age of LPG tanks

Stanleysteamer · Mar 4, 2018

Hi Simple one this I hope.

Is there an actual legal age at which a tank, even one in good condition absolutely has to be changed for a younger one?

Ten years seems to be mentioned a lot but is there an actual legal thing anywhere? Don't want to get one and then find I've wasted my money!
Cheers!

listerdiesel · Mar 5, 2018

I changed mine at 12 years, they weren't bad but had some rust pitting outside.
It's a bit of a grey area, my insurers didn't know either.
Peter

Stanleysteamer · Sep 22, 2019

DanClarke · Sep 22, 2019

Lots of talk about 10 year life. But little evidence of decay on internal wheel-well tanks to be seen. Mine still looked as good as new; not that looks mean a thing.
I mean, the Evoque has an LR badge and the words "Range Rover" on it, but its a piece of crap and liable to fall apart at any minute

Underslung pencil-tanks for LPG would probably be more suspect to corrosion from road salt etc.

MJI · Sep 23, 2019

Supposedly 10 years, internal rust is possible

kermit_rr · Sep 23, 2019

LPG tanks will see pressure up to ~350psi which is a lot, but not what i would call high pressure eg a scuba tank for example.
Yes a tank could get water inside, but i would have thought the amount of oxygen to enable rusting would be negligible. I might be wrong.
With that in mind, i would expect a well kept tank in the boot will probably last many years, a heavily rusted tank underneath less likely.
A tank kept in the boot with minor rust/bubbling under the paint wouldn't be something I personally would worry about. Mine has passed its 10th birthday and I've no intention of changing it any time soon

Thor 1950 · Sep 23, 2019

DanClarke said:
Lots of talk about 10 year life. But little evidence of decay on internal wheel-well tanks to be seen. Mine still looked as good as new; not that looks mean a thing.
I mean, the Evoque has an LR badge and the words "Range Rover" on it, but its a piece of crap and liable to fall apart at any minute
Underslung pencil-tanks for LPG would probably be more suspect to corrosion from road salt etc.

Isn't that the tank testing thing like a mot? Here tanks need testing every 10 years, is a pressure test of tank and new valves installed, then good for another 10

DanClarke · Sep 23, 2019

Thor 1950 said:
Isn't that the tank testing thing like a mot? Here tanks need testing every 10 years, is a pressure test of tank and new valves installed, then good for another 10

I don't know, but it sounds eminently sensible to do so.

Stanleysteamer · Sep 23, 2019

Don't think the UK does that, which is a shame as it would cause less problems in the end.

BuzzLand · Sep 23, 2019

Stanleysteamer said:
Don't think the UK does that, which is a shame as it would cause less problems in the end.

Steady on old son, there's enough of a nanny state in the UK as it is.

Stanleysteamer · Sep 23, 2019

BuzzLand said:
Steady on old son, there's enough of a nanny state in the UK as it is.

Call me a nutter, but I would rather be able to prove my tank was OK than have some DHead tell me, "it's too rusty mate, I can't certify it" just off his own bat.

DanClarke · Sep 23, 2019

Stanleysteamer said:
Call me a nutter, but I would rather be able to prove my tank was OK than have some DHead tell me, "it's too rusty mate, I can't certify it" just off his own bat.

Yr a "nutter" (as requested). I'm only here to help. Always.

Stanleysteamer · Sep 23, 2019

DanClarke said:
Yr a "nutter" (as requested). I'm only here to help. Always.

My prob is I have got another nutter who won't certify my system as the tanks are rusty etc etc. I have got to really find the time to take all 4 tanks off, show them to him so he can "assess" them, make a record of the numbers on them, which at the moment can't be seen as previous owner built the truck with them on so the numbers are hidden, then put it all back together, show it to him again and hopefully then he'll certify it, as I need insurance to take the truck abroad for 6 months at a time and very few insurers will do that.

BuzzLand · Sep 23, 2019

Stanleysteamer said:
Call me a nutter, but I would rather be able to prove my tank was OK than have some DHead tell me, "it's too rusty mate, I can't certify it" just off his own bat.

It's not rocket science either. Anyone who has half a brain knows the score. I used to work in the scuba industry and the tanks were constantly abused and dunked in salt-water. They would still see 10 years at a time, and that was with minimal TLC. Servicing them wasn't difficult either. Nanny state in UK says it takes some paper-certified genius of H/S to do that though. *rolls eyes*.

kermit_rr · Sep 24, 2019

BuzzLand said:
It's not rocket science either. Anyone who has half a brain knows the score. I used to work in the scuba industry and the tanks were constantly abused and dunked in salt-water. They would still see 10 years at a time, and that was with minimal TLC. Servicing them wasn't difficult either. Nanny state in UK says it takes some paper-certified genius of H/S to do that though. *rolls eyes*.

Scuba tanks are slightly higher pressure than LPG tanks though and undergo much more stress
I'd suspect the average person on the street wouldn't have the equipment to do a pressure test

BuzzLand · Sep 24, 2019

kermit_rr said:
Scuba tanks are slightly higher pressure than LPG tanks though and undergo much more stress
I'd suspect the average person on the street wouldn't have the equipment to do a pressure test

Visual inspection would be more than doable which is what scuba tanks generally have happen. A bunch of fairy lights on the string dangled down the neck of an emptied scuba tank. Visual inspection begins...

kermit_rr · Sep 24, 2019

BuzzLand said:
Visual inspection would be more than doable which is what scuba tanks generally have happen. A bunch of fairy lights on the string dangled down the neck of an emptied scuba tank. Visual inspection begins...

Mine was regularly pressure tested and measured to see by what percentage it expanded at test pressure. Too much and it would fail test.
Do they no longer do this?

BuzzLand · Sep 24, 2019

It varies according to the country.

Stanleysteamer · Sep 26, 2019

Fascinating! I had an uncle who had his own boiler inspecting business in Canada, in the days when people still used steam.
Sounds similar.
Pump the buggre up until it flexes then see by how much, after internal and external inspection.
Sounds reasonable.
Don't know how much water is in compressed lpg.
There is always a load in compressed air, as I remember from my days as a technical rep for a company selling Enots equipt. Busiest time was always after factory shut down when no buggre thought to drain the system.
I always drain my compressor when I have finished with it.

age of LPG tanks

Stanleysteamer

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listerdiesel

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Stanleysteamer

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DanClarke

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MJI

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kermit_rr

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Stanleysteamer

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