the other hand, turning the tank upside down might unstick a stuck overfill prevention device (OPD), because it's a float valve and turning a full tank upside down will drive the float toward the foot of the tank, which opens the valve.

All you have to do to reset a tripped excess flow valve is to turn off the tank valve and disconnect the hose, and the excess flow valve resets immediately; if you don't disconnect the hose it resets more slowly as the propane trapped between the tank valve and excess flow valve seeps past the excess flow valve.

[Tom&Joan]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

Thanks for the clarification, but...


A sudden surge of flow is what triggers the excess flow valve, but no, turning the tank upside down will not reset it. The excess flow valve is not even in the tank - it's in the end of the hose. On the other hand, turning the tank upside down might unstick a stuck overfill prevention device (OPD), because it's a float valve and turning a full tank upside down will drive the float toward the foot of the tank, which opens the valve.

All you have to do to reset a tripped excess flow valve is to turn off the tank valve and disconnect the hose, and the excess flow valve resets immediately; if you don't disconnect the hose it resets more slowly as the propane trapped between the tank valve and excess flow valve seeps past the excess flow valve.

Brian, I read what you posted several times, but I have demonstrated several times that turning the tank up side down (then right side up) cures the low flow rate. Our propane supplier showed me originally. I am going to purposely cause the low flow problem on my shop heater and attempt to correct it by what I posted previously. Will report back tomorrow.

[Tom&Joan]

Originally Posted by Tom&Joan

Brian, I read what you posted several times, but I have demonstrated several times that turning the tank up side down (then right side up) cures the low flow rate. Our propane supplier showed me originally. I am going to purposely cause the low flow problem on my shop heater and attempt to correct it by what I posted previously. Will report back tomorrow.

As promised, I checked my shop heater, a 30K BTU unit. I bled out the hose even though the heater had not been used since last winter, I wanted to make sure It was void of gas. The tank felt like it was about 1/3 full. Unlike my usual practice, I turned the valve on as quickly as I could. It took forever to get the pilot to light, and admittedly, if the heater has not been used in a while it does take a bit for the pilot to light. BUT! The pilot seemed to be diminished and apparantly was not heating the capillary tube hot enough as the burner would not come alive. I then turned off the tank valve and tipped the tank upside down for a minute and then rightside up. This time I turned the valve on very slowly and the heater lit as usual. I can't explain how it works, but it does. And this guy does not easily accept anything other than rational explanations. I spent most of my career as a troubleshooter.

When I got my neighbors stubborn barbeque going a couple of years ago using the same procedure they said they were ready to go buy a new one as they had been trying to get it going for a good hour and had tried everything they could think of.

[Dave Walter]

Sounds as if I will have to try some combination of banging the tank to the ground and/or tipping it upside down. It may be a day or two before I get back here with the results of this experiment. Thanks all for the advice.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Tom&Joan

... The pilot seemed to be diminished and apparantly was not heating the capillary tube hot enough as the burner would not come alive. I then turned off the tank valve and tipped the tank upside down for a minute and then rightside up. This time I turned the valve on very slowly and the heater lit as usual. I can't explain how it works, but it does

It would have also worked if instead of turning the tank upside down, you had just taken a minute to read another post in the forum. It's just the time with the tank valve closed which resets the excess flow valve.

Originally Posted by Tom&Joan

When I got my neighbors stubborn barbeque going a couple of years ago using the same procedure they said they were ready to go buy a new one as they had been trying to get it going for a good hour and had tried everything they could think of.

Frustrated people tend to have very little patience, and in that hour they may have done many things many times, including turning the tank valve off and back on, but probably didn't once leave the tank valve off long enough for the excess flow valve to reset.

If you want it to reset more quickly, disconnect the hose from the tank - that does it immediately.

I helped some neighbors who were trying to start their barbecue, and while could not be sure what their problem was, all I did was turn off the tank valve, loosen and retighten the hose (to make sure it was properly attached), and open the tank valve. That would have done three things:

• reset the excess flow valve (if tripped),
• ensured that the QCC fitting (which connects the hose to the tank) was fully inserted to open the safety valve which is pushed open by the hose fitting tip, and
• ensured that the tank valve was open.

Once it's working, it's hard to tell why it wasn't working before.

[Iowa Dave]

Every once in a while I get frustrated-frantic with a tank. I shut it off, get a full one and put it on my big Weber grill. Open it slowly, always works. Then like a dummy I take the partial in for a fill but only when I have one or two more empties. I like to make it worth the trip.

Just got my winter supply at the house. It cost $.99 per gallon so the price they charge to fill a 20 lb tank (about 4.5 gallons) costs .89 a pound. A well to do guy in my home town was filling his own 20 lb tanks off of the 500 gallon house tank with some creative plumbing he had assembled. Had a slight accident and though he did not get burned, he did burn up his garage and half of a very nice house.
Iowa Dave

[75thRanger]

Originally Posted by Dave Walter

Sounds as if I will have to try some combination of banging the tank to the ground and/or tipping it upside down. It may be a day or two before I get back here with the results of this experiment. Thanks all for the advice.

Bang it around! My kind of PM. Few years back one of our maint people got so PO'ed at a one of the tanks we use for our annual BQ he ran it over with our old D9 Cat. Haven't had a real use for that Cat in years but it sure did the job on the tank. 100,000 lb will do that!

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by 75thRanger

Bang it around! My kind of PM. Few years back one of our maint people got so PO'ed at a one of the tanks we use for our annual BQ he ran it over with our old D9 Cat. Haven't had a real use for that Cat in years but it sure did the job on the tank. 100,000 lb will do that!

The idea is to get it working properly again, not to destroy it or vent unburned propane if that is what happened. A faulty propane tank isn’t Charlie!

[75thRanger]

Originally Posted by C&G in FL

The idea is to get it working properly again, not to destroy it or vent unburned propane if that is what happened. A faulty propane tank isn’t Charlie!

That tank is most certainly faulty now.

[Tom&Joan]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

It would have also worked if instead of turning the tank upside down, you had just taken a minute to read another post in the forum. It's just the time with the tank valve closed which resets the excess flow valve.


Frustrated people tend to have very little patience, and in that hour they may have done many things many times, including turning the tank valve off and back on, but probably didn't once leave the tank valve off long enough for the excess flow valve to reset.

If you want it to reset more quickly, disconnect the hose from the tank - that does it immediately.

I helped some neighbors who were trying to start their barbecue, and while could not be sure what their problem was, all I did was turn off the tank valve, loosen and retighten the hose (to make sure it was properly attached), and open the tank valve. That would have done three things:

• reset the excess flow valve (if tripped),
• ensured that the QCC fitting (which connects the hose to the tank) was fully inserted to open the safety valve which is pushed open by the hose fitting tip, and
• ensured that the tank valve was open.

Once it's working, it's hard to tell why it wasn't working before.

Brian, I might be 80, but my comprehension is just fine, and I read EVERY post. And I can turn a tank upside down and back up faster than I can disconnect a hose. In the case of my neighbor's problem, I was a new guest and slow to but in and did not want to embarrass anyone as I watched through the window, so was to offer my assistance.

This is my last post on this subject.

[Iowa Dave]

Give me an Amen
Amen
Iowa Dave

[Brian B-P]

I

Originally Posted by Tom&Joan

... And I can turn a tank upside down and back up faster than I can disconnect a hose.

I don't doubt that (as long as the tank isn't clamped onto a trailer). I only assumed a significant time upside down because I took this statement literally:

Originally Posted by Tom&Joan

... I then turned off the tank valve and tipped the tank upside down for a minute and then rightside up.

Perhaps "for a minute" was intended to be "for a moment".

It would be unfortunate if people were removing tanks from trailers unnecessarily to reset excess flow valves... which, of course, is not the problem Dave was having anyway.