DOT recalls hazardous cylinders manufactured by The Lite Cylinder Company

[Donna D.]

This is being discussed on the CasitaForum and I know there are members here that own these tanks.

This link will take you to the Government Security News site.

DOT recalls hazardous cylinders manufactured by The Lite Cylinder Company

[KevinPete]

Wow, that's serious. Are these things prevalent on RV's? I know they're spendy to buy, gonna stink because this company will file for bankruptcy like last week. I've been up-close and personal with ruptured 20 and 100 pound LP tanks, they're no joke, on fire or not. LP is a cryogenic liquid, it can do as much damage cold as it does burning.

[rabbit]

The consensus on other websites is that bankruptcy will follow quickly and that, in any case, reimbursement of owners by Lite Cylinder is not mentioned in their public statement on the USDOT recall. There is a promise of reimbursement for cost of returning empty tanks to LC.

I have a full 25pder which I will have to pay to have emptied. I believe I'll wait for a prepaid shipping label and then lend a hand to the effort to consolidate all this junk in Tennesee. As a second owner, I'm certain the wait will be long. The prescribed five-day window for return is very short also. Is that a small hint by the DOT that we'd better stampede to UPS before the naughty manufacturer bleeds out on return shipping.

Is it too much to expect that a commercial operator such as UHaul will be able, willing and permitted to transfer contents to an approved tank?

jack

[Frederick L. Simson]

Originally Posted by KevinPete

Wow, that's serious. Are these things prevalent on RV's?

The picture looks like a see-through fiberglass tank.
So standard steel tanks are OK?

[rabbit]

For those lucky enuf to be unfamiliar with these, they are indeed fiberglass. Only the Lite Cylinder products are included in the emergency directive.

jack

[mszabo]

Bummer, got two of them full. I'll burn mine off on the BBQ.

[Jared J]

Glad I decided against them. I'm no stranger to fiberglass tanks, but I just can't convince myself they make sense for rv use.

[KevinPete]

Any place that does recerts on tanks should be able to empty them.

[Mike Magee]

Are there other mfrs of FG LP cylinders? Or was this the only one? I like the idea of a see-through tank that's lightweight, but price and the uncertainty of the new material's lifespan have made me hesitate so far.

[rabbit]

Yes, there is a manufacturer of a one-piece tank. Forgot name. May be others. Only LC tanks recalled.

jack

[Casita Greg]

I have a couple of composite tanks manufactured by Ragasco. SO far as I've seen, they aren't on the recall list. Good thing, they weren't cheap! I don't use them on the trailer, but I usually take one for running my camp stove and grill.

[rabbit]

Onswipe

Statement purportedly from Lite Cylinder at above link indicates that the protocol for return of tanks to Lite Cylinder has been abandoned due to insolvency and closing of the company. Has anyone seen confirmation of this from the federales?

jack

[glamourpets]

Originally Posted by rabbit

Onswipe

Statement purportedly from Lite Cylinder at above link indicates that the protocol for return of tanks to Lite Cylinder has been abandoned due to insolvency and closing of the company. Has anyone seen confirmation of this from the federales?

jack

The following link suggests that the Lite Cylinder has lost the legal right to manufacture cylendars. Not only are they facing a recall of previously manufactured cylendars, but they arent allowed to make new ones either. Although this doesn't necessarily mean bankrupcy, it does take away Lite Cylinder's income stream. Any money that remains at this point will probably be eaten up by the legal system.

http://www.phmsa.dot.gov/staticfiles...ion_Letter.pdf

The above document suggests a rather high fail rate. It also implies that efforts were made to sweep the evidence of this fail rate under the carpet. The middle seam on these tanks appears to be vulnerable to failure. If you have one of these tanks and plan to quietly continue using it, you may want to reconsider.

[Bobbie Mayer]

Originally Posted by Jared J

Glad I decided against them.

Exactly what I was thinking. They were the hot thing when I was looking into tanks, in 2007, and luckily our local feed store offered a 20 gallon tank full for $20 right about that time so I bought that instead. (Still working on it- you don't use propane fast when all you run is the occasional stove burner.)

[deryk]

Wow what a bummer...glad Im poor and didnt spend the money on one yet. I was planning on switching over to 1 30lb fiber/composite tank...now I wanna see what they come out with as the findings. There is another manuf out there...wonder if the same thing will happen to them?

[glamourpets]

Deryk, it looks like the center seam was the weak-point in these tanks. If somebody has come up with a different process, the tank may be OK.

What is it that attracted people to these tanks in the first place?

Was it the lighter weight and rust?

Derek

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by glamourpets

...
What is it that attracted people to these tanks in the first place?

Was it the lighter weight and rust?

Derek

All that plus the ability to VIEW how much propane was left in the tank.

[rabbit]

Lower tare weight. Visual cue to amt. propane remaining. The latter advantage was oversold IMO. I couldn't see the level of contents except in bright sunlight or by rocking the tank to make the meniscus apparent.

jack

[glamourpets]

Originally Posted by rabbit

Lower tare weight. Visual cue to amt. propane remaining. The latter advantage was oversold IMO. I couldn't see the level of contents except in bright sunlight or by rocking the tank to make the meniscus apparent.

jack

Its interesting nobody has come up with a metal tank with a "window" in the side. I've seen stick-on gauges for metal tanks, but nothing more sophisticated than this.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by glamourpets

Not only are they facing a recall of previously manufactured cylendars, but they arent allowed to make new ones either. Although this doesn't necessarily mean bankrupcy, it does take away Lite Cylinder's income stream. Any money that remains at this point will probably be eaten up by the legal system.

as some of the links suggests that the report includes a number of serious incidents involving people using the product you can be sure that pretty well every last cent & more of what the company has will go to legal fees..... sadly thats what happens when people are hurt or killed.