Propane tank removal

It's a gas
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skater
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Propane tank removal

Post by skater »

I got this PM from a user, and I thought I'd answer here so the info was available publicly.
The '91 came out of winter storage today, and I'd like to follow in your footsteps and either repair the propane valve or replace the tank. The propane must be drained yet, and physical limitations have kept me from getting a good look at the underside. Can you provide any hints on how to get the tank out, or point toward other discussions of this topic?
This wasn't a technically difficult job, but it takes some work.

1. If it's not empty, consider using the propane, because it'll be easier (lighter). But I did it with the tank about half-full.

2. Turn off the valve. Make sure it's off. Make sure the system is empty, possibly by lighting the stove.

3. Disconnect the propane line to the rest of the system. I disconnected the line from the regulator that goes to the "T" mounted on the frame behind the tank and left that short line on the tank.

4. Disconnect the wires for the gauge. There should be two, ground and positive. Note which one goes where, although it may not matter (I'm not sure).

5. Put a jack under the tank. Use something to protect the tank from the jack. On the way down I used a piece of wood. On reinstall I used a piece of heavy foam that came with some furniture that was shipped to me. Foam worked better because it curved to the shape of the tank. Jack up until there's some weight on the jack. Try to get the jack centered so the tank is balanced, that will make life easier.

6. There are four bolts, two on each (long) end of the tank. Unbolt them. Note where the bolts are inserted both in the tank and in the brackets. Right here it helps to have another person to keep the tank from rolling away on your, though I did it by myself.

7. Lower the jack and carefully put the tank on the ground. Dropping this tank is NOT indicated (it's a blast). I put cardboard down first so I could drag the tank around without scratching it further.

8. Get new hardware, especially lock washers. It's cheap. Just do it. Lock washers really shouldn't be reused anyway.

9. Installation is essentially the reverse - put the tank back on to the jack (don't forget the padding), jack it up to the approximate correct position, put the bolts back in, and tighten them down.

10. Reconnect the line and wires. Check for leaks on the propane line, either using soapy water or the things designed specifically for that purpose.

11. Test that the propane works.

I didn't have to jack the camper up or anything like that to pull the tank out.

Despite my jokes above, I think working on propane tanks is actually pretty safe, as long as you are careful. Ever watch Mythbusters when they try to blow one up? They really have to work at it. Obviously, don't do something dumb like turning on the gas while the line is disconnected!

Next up, I noticed that the brackets are loose, somehow. My next step is to replace the bolts for those. I plan to do those one at a time, so that I don't have to lower the tank again.
1991 Airstream B190 - bought, 2005; sold, 2011; bought 2017
1995 Airstream Excella 30' trailer

WBCCI #13270, Washington, DC Unit
Knox_Gal
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Re: Propane tank removal

Post by Knox_Gal »

Thank you for the step by step procedure. My shutoff valve didn't close completely, so draining the tank first was necessary. It was quite helpful to learn that using a jack helps handle the tank, but isn't required to lift the camper. On with the removal!
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skater
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Re: Propane tank removal

Post by skater »

Knox_Gal wrote:
Wed Mar 18, 2020 9:31 pm
Thank you for the step by step procedure. My shutoff valve didn't close completely, so draining the tank first was necessary. It was quite helpful to learn that using a jack helps handle the tank, but isn't required to lift the camper. On with the removal!
I'd be extra careful in that situation, because there may be remnants of the gas floating around. Try not to generate any sparks or anything like that. Are you replacing the entire tank?
1991 Airstream B190 - bought, 2005; sold, 2011; bought 2017
1995 Airstream Excella 30' trailer

WBCCI #13270, Washington, DC Unit
Knox_Gal
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Re: Propane tank removal

Post by Knox_Gal »

If necessary, but would ideally just replace the shutoff valve.
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skater
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Re: Propane tank removal

Post by skater »

Knox_Gal wrote:
Thu Mar 19, 2020 9:20 am
If necessary, but would ideally just replace the shutoff valve.
I haven't looked closely, but are you sure you need to remove the tank to do that?
1991 Airstream B190 - bought, 2005; sold, 2011; bought 2017
1995 Airstream Excella 30' trailer

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Rugster
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Re: Propane tank removal

Post by Rugster »

skater wrote:
Thu Mar 19, 2020 10:33 am
I haven't looked closely, but are you sure you need to remove the tank to do that?
I'm very late in replying to this thread, but I had the shutoff valve on the tank of my '93 replaced recently. It took them about an hour, and the tank was not removed. No need for that.
silvertrooper
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Re: Propane tank removal

Post by silvertrooper »

Hey Rugster,
Who did you have do the work? I've got a similar problem with a leaking shut-off valve, and LP places say they won't work on the chassis-mounted tank, and RV places say they don't do LP, or it's too old (1996) for their shop.

I'm now just thinking about doing the work myself--looks fairly easy since the tank is empty. Problem is, I don't know what valve to use. I suppose I cold just remove it then see if I can match it...

Thanks for any tips!
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Re: Propane tank removal

Post by micabarry »

Is it leaking when partially open or closed, and not leaking fully open or closed? If so, it is a simple and inexpensive fix. I posted pictures and details on this site.
silvertrooper
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Re: Propane tank removal

Post by silvertrooper »

Hi Micabarry,

Last year it was leaking at partially open/closed but in the fall/winter when it was a little colder (Washington State) it seemed to get significantly worse, to the point that in the closed position it didn't leak but in the partial position it was leaking liquid/vaporizing propane so much that it would cold-burn your hand, and in the full open position it seemed to continue to leak. That said, it may be that I never got it turned all the way open because of the amount of leakage--it was a bit scary and it went right through my gloves (took a while, but wow, freaking cold).

I found your excellent post on the O ring, and think that might be my issue, too. However, I can't get the machine screw out--it's locked on, stripped, and is a round head. Really don't want to dremel a slot in it because sparks, and I haven't been successful with a screw extractor...yet.
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Re: Propane tank removal

Post by micabarry »

I remember that screw being a problem. It is brass I believe and I think I was able to get it off (after spraying it with a lock buster) by carefully sharpening the hole with a hacksaw blade, then tapping on the head of the screwdriver with a hammer while turning. I may have also used a cold chisel to tap the edge to try and loosen it. Good luck!
silvertrooper
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Re: Propane tank removal

Post by silvertrooper »

Just posting to keep the details in the thread. I cut a notch in the screw, then broke the head in half with an impact driver. I also, per Skater's idea, tried removing the nut behind the handle, but that guy was stuck tight. So I've found a local propane tank shop that will replace the whole valve (they suggested the valve was NOT designed to be disassembled anyhow). However, they won't do it while it's attached to the van, so I'll get the chance to try to remove the tank myself. I'll follow the posts herein on that, and will follow up with my results. The shop will then pressure test it, which is nice given there's no safety check on those things once installed. I *might* have it sandblasted and repainted, as the rust is pretty bad.
silvertrooper
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Re: Propane tank removal

Post by silvertrooper »

Well, of course nothing is easy. I was able to break 27 years of rust and remove one of the nuts on the three bolts holding the tank to brackets. One of them, however, just started spinning in the slotted bracket on the tank itself. I don't know how to get it off except to cut it at this point. THere is a small, Simpson-tie like brace that goes from the frame to the tank bracket to brace against side to side swaying. This was totally rusted through and will have to be replaced. So I tightened the nuts back up and will drive it to the shop where I'm having rear bearings done this week and will see if they can't figure out how to bust it free.

I don't foresee me being able to put this back on, either, mainly because the slots and bolts and tank all moving at the same time, well, I'd need to be an octopus. I'm not entirely clear on the geometry of getting the tank off by removing the nuts, either, as it appears the bolts would still be sticking out significantly through the brackets and I don't know if there's enough play to move them. Might they have installed the brackets to the tank ends THEN bolted the brackets to the frame? See the rusty bolt at top of frame.

Thankfully, my generator has just failed to start, so I need to have that looked at, too, giving me two things for my very expensive RV repair place to handle. :|

Here's a pic so you can see the end (forward-facing) with the bracket mounted to the frame (I could take that nut off and drop the tank that way but I don't know what happens with the back of the bolt in the frame--no access and could be a can of worms trying to get it back on!) The bolts are in holes/slots and it looks a bit like a sequential puzzle to get it back together. I got the nut off the bottom bolt, but the upper is the one that is spinning, for spatial reference. Also, you can see the regulator compartment location clearly.
IMG_3486.jpeg
IMG_3486.jpeg (3.21 MiB) Viewed 3715 times
silvertrooper
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Re: Propane tank removal

Post by silvertrooper »

skater wrote:
Mon Mar 16, 2020 8:00 am


Next up, I noticed that the brackets are loose, somehow. My next step is to replace the bolts for those. I plan to do those one at a time, so that I don't have to lower the tank again.
Do you mean that single bolts that attach the brackets to the van chassis? Do you have access to the back side of the bolts? It doesn't appear to me that they are accessible.
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skater
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Re: Propane tank removal

Post by skater »

I'm not much help here, since your '96 appears to be set up very differently than my '91.
1991 Airstream B190 - bought, 2005; sold, 2011; bought 2017
1995 Airstream Excella 30' trailer

WBCCI #13270, Washington, DC Unit
silvertrooper
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Re: Propane tank removal

Post by silvertrooper »

OK, I hope to close the loop here.

I was taking the van into the shop to have a noise addressed (rear wheel bearings? differential? Survey says: differential!) and asked them to get the tank off since I was unable to free the nuts. They ended up taking off the entire bracket that had the rotating bolt problem, then cut the bolt off once the tank was off the van.

I then took a wire brush on a drill to the tank to get the rust off. This took about an hour. Then wiped it down to get the dust off. I used rubbing alcohol so it would dry fast and with no residue. Then primed it with two coats of Rustoleum auto primer, and gave it two coats of Rustoleum gray enamel primer.

Then, once it looked presentable, I brought it to a propane connection shop (South Hill Propane Connection, Puyallup, WA), where they took one look at it and in the easiest part of this whole ordeal said, "we can do that, and we can do it right now." Twenty-five minutes later I had a new valve.

I then gave the whole thing two more coats of paint, as it got some good scratches from the valve install.

Following the advice here, I used the jack and some wood blocks to raise it more or less into position. Thankfully, I had my neighbor's assistance, as the extra hands for moving it around were super helpful. I had to try several orders of operation due to the different fittings on each end (on one side the bracket was on the tank, on the other the bracket was still on the van, and the order of installing the bolts and getting the alignment was tricky).

I put new terminals on the gauge wires, and added a little gas-approved teflon tape to the gas line fittings. And there it is. A lot more work than I figured, but I now have a pressure-tested, freshly painted propane tank with a new shut-off valve.
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02 rusty tank valves.jpeg
02 rusty tank valves.jpeg (3.94 MiB) Viewed 3341 times
03 tank wire brush progress.jpeg
03 tank wire brush progress.jpeg (852.39 KiB) Viewed 3341 times
04 clean tank ready for priming.jpeg
04 clean tank ready for priming.jpeg (4.26 MiB) Viewed 3341 times
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