Stealth Fiberglass LP Tanks - Fiberglass RV
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Old 05-09-2011, 10:47 PM   #1
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Stealth Fiberglass LP Tanks

Some time ago, some of the folks on these boards indicated that they were concerned about loosing their new Fiberglass LP Gas bottles, as they do not fit in the original Plastic Cover, leaving them exposed and subject to theft.

We badly needed to either re-certify our 2003 LD’s tanks, or get new fiberglass tanks. We opted for new tanks. However, I didn’t want to leave them visible, so I took a few measurements, and decided it could be done.

It turned out to be reasonably simple. The plastic base rings of the Fiberglass tanks fit (just barely) in the original steel frame for the metal tank base rims. However, the diameter of the fiberglass tanks is larger than the steel ones, so the original tank cover would not fit over the new tanks, without drilling out at least the two bottom rivets in the cover. Even then, it was virtually impossible to fit the cover back in place, and it forced the tank cover to stay open at the bottom. The problem is the cover shape. The cover is smaller for the last couple of inches at the bottom.

My solution was to cut the bottom of both pieces right at the point that the cover reduces in size. It then fit easily over the new tanks. That created a new problem. The tank cover was now about 2 inches shorter, and the threaded rod and the original tank hold-down clamp were also too high to fit under the tank cover.

That was solved by (1) cutting the threaded rod to fit under the tank cover, and (2) making a new tank hold-down clamp.

The last change was to bend the “ears” of the original “winged nut” up enough to clear the new hold-down clamp.

The new tanks are safe from prying eyes, and fully secured.

Attached Thumbnails
1_Both Tanks with Cover Removed.jpg   2_Closeup of Tanks Clamp.jpg  

3_Tank Cover Modifications.jpg   4_Finished.jpg  

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Old 05-09-2011, 11:05 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Price View Post
My solution was to cut the bottom of both pieces right at the point that the cover reduces in size. It then fit easily over the new tanks. That created a new problem. The tank cover was now about 2 inches shorter, and the threaded rod and the original tank hold-down clamp were also too high to fit under the tank cover.

That was solved by (1) cutting the threaded rod to fit under the tank cover, and (2) making a new tank hold-down clamp.

The last change was to bend the “ears” of the original “winged nut” up enough to clear the new hold-down clamp.

The new tanks are safe from prying eyes, and fully secured.
Egg-cellent!
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Old 05-10-2011, 04:04 PM   #3
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Nice job Mike!
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Old 05-10-2011, 05:23 PM   #4
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Hi, Mike

The fiberglass propane tank is new to me- Can you tell me about its advantages over the old steel tanks?

Thanks

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Old 05-10-2011, 05:29 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles View Post
Can you tell me about its advantages over the old steel tanks?
This link might answer your questions.
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Old 05-11-2011, 10:38 AM   #6
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Those do look like the same tanks-
The FAQ's there say that recertification is required every 5 years.
Unless the rules have changed, that's quite a bit sooner than required for steel...
Does anybody know why that would be?

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Old 05-13-2011, 05:40 PM   #7
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My guess would be "Not enough data"

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Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles View Post
that's quite a bit sooner than required for steel...
Does anybody know why that would be?
I don't "know", but my job (the paying one) is re-calibrating scales for accuracy. My test weights have to be re-certified every 2 years by law unless their records indicate that they are stable enough to not need adjustment before re-certification. If they are, after a period when the record indicates repeated accuracy, then their re-certification time is extended beyond the 2 year interval up to a maximum of 10 years.

Steel tanks have been around for a long time, and their safety records have a lot of data. The fiberglass ones are relatively new on the market, and maybe they don't have enough long-term data to support extending the inspection interval.
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