By Russ & Tiña De Maris
“RVer run over at Tractor Supply!” OK, not literally. But an RVtravel.com reader had her day ruined by overzealous gas-passers at a Tractor Supply outlet in Fort Myers, Florida. Linda W. rolled into the lot with her 2007 Class C motorhome, in need of LP. The outfit’s propane guy told Linda the motorhome’s tank was too old and needed to be recertified. While he did fill the tank anyway, it still left Linda in the lurch. Worried about her tank, she hasn’t been able to find anyone to recertify her motorhome LP tank.
We appreciate it when LP refillers are cautious and observe applicable laws and regulations. It makes the world just a wee bit safer when somebody takes the time to look out for us. But in this case, the refusal looks to be beyond the law. The reason? There is no requirement to recertify motorhome LP tanks.
Motorhome tanks versus “DOT cylinders”
The misunderstanding may have come from regulations that apply to removable “DOT cylinders.” If you have a towable unit, when it’s time to fill up with propane you can either tow your RV to an LP station, or take the cylinder off the rig and haul it in. Federal regulations require that removable LP cylinders be inspected and recertified once they’ve reached their 12th “birthday.” Depending on how they were last inspected and recertified, you may need to have it done again in as little as five years.
But motorhome LP tanks are an entirely different animal. These guys are more rugged, and are permanently mounted on the chassis. The certification of motorhome tanks is through the ASME – the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. They DO NOT need to be recertified, and will probably outlive the motorhome they’re mounted on.
No need for recertification – but good to inspect
While there’s no need for a recertification, it’s still not a bad idea to give your motorhome tank an annual inspection. Look it over for rust, cracks, scratches, or a potentially leaking valve. But recertify motorhome LP tanks? Nope. We contacted the Fort Myers Tractor Supply to ask them about this incident. The manager we talked with professed no knowledge of the incident. At the same time, she also told us she was too leery of the LP refill process to undertake the job herself. She left it to other employees, whom she says are trained and presumably familiar with the regulations.
How about you? Have you ever had trouble with an overzealous LP pump jockey? We’d love to hear about it. Please leave a comment below.
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##RVT1140
our rig is a 2010 class C with currently 105,000 miles on it from our 5th trip and 4 month stay in Alaska as well as seeing 48 other states over the years. July 2023 at a Shell station in Eagle River, AK, we were told our tank had to be recertified. We’d never heard that before or since but were told that was Shell’s policy. We’ve kept our “home” well maintained inside and out. Thank you for the article clarifying propane tank recertification.
Good article. Adds to our knowledge base and appreciated!
We have a 2019 Thor Hurricane. The gentleman who used to come to the campground to fill tanks retired and another from Orlando took over. We called to have our tank filled and found out that they charge $25 to “inspect” our motorhome LP tank, and then charge $25 again to come out and fill the tank. Needless to say, very few people use their service. It’s cheaper to unhook, drive to the campground entrance, fill-up, and return to your site.
RE: “The manager … told us she was too leery of the LP refill process to undertake the job herself. She left it to other employees, whom she says are trained and presumably familiar with the regulations.”
Florida (and i presume all other states) have laws requiring certification of employees to handle LP filling. In Texas there are two certifications and, at one Tractor Supply we’ve encountered, the only employee on duty would not fill ours because he was certified to fill only portable bottles (he said he failed the other test for motorhomes and had to retake it).
The manager should know certification is required.
Excellent Article.
Ive observed the problems with TS refilling. They seem to take great satisfaction in telling folks their outside mounted small portable tank has expired.
(Another government overreach, Law from Uncle Sam. Like who would keep a smelly leaking tank around anyway?)
But,,,permanent inside mounted RV tanks are exempt from expiration. Like that logic makes sense.
More likely which industry has the better lobbying skills.
ASME propane tanks, considered permanently mounted to a vehicle (like vehicle mounted gasoline and diesel tanks), are designed, built, and constructed to different standards than removable, light weight portable DOT propane tanks (like portable gas or diesel cans). That does not preclude a qualified person from refusing to refill an ASME or DOT tank if its condition is suspect.
Can someone please clarify the comment that some DOT tanks may need to re-certify in as little as 5 years after the 12th birthday has been past and it was re-certified?
“Federal regulations require that removable LP cylinders be inspected and recertified once they’ve reached their 12th “birthday.” Depending on how they were last inspected and recertified, you may need to have it done again in as little as five years.”
If I recall correctly, three methods can requalify a DOT tank from visual inspection to Volumetric Expansion testing. Each method carries its own limit on when the next tank requalification is required. A visual inspection, normally removing the OPD service valve to inspect for rust inside at the bottom of the tank and an exterior inspection limit requalification and refilling to only 5-years before the next tank requalification is required once the original 12-years has passed. Other methods of requalification can allow for more than 5-years, up to 10-years before requalification.
Donald: The first 12-years after manufacture don’t require a recertification. After that, these cylinders will need a new certification every five years. Shop around for a recert. Some places really “stick you” for the recertification process. We know one outfit that will not recertify a cylinder unless they change out the valve. Yes, valves really do at times need to be replaced, but automatically changing them out in order to recertify, in our opinion, is just a rip-off.
Yep run into this alot. and at a koa in silt co. Went to save on filled it just fine. at a .25 certainly its cheaper per gal. Also if exchanging at blue rhino for your small tanks check the date lots in cage are older then 15 years.
Isn’t Silt a great KOA? Love that CG
Thank you, Russ and Tina! Both our RVs have been all-electric/without propane. However, when traveling with DW’s parents, I took father-in-law to get his fiver propane tanks filled. One was out of date and we spent quite a while finding someone to recertify his tank. Our bonus was they also refilled his tank at a slightly lower per-gallon price than where we began. 🙂 Safe travels! 🙂
For DOT removable tanks .. any propane wholesaler can recertify and fill as part of the process. The certification process is to fill the tank then leave a pressure gauge on it for 24 hrs to check for NO leakdown. Then stamp the new date on the tank.
I have had far simpler recertifications. The technician made a visual inspection of the tank and it passed. Charged me maybe $5. Put on a sticker for new recertification. In Ariz. IIRC.
Bill: That could be for some, but typically a recertification is a simple visual inspection, no leak-down test. That one gets an “E” code stamped onto the tank, or in many places now, a stick-on label. The leak-down test is good for more than 5-years. “If a proof pressure test requalification method is used, then the following recertification is 10 years according to Code of Federal Regulation for DOT Requalification of Propane Cylinders 49 CFR 180.209(e). NFPA 58 (2020) Annex C.3.2.4.2 currently says 7 years before the next recertification, but updates are done less frequently. The proof pressure test can be identifed by an “S” after the last date of recertification. If a Volumetric expansion test with the water jacket method is used, then the following recertification is 12 years.”
When I was 18 working at a Union 76 gas station, Saturdays was propane BBQ fill day. Often we had a line of 10 or more people needing a cylinder to be filled asap. Can’t says I got a ton of training, but it’s not very hard to do. The biggest task is to verify the tank isn’t damaged and the fill and the bleed valves work (and don’t leak).
Make sure no one is smoking nearby! (It was the mid 1980s, so this was an issue.) That and always wear gloves and eye protection.
I needed to have a re-cert done on two tanks. So, I asked my RV storage outfit if they would complete the process. They turned me down. The reason was insurance. Additionally, the question remains how long a tank will last. Out west where we live it’s fairly dry. I have tanks that are going on 20 years (stay on my property) and propane outfits don’t question the stamped dates. Knowledge is power and sometimes having the regs at hand helps the situation.
We encountered one TSC that gave us problems with refilling our LP. We took the car over to TSC in the evening to ask about refilling LP–were told they would. Next morning when we arrived with the motorhome, the employee on duty refused. Fortunately another employee was willing to do it. We have refilled at several other TSC’s before and since with no issues.
I recently attempted to have my propane refilled and was told the same thing and was refused at a U Haul dealer in Cinnaminson, NJ. My tank is 21 years old and has rust on it but I have never run into this before. I was told I had to get a new tank before anyone would fill it. I started on my trip and stopped at Flying J and a super nice gentle man there had no problem filling it.
Great to read that I wasn’t the only one refused but it is sad that persons who are responsible do not know the laws.
The Love’s in Clifton Forge, VA (manager Chris Jacob’s) refused to fill my tank. His reason the tank was beyond 12 years old. I explained this rule did not apply to motorhomes. He still refused. It was 95 plus degrees and I needed propane to run my roof A/C.
I could understand if this came from an inexperienced worker but coming from the manager I find unacceptable. My family suffered.