Fiberglass 20-Lb Propane Gas Tank

[Keith Williams]

I know there has been discussion on these Fiberglass 20-Lb Propane Gas Tanks, but I had not luck in finding any info by using the search function.

So, What's the latest opinions on them and where has anyone purchased them? I had a couple of tanks filled today at my local LPG place, and I asked old "Tom" what he thought about them. Surprisingly, he said they are great and will last longer than the regular steel ones.

He priced them to me for around $125 each. I've not had much luck in "googling" for them. Best price I've found on line is $140 each.

I like the fact that you can really see how much LPG you have left in the tank and also if they really do fill it up.

I'd like to hear more from "y'all"

Keith

[Chester Taje]

Is this the type you are thinking about.

http://toolmonger.com/2007/11/28/a-propane...ear-difference/

[Keith Williams]

That's exactly the kind of info I am looking for. Thanks, Chester.

[Dave Bese]

Here it is


FG tank

[Lizbeth]

http://www.litecylinder.com/purchase/

Ya beat me to it!

I also found this site where you can get a two pack for $165.95/free shipping.

http://www.rvsupplywarehouse.com/product/d...id/363/pid/3587

[Raya]

I decided to buy a new propane tank because my old one had the outmoded valve, and re-valving it was not practical.

My first thought was to get a composite tank, because I like their good points.

In my case I ended up buying a new steel tank. The reason was that a few "little things" added together just made it make sense for me at the time. Here were my reasons:

1) The composite tank would have meant I had to come up with a new/different hold down arrangement, as the base and rim characteristics were different*.

2) The tank was quite a bit more expensive.

3) The empty weight is a lot lighter, but with 20# of propane in it, the difference is not that great.

Now, numbers 2 and 3 alone would not have swayed me, probably. It was number 1 that put me over the top. So I bought a new Worthington steel tank for $33. I may revisit my decision in the future, though, because I do like the composite tanks.

*This one is the main reason I posted, as I almost didn't think of that when I was shopping. Not that it's a big issue, but best to know in advance and take it into account.

Raya

[Mike Ames]

3) The empty weight is a lot lighter, but with 20# of propane in it, the difference is not that great.
Raya

So are you saying 20#'s of propane weighs more in a composit tank? Wouldn't the weight difference
remain the same empty or full between the two?

[james kent]

The add says that the fiberglass tanks are "30% lighter than steel"
My propane guy says a steel tank, empty, averages 16-19.5 pounds.
- So are they 11.2# or 14#.

A full tank is never filled to 20#.
They have to leave an air space. The most propane you'll get is just under 18#.

The most I can gain in weight advantage is about 6-7#.

At 3 1/2 times the price, I'll never make up the cost difference in my lifetime?

[Donna D.]

I don't think most people are buying the composite tanks because they're looking for a solution to lighten the load, most want to SEE how much propane they have.... If I had the money, I'd buy one just for the cool factor

[Chris Z]

Raya
Why didn't you just trade your old tank in at a gas station/Lowes, etc for a new full tank?
Also, the base is quite a different size so it mounts differently?

[Keith Williams]

2 Things,

* I wish I had a split screen computer so I could watch both sites at once. Maybe I should run one on each computer, I suspect DonnaD does that.

* You should watch both videos on the site that was posted over at the other site. They are great videos. http://litecylinder.com

Thanks for the inputs.

EKW

[Bud Kennedy]

Check E-bay there is one there for $110 with shipping today.

Search for composite propane tank.

[Darwin Maring]

Camping World use to have tanks with REAL built in gages. Ones that used the float in the tank. Not the ones that you see at warehouse outlets that actually measure the temp and give a reading.

[Raya]

So are you saying 20#'s of propane weighs more in a composit tank? Wouldn't the weight difference
remain the same empty or full between the two?

Mike,

Perhaps I wasn't clear, but I was referring to percentages. Fiberglass tank makers talk about things like "X percent lighter than steel tanks." For example, Lite Cylinder advertises their 20# tank as being "30% lighter than steel tanks."

But, that percentage is when the tanks are empty. You kind of "lose" that when they are full, if that makes sense, because the propane weighs the same either way. Here are some numbers that I dredged up from a previous post I made, which will probably show what I mean better than I can describe it. Note that I added 20 pounds to the tare weight; of course if a fill is really 18 pounds (or whatever) then you would want to add that number instead. I think the idea would the same though.

Here is some data for 20# tanks:

Type.................empty (tare) weight...............full weight
Steel......................16.6 lbs..............................~36 lbs
Aluminum...............14.2 lbs..............................~34 lbs
Composite..............12.8 lbs..............................~32.5 lbs

(Steel and aluminum data from Worthington Cylinder and composite data from Lite Cylinder.)

As you can see, a full 20# composite tank is no longer "30% lighter" than a full steel tank. (Actually they don't look to be 30% lighter empty either, but I'm no mathematician.) At any rate, I hope this conveys what I meant by my previous post. Again, I think the composite tanks are neat, and I didn't decide to go with steel because I don't like the composite tanks. For my situation the steel made sense to me this time around when I added all the factors together, is all.

To answer a couple of other questions:

1) I can't remember whether or not the base was a different size on the composite cylinders (I looked at two different brands of them). I think it may have been. But what I was referring to in my number 1 was that the top rim was different. That's where my hold down system attaches. Now, that's not to say it couldn't be changed because it could. But that was one of the factors that made me choose to get another steel tank this go 'round.

2) I choose to own my own tank and have it re-filled at "real" propane stores vs. participating in a cylinder exchange type program, so that's why I did not exchange my old cylinder at Lowe's.

Raya

P.S. Here is a link to the previous thread:

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/index.ph...mp;#entry346217

P.P.S. If you pour hot water over a metal tank, you can see where the propane level is by the "frost line."