BUILD IN PROPANE TANK

[Karsty]

Some times it is hard to find information on a specific topic or even know where to post it. So for now I'll post it here.
I was taking a closer look at my propane tank the other day and realized that I don't know much about it. Sure I know where the propane dealers puts the filler house and I know how to open and close the tank with the valve handle. And I guess there is a small bleeder valve that the dealer uses to know when the tank reached its' 80% capacity.

That leaves two opening on the tank that I am not familiar with.

What is the opening on the far left with the blue cover. I am guessing it is an opening for a propane accessory ... perhaps an external BBQ?? Which would be nice if that is the case. And what is the one right beside it for??

See picture below.

[Karsty]

I guess I was able to answer my own question to some extent. Went out to the RV and dragged out the manual.

The valve on the far left is a "relief valve". Not sure what that is for though.

The the other one is "tank gauge and sender". Seems self explanatory I guess. I gather it allows the inside panel to be able to know what level or amount of propane is in the tank.

Thanks for any other information.

[Mike]

Originally Posted by Karsty

I guess I was able to answer my own question to some extent. Went out to the RV and dragged out the manual.

The valve on the far left is a "relief valve". Not sure what that is for though.

The the other one is "tank gauge and sender". Seems self explanatory I guess. I gather it allows the inside panel to be able to know what level or amount of propane is in the tank.

Thanks for any other information.

The tank on my older Roadtrek is a Manchester ASME spec propane tank for RV applications. In layman's, it's a heavier duty propane tank that was specifically designed for bumping down the road under my van. They're built to higher specs and tolerances than the 20lb. BBQ models. And because of that, they don't "expire" in the same way. However, you still need to maintain them to some extent.
http://www.mantank.com/products/rvproducts.htm
The relief valve is to relieve excess pressure build up in the tank to avoid a catastrophic structural failure, or other propane system damage.
http://www.propane101.com/understandingpropanetanks.htm

I used to get mine filled at Free Gas in Font Hill, just down the road from you. I prefer to deal with experts, rather than some hack at a gas station on a weekend. Not to scare you, but there are some interesting propane related stories on here and other forums, posted by folks who dealt with the latter, when refilling their tank.

[arrveedogz]

perhaps an external BBQ?? Which would be nice if that is the case. And what is the one right beside it for??

On the RT Adventurous, the BBQ connection is on the passenger side, just forward of the rear tire. It has a quick connect fitting, which means the mating hose is only 3' long and annoyingly expensive.