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Casey Brown

Casey Brown

Well-Known Member
Ok. I just bought a new 100 lb propane tank, and it just showed up. However, the tank has a slight dent in it from shipping. Should I return it, or not worry about it. Worried more about a safety issue that cosmetic appearance.
 
I work for a natural gas utility that also supplies propane, although I'm primarily in the natural gas end of our company here's my view, first off for a 100 pounder it took a good hit to take a dent, second, to get a brand new tank filled the first time it needs to be purged...at an extra expense above having it filled which means it is now YOURS with no option to return it.
now here lies the problem...each individual that fills that can make the decision to not fill it because of the dent.
if a guy tells you, yea just always bring it to us....we'll fill it, that's great, unless they close or change management. then who knows, you may not find anyone to fill it. personally if it was me I wouldn't risk the cost in a #100 tank that arrived with a dent on not having someone fill it with no questions asked where ever you take it.
that being said, I don't know how big the dent is or the location of it on the tank. if it's small and on the side not near a weld you should be ok. but like I said, there not cheap...and it shouldn't have a dent.
 
I've already arranged to have it returned. Thanks for the feedback. Didn't want to take a chance on that. I ordered the tank from Costco, as they had the cheapest price for one. I may pick one up from a local filling station. Also, any recommendations on size tank to get? I realized that a 100# tank would be a beast to try to handle myself when I need to get it refilled. I was now thinking on getting a 60# rather than 100#.
 
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Way back when, I started with 100lb cylinders..... they got pretty spendy to fill. My propane outfit recommended a bigger tank, and I went to a 120 gallon tank.....that lasted a while, and when I built a new blacksmith shop, the tank had to be moved for the building......so they pulled it, and when I called to have it re-installed, they offered me a 500 gallon for the same yearly rental price as the 120. I went with it. It's somewhat spendy to fill.... around $600-$700, but consider that only happens every 14-16 months, and considering a 100lb cylinder costs about $47 to fill (around here), it's a significant savings for me to have the 500 gallon.

I've heard a lot of folks are recently having issues with their propane companies concerning "shop use"...... I guess it's fortunate that I live where I do.... I have 3 forges in the shop that run off the tank.....and was having trouble not getting enough psi to the shop.....my propane outfit GAVE me all the fittings and a 0-60 adjustable regulator for the tank, and said "You know what your doing." :)

One of my "forging friends" has run off 100lb cylinders for years.....he has 3 of them set outside the wall of his shop, and they are piped through the wall, and to his forge. His methodology is to keep two of them full at all times, and just rotate through them as needed.....seems to work well.
 
I'm still strictly a hobby forger. A 100 lb tank should last me for a while, hopefully. My concern is having to transport it to the refill station, because it will weigh about 170 lbs. full.
 
Full 100lb cylinders can be a bear to wrestle around. The hard part is getting a full one into the bed of a pickup. :) It's illegal to transport them laying down..... so be aware of that. If you get caught with one in a car, it's a pretty stiff penalty.
 
Oh, wow! I did not know that. I was planning on transporting it laying down in the bed of my truck. Good to know. Guess I'm going with the 40 lb tank then. Just did some research on what you just said, and glad you mentioned that. Not sure that would have worked. I have a full size pick-up, but it's not that big.
 
Not to mention you are hauling Haz Mat in a unmarked truck! There will be plenty of fines depending on how much you can haul without having too use placards.
 
If it's under 100 gallons you don't need placards, I transport a #200 pounder for my stationary RV in the woods, I think it holds like 43 gallons at 80%. I use the front loader of a tractor with chains to load-unload it.
 
If it's over 100 gallons not only would you need placards you would need a haz-mat endorsement on your driver license.
 
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