I usually get my propane cylinders filled at a local station. Since it is about 12 miles away, on occasion I will use the cylinder exchange at the grocery store a couple miles away.
A grill tank holds 20 pounds of propane or 4.4 gallons.
My wife picked one up from the local store…Blue Rhino cylinder exchange.
Low and behold, the label says net weight 15 pounds.
Now I didn’t mind paying the extra $5 for convenience. But to only fill the cylinder 3/4 full is deceitful. They sure don’t mention that in their advertising!
Ralph
Ralph,
We fill propane tanks all the time. Empty they weigh in at 15 lbs. to 18 lbs depending on the manufacturer and full they weigh about 35 to 38 lbs. They used to always weigh 40lbs, but lighter material is now used. 20lbs of gas in a 15 lbs cyclinder.
wait, 20 lbs in a 15 lb cylinder???
Ain’t that kinda like a blivit???
Ric Golding said:
Ralph,We fill propane tanks all the time. Empty they weigh in at 15 lbs. to 18 lbs depending on the manufacturer and full they weigh about 35 to 38 lbs. They used to always weigh 40lbs, but lighter material is now used. 20lbs of gas in a 15 lbs cyclinder.
Right Ric,
But the net weight on the refill is 15lb, not the tare or empty weight. They are only putting in 15lbs of propane, when full would be 20lbs. I have another tank from last year…they were putting 17lbs of propane.
Ralph
I take my empties down to the local hardware store and get them refilled. Turns out it was a heck of a lot cheaper that way. They put it on a scale and you can see they put in 20# …
At my hardware store, the pump reads 4.4 gallons.
Yes,
From now on I will be driving the extra 10 miles to get my tanks filled, with 20lbs.
Ralph
Steve Featherkile said:That's about right. We weigh them also, but it is all controlled by a valve much like the shut off valve in your toilet. Only so much can go in and then the vlave closes.
At my hardware store, the pump reads 4.4 gallons.
Ralph is gross weight 35 to 37 lbs? I don’t think they actually sell the cyclinder with gas in it. That’s why it is not classified as an empty weight.
All I know is in the last 5 or 6 years, the tanks have gotten lighter and the regulations stricter.
Wait a minute!
Has Stan and Zubi done the math on this for you?
Steve…there is one “i” followed by a “j” in “Vasilij”
Ric Golding said:Steve Featherkile said:That's about right. We weigh them also, but it is all controlled by a valve much like the shut off valve in your toilet. Only so much can go in and then the vlave closes.
At my hardware store, the pump reads 4.4 gallons.Ralph is gross weight 35 to 37 lbs? I don’t think they actually sell the cyclinder with gas in it. That’s why it is not classified as an empty weight.
All I know is in the last 5 or 6 years, the tanks have gotten lighter and the regulations stricter.
We have cylinder exchange racks at many stores. You drop off your empty tank and swap it for a “full” tank. The cylinders are delivered “full” to the retailer.
Off course, now I know they are not full.
Ralph
That weight on the tank is for the empty tank alone, some sort of Federal OSHA NFPA thing on self contained pressure vessels. Ideally you can weigh it and see how much is left in the tank. I took a short (State Fire Marshall Mandated) course on these things back in my firefighting previous life back whne they were first coming into vogue…
Bart Salmons said:Geeze Guys, How many times do I have to repeat myself. It is the net weight of the propane. It is on a label (sleeve) that slips over the cylinder. It says net wt. 15lbs (6.8Kg) propane. The tare weight on the cylinder is 18lbs. Ralph
That weight on the tank is for the empty tank alone, some sort of Federal OSHA NFPA thing on self contained pressure vessels. Ideally you can weigh it and see how much is left in the tank. I took a short (State Fire Marshall Mandated) course on these things back in my firefighting previous life back whne they were first coming into vogue....
Ralph,
I heard and understand you. Are they calling it a 20 lb tank? This industry has been crazy, as I said, for about 4 or 5 years. Have you ever weighed one of the tanks, when you first got it? I’m just curious. I’ve heard of that “Blue Rhino” name, but I don’t think it is around here. I believe what you are saying, I’m just gathering info. I’ve got a friend in the industry I can present a question to.
Ric Golding said:They don't call it a 20lb tank, but it is a 20lb capacity tank. They imply you are trading for a full tank. You "exchange" the tanks from a rack outside the grocery store or hardware stores like Home Depot. You drop your empty and get a so called "full tank". But the net weight of the propane is only 15 pounds, or 3/4 of the capacity. The cost has always been around $5 more than having your tank filled at a dealer. I just didn't realize they were shorting me 5 pounds of propane too. Ralph
Ralph, I heard and understand you. Are they calling it a 20 lb tank? This industry has been crazy, as I said, for about 4 or 5 years. Have you ever weighed one of the tanks, when you first got it? I'm just curious. I've heard of that "Blue Rhino" name, but I don't think it is around here. I believe what you are saying, I'm just gathering info. I've got a friend in the industry I can present a question to.
Ralph,
We have an interesting thing happen this time of year. Farmers that have chickens will try to suppliment the heat of the building, by putting a small propane heater into the building. It heats up the building, but expands the warmth of the tank then starts venting off. Every once in a while there is a big boom, but mostly just smell.
I’ve had a couple of them come back saying we filled it wrong. 
These guys should go in to politics - its never their fault.
My local filler just opens the vent and fills until it blows out the vent.
No scale. Just uses a gauge on the master tank and stops somewhere around 5.
I’ve prolly been screwed for 20 years.
Our new BBQ is being tapped right into our Natural Gas service, so I won’t have to worry about the tank anymore.
Curmudgeon said:TOC
Steve......there is one "i" followed by a "j" in "Vasilij"
There’s a “J” in Vasilli? Go figure. Those Russkies think of everything, don’t they?
No wonder I use charcoal. Plus the food tastes better.
Bruce Chandler said:I used to be a die hard charcoal fan. Weber grill and only hardwood lump charcoal lit with a propane torch (no lighter fluid). True you can't beat the taste, but I didn't barbecue often because of the hassle of loading and lighting the coal. I never used it in the winter.
No wonder I use charcoal. Plus the food tastes better.
I don’t know what motivated us, but a couple of years ago in January we bought a gas grill and put it on the back porch. Now I barbecue all winter and probably 3-4 times more than I used to in the summer. Cleaning the grease out is a pain that I never had with the Weber, but the convenience overshadows all of that and grilled food still tastes better than food cooked in the house…
I’ve done the Blue Rhino exchange maybe twice. I didn’t like the crappy banged up tanks I got, so when I got a good one I quit exchanging. We have a huge dairy store (Stew Leonard’s, the World’s Largest Dairy Store) that fills a 20# tank for $5 less than the large propane dealer. I also fill my 30# tanks for the RV there. They use a scale, but usually stop filling before it indicates.
Jon,
Pay attention to the expire date on the cylinder… Go back & exchange it for another good looking 1, so you do not have to pay to have it pressure tested… Plus the new reg’s with the shut-off valve are a pain in the a**!!