Propane Tank Sizes

[David & Terry]

If I can squeeze a few more inches forward on my tongue then I can fit a nice tongue box between the bulkhead and the new tank. Don't want to put the tank in the box. Currently have twin 30lbers with 12inch diameters. Only need 10lbs. of propane in Texas. A 8 in. diameter tank would do it.

[Tom Trostel]

Terry,
I forget what equipment you have that uses propane (furnace? hot water heater? frig?), but I only have a cook-top that needs propane and have been happy with a 5lb. tank. It is 7.5" in diameter.

Tom Trostel

[David & Terry]

Terry,
I forget what equipment you have that uses propane (furnace? hot water heater? frig?), but I only have a cook-top that needs propane and have been happy with a 5lb. tank. It is 7.5" in diameter.

Tom Trostel

Thank you for responding, Tom.
I have no heater (use electric htr.). Have an oven but it never worked (I use an outdoor cooker with a small portable propane heater). I just use the stove top and hot water htr. So maybe a 5 lb. tank would be fine! Had a Cassita and put twin 10# bottles on the tongue and never got to the second bottle after three years. I'll check that out with a 5 pounder. I suppose that the single-tank hold down would be some kind of "j" bolts like they use for car batteries.
Thanks again.
ps Going to the Blue Bonnette rally for fiberglassers next month in Texas.

[BobB]

Aren't you referring to DOT 5 and 10 gallon tanks? The 5 gallon tank holds about 17#, allowing for an 80% fill and 4.2# per gallon.

[Tom Trostel]

Here's a link to a 5 pound propane tank. I got mine at Camping World. I believe that Northern Tool also sells them. Costs almost twice as much as a 20 lb. tank.

http://www.amazon.com/MANCHESTER-TANK-EQUI...?tag=dogpile-20

Yes, we will attend Bluebonnet (and Oregon Rally, and Pine Knot)

[Pete Dumbleton]

To answer the question posed in the subject lines, YES, there are TWO shapes of the 10lb propane tank -- One is the same height as the 20lb tank but has a smaller footprint and one has the same footprint as the 20lb tank but is shorter -- I bought my tall, skinny 10lb tank at Home Depot.

If I were doing it over, I would get the other tank because it is a little more stable, having a lower center of gravity, but I'm not trying to save horizontal space.

[Donna D.]

If I were doing it over, I would get the other tank because it is a little more stable, having a lower center of gravity, but I'm not trying to save horizontal space.

Maybe something like this would help...



especially if it were fastened to a mounting brace of some sort

I've seen this bracket for both sizes of 10lb tanks and the 5 pounder at a propane store here in Portland (Gas Connection), runs about $10

[Brian B-P]

I have to assume that Pete's stability concern is during handling off of the trailer, for which that plastic stand would be handy. On the trailer, the tank should be in a solid bracket so it shouldn't matter how tall and skinny it is. Do I have this right?

For examples, see Manchester Tank - Steel Propane Cylinders which shows both 10 lb (actually 10 lb and 11 lb) designs, complete with dimensions.

[Pete Dumbleton]

Not exactly, Brian -- On my 91Scamp13, the LP tank sits on some welded cross-pieces inside the frame members in front and there are two steel 'bands' that hook over the upper edge of the tank and are fastened with bolts to the cross-pieces -- A 20lb tank has a wide enuf stance that the bands hold it securely, but the narrow 10lb tank feels a little easier to tip -- OTOH, I'm pretty sure that in a really violent crash, either tank could come loose from the bands, probably by bending the hooks straight, likely with the battery box sailing along right behind it -- One more reason for traveling with the LP turned off.

I could modify the band system by connecting them to each other with a third piece or by substituting a piece of chain.

The LP tank hold-downs on my previous 16' Jayco weren't much more secure.

[Brian B-P]

Thanks, Pete, that makes sense. You have hold-downs like a traditional battery - just pulling the tank down onto the mounting platform. My dual 20-lb tanks are held somewhat similarly, but with threaded rod and a bracket; they sort of stabilize each other, and I see how a tall tank would not be very secure.

The much better mounts would be those surrounding straps that some trailers seem to have - especially for the tall-and-skinny tanks.

[Gerry W]

Fibreglass propane tanks are now available in the US, I e-mailed the following company earlier this week, they are not yet certified in Canada, but are the same tanks that have been sold in Europe for years, now manufactured in the US of A. Take a look:

http://shop.sailboatowners.com/detail.htm?...1&group=723

[Brian B-P]

That looks like the composite tanks from The Lite Cylinder Company, as discussed in Lighten Up, New Composite Propane Tanks!. It looks like their 10 lb size is the tall-and-skinny proportions, but not as skinny as the Manchester steel cylinder (because of the outer ABS plastic part).

National Energy Equipment is shown as the distributor for Canada, and indeed the Lite cylinders are on page 57 of the NEE catalog - but not the 10-pound size.

Originally posted by NEE Catalog
Composite Cylinders manufactured by the Lite Cylinder Company are approved by the United States DOT under exemption DOT-SP 13957 and Transport Canada approval is pending.

[David & Terry]

Aren't you referring to DOT 5 and 10 gallon tanks? The 5 gallon tank holds about 17#, allowing for an 80% fill and 4.2# per gallon.

BobB,
I don't know what I actually have now with my twin tall tanks because there's no label. They've been painted. The tank itself measures 12" dia. by 18" tall. Is the weight designation the propane weight or both the tank + propane weight?
Thanks.

[David & Terry]

To answer the question posed in the subject lines, YES, there are TWO shapes of the 10lb propane tank -- One is the same height as the 20lb tank but has a smaller footprint and one has the same footprint as the 20lb tank but is shorter -- I bought my tall, skinny 10lb tank at Home Depot.

If I were doing it over, I would get the other tank because it is a little more stable, having a lower center of gravity, but I'm not trying to save horizontal space.

Pete,
I have a new tongue box at the rear of the tongue frame and about 10" of space from the front of the box to the tongue jack post. I have to put the propane in the 10" space.

[David & Terry]

I have to assume that Pete's stability concern is during handling off of the trailer, for which that plastic stand would be handy. On the trailer, the tank should be in a solid bracket so it shouldn't matter how tall and skinny it is. Do I have this right?

For examples, see Manchester Tank - Steel Propane Cylinders which shows both 10 lb (actually 10 lb and 11 lb) designs, complete with dimensions.

Brian,
That 10# Manchester tank says that its diameter is 8.9". that would do it for me.
Thanks

[David & Terry]

Fibreglass propane tanks are now available in the US, I e-mailed the following company earlier this week, they are not yet certified in Canada, but are the same tanks that have been sold in Europe for years, now manufactured in the US of A. Take a look:

http://shop.sailboatowners.com/detail.htm?...1&group=723

Gerry,
WOW. Those fiberglass tanks are $100.00 + shipping!

[Gina D.]

I wanted them, but the guy at Bubbas in town said he has had them explode on him when he fills them.

I passed.

[Brian B-P]

...The tank itself measures 12" dia. by 18" tall. Is the weight designation the propane weight or both the tank + propane weight?

That sounds like a typical "20 pound" tank. That designation is the propane weight capacity, so the Manchester 11 lb (11#) tank (or "cylinder") will hold 11 pounds of propane when properly filled (which means allowing space for vapour).

The tank should have its empty (or "tare") weight stamped into it (not just printed on a label), and steel tanks are about as heavy empty as the propane which can be put in them, so the "11 lb" tank (tare weight 14 lb in the Manchester table) should weigh (tank+propane) about 25 lbs when filled.

Depending on vintage (old) and source, some tanks have a "water weight" or "water capacity" stamped on them, which is the weight of water which would fill them... it's an indication of the volume, not the tank weight and not (directly) the propane capacity.

[Brian B-P]

I wanted them, but the guy at Bubbas in town said he has had them explode on him when he fills them.

I have to wonder why this would happen. There shouldn't be any significant pressure increase when filling a tank, so either the guy at Bubba's is ramming them to solidly filled, or perhaps there is some interesting effect going on such as a cracking problem with temperature changes.

[David & Terry]

That sounds like a typical "20 pound" tank. That designation is the propane weight capacity, so the Manchester 11 lb (11#) tank (or "cylinder") will hold 11 pounds of propane when properly filled (which means allowing space for vapour).

The tank should have its empty (or "tare") weight stamped into it (not just printed on a label), and steel tanks are about as heavy empty as the propane which can be put in them, so the "11 lb" tank (tare weight 14 lb in the Manchester table) should weigh (tank+propane) about 25 lbs when filled.

Depending on vintage (old) and source, some tanks have a "water weight" or "water capacity" stamped on them, which is the weight of water which would fill them... it's an indication of the volume, not the tank weight and not (directly) the propane capacity.

Brian,
Thanks. That info helps.
I went to RV World and they have the jumbo rigs so they didn't help with the tall skinny ones but said that the price is so high for the smaller footprint tanks ($70) because they just don't sell many compared to the hundreds of thousands of larger footprint tanks.
Also, I asked them about the composite/fiber tanks and they never heard of them! But they said that any ( fiber or steel) tank could explode if forced-filled beyond the safety limits.
I went to Northern Tool and they had just what I was looking for in an 11# tank with the small footprint and taller profile. Only $46.00.
My new tank will sit down in the front V nestled between the 4" high tongue frame. I have a plate across the bottom for the tank foot. This makes the height less apparent and more stable to secure (somehow I'll have to figue out how to "tie" it down.).
Well, thanks again for your, and others', contributions.
Seems that others are having tank questions and/or solutions, too.
Oh, yes. One more thing. I found out that in a pintch one can buy an adaptor to use those small propane disposable tanks (for lanterns, etc.) if you run out of the big tank while camping! And, conversely, you can fill those disposable tanks with your big one!
Done. Over & out. 10-4.