Purchasing Propane Tanks For Your Fuel Storage Needs
A propane tank is designed to hold a specific amount of propane gas in a liquid form. The size and shape of the tanks can vary by their use, but they all must meet particular standards for pressure vessels and require inspections from time to time, or the vendor filling the tank can refuse to fill it.
Purchasing Propane Tanks
When you need a propane tank for a specific use, you can purchase the tank from a propane tank dealer or lease it from the propane supplier. If you are using propane in your home, the propane supplier will often provide the propane tank and set it up outside your home.
Using the tank the propane company provides may come with a monthly fee, but they will replace it for you if something happens to the tank. If you purchase the tank yourself and need to replace a damaged tank at some point, the cost can be hundreds of dollars for residential tanks.
Alternatively, if you are looking for small tanks for a cooking grill or one to go on an RV, buying these tanks makes more sense. There are exchange services for these tanks, however, and sometimes that works better for a small tank that you only use a few times a year. You will need to determine what works best for your situation.
Propane Tank Maintenance
Every propane tank that is manufactured is pressure tested and marked with a code that indicates when the tank needs to be retested. The code is stamped on the top of the tank or the handle for small tanks that you use for a gas grill or portable heater. If the tank is out of date, it will be hard to get anyone to fill it.
Testing propane tanks can be challenging for large storage tanks, but it is required by law. So, if you own the tank, check the date on the tank so you know when the testing must be completed. The time from the first recertification is often quite a few years, but because it is not the same from every size and type of propane tank manufactured, it falls to you as the owner to ensure it is completed.
A propane tank installed underground still requires testing, but the way they are tested may differ from above ground tanks. You will need to find a testing service that can perform the test for you in this situation because removing tanks from the ground is often not an option. The propane tank dealer in your area can often recommend a service to test the propane tank, in both cases, and the testing service will go over the cost and method used to test your tank and ensure you are in compliance with the legal guidelines.
Visit a site like http://www.southallgas.com for more information.