craiggers
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Are newer propane valves reqd in baja?
Hola,
First post here with a simple question to be followed by at least a 1000 more. I recently purchased an '89 f-250 4wd longbed with a 300 cu in inline
six and four on the floor. (strictly no frills). On its back sits an 87 Fourwheel pop-up camper. Both are in good shape esp considering their age. I
am in the process of prepping both for my first extended trip into baja.
I know most of what is required but one thing that just hit me was what kind of propane fittings are used in baja? I went to fill my tank for a local
shakedown trip and the attendant said I needed a new bottle with the new fitting. I figured it had already been updated to the new type but was wrong.
(Doh!) Do I need the old style or new style bottle/fitting when refilling propane in Baja? Or, does it matter since I believe the threads are the same
and the only difference is an over pressurization relief valve on the new one. Sorry to be so long winded for such a simple question
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Dave
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No
| Quote: | Originally posted by craiggers
Are newer propane valves reqd in baja |
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Hook
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If your tank is made to be stored horizontally, then they are still legal in the US, too. I get mine filled all the time with the old style threads.
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Diver
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Great sounding rig !! That old Ford will go forever !!
Maybe take your old bottle to a trade-in place and get a new filled one for about $20 then you will be OK in the US as well.
Or if your tank is a horizontal unit, they should fill it with the old valve in the US as they are exempt from new valves.
They can fill either old or new style tanks in Baja, no problemo.
In Baja, propane is "gas" and gas is "gasolina" or "magna"
You will be amazed to see the variety of vessels that they will put propane into !!
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Bob and Susan
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i just got propane at the santa rosalia propane place yesterday
i had a bottle from a neighbor and it needed a new valve.
it did leak
they put a "new old style" valve on the tank...100 pesoes
second time i had to do this for someone
they check EVERY tank they fill
the ONLY thing i see different is that the new valves use a attachment that has BIG and threads on like a regular hose...
the inside part still screws on backwards so regular pipes are not used on the tank but ALL propane stuff works
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MrBillM
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Newer "OPD" Tank Valves
The "New" style tanks mandated in the U.S., in addition to the Large External "QCC" (Quick-Connect Coupling) Threads incorporate a Float-Style "OPD"
(Overfill Protection Device) inside the tank, designed to make it impossible to fill past 80 %. The External Thread Valve was first used prior to the
OPD requirement and you can tell the difference by the valve handle. Pre-OPD have the External Threading, but still used a circular valve handle.
The OPD are mandated to have a Triangular valve handle to distinguish them.
As stated previously, it's all meaningless in Mexico. They'll fill anything, including tanks that would scare [Hell] out of the rest of us.
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beercan
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Be weary ---Old tanks can present a hazard.
A tank approaching 20 YEARS --NOT a safe bet. There is enough propane in there to level a small village if it leaks in the right condition.
New tanks at Costco are less than $20.00.
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BajaWarrior
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Tanks must be hydrotested or replaced every 12 years. There is a Mfg. date on the bottle, good for 12 years from that.
It's just a good idea to keep them current.
Haven't had a bad trip yet....
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MrBillM
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Old Tanks
A great use for crappy tanks is to take them a long ways out in the (U.S.) Desert and put a bullet through them from a safe distance.
COOL.
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craiggers
Junior Nomad
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Thanks for all the replies. I did a bit more searching and this link pretty much sums it all up. The new valves still have the internal left hand
thread as well as the external right hand thread (QCC) so they are interchangeable with older hardware.
http://rvbasics.com/techtips/rv-propane-tank-valves.html
[Edited on 3-4-2007 by craiggers]
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Pescador
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That works fine if you have the old style male attachment when you hook into your tanks but if you only have the new QCC thread on your hose then you
have a real challenge hooking up an old style tank. When they changed my valve on one of my trailer tanks, the valve was repaired but it would not
attach to several of my hoses.
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Bob and Susan
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and they don't sell adapters
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MrBillM
Platinum Nomad
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Tank Talk
What is most surprising about this current discussion is that there is still so much lack of awareness regarding a configuration that has been around
at least Seven years and Mandatory in the U.S. since 01 Apr 2002.
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