Purging New Propane Tank?

[chris63]

Another reason the opd fails to operate (especially in northern climates)is partial purging or improper purging leaves condensation in the tank.Freezer time!The only proper way (and legal)way to be be sure is have the filler watch the scale at ALL! times.c63

[Jeremy airjer W]

They clearly stated that if ANY tank that has the OPD valve on it is found to be overfilled due to the float valve not working properly needs to be taken out of operation until the valve has been replaced and retested.

I understand what you are saying. If you shut off the valve when the scale tips then its not overfilled. If you allow the tank to be filled after the scale has tipped than it is overfilled, but by how much. There are going to be discrepancies in tank weight, the weight of the handle/hose, and where the scale is set.

The OPD is to help prevent the gross overfilling of a tank and the only way you will find that out is if you let it keep filling well after the scale has tipped. Overfilled is a loose term. I could argue that a guy overfilled the tank because he waited until the scale pegged. The filler could argue that he has not factored in the true weight of the handle and hose so he could of underfilled the tank.

If you have any questions about the proper filling of a tank your propane supplier should be contacted and has the final say (I have only been filling them for 16 years using two different suppliers. I have also sat in on numerous training sessions for new fillers so I may not have all my ducks in a row).

[Big Buck Buster]

I think that the company was making us do this as a precautionary/liability measure to cover all the bases. We always use the scale to make sure that the tank has the proper amount in the tank when filled. I know that all the tanks have different weight, and that you have to watch the scale when filling. We had many issues with the valves after filling, the customer goes home, and can't get any gas out of it. That is a different issue, but found out the valve was at fault most of the time. It would fill properly, but couldn't get any gas out of it. I have never overfilled a tank, but had some co-workers who did. Operator error was to blame in that case.

I didn't mean to butt heads over the issue, just stating what our company had for rules about the issue.

[Jeremy airjer W]

I didn't think there was any head butting! Just working out an issue and the end result is a lot of good info shared! I'm sure there where more than just a few that said "i didn't know that".

If there is no gas coming out than there is a good probability that the customer is at fault. Granted it is not a new tank and that it worked fine previous to you filling. EFD is probably the problem. If the hand wheel is opened to fast after connecting the appliance to the tank the EFD will sense that the flow of propane is faster than it should be and reduce substantially or cut off the flow all together. Basically it is a safety feature that is supposed to prevent a disaster if a hose should burst. We get a fair amount of people that have reported the same problem. Usually with there full tank in hand thinking that the tank is empty. After explaining what to do I have never had them come back or even give a call back to say that it did not work. I will usually hook up the purge valves and show them that there is nothing wrong and the tank is letting gas out.

[Big Buck Buster]

We did the same as you did with the purge valve, and nothing came out, and we knew the tank was full. We replaced the valve, filled it and tested with the customer watching, worked fine after new valve installed. I guess a few are expected. The customer expressed concern that we did something to his valve when filling it. We installed the valve that we pulled out of his on a tank that needed a new valve, and the same thing, nothing out of it. Threw it in the scrap pile after removing it this time. Customer was happy with the new valve.