Rental shop refusing to fill propane tank
After using a local rental shop to fill my onboard propane now and again over the last 5 years today, the attendant started off by refusing to fill the tank. He said I should be going to an RV shop. He said he cannot fill it because he cannot see it all. He needs to be able to see dates on it, condition it is in, etc. And, he said, "I'd have to crawl under there and I'm not doing that." I told him his company had filled my van's tank multiple times over the last few years. He agreed to do it again. But, he did study what he could see from above. He said there is some surface rust just starting. Nothing major. I asked if I should just hit with a metal brush & spray some white Rustoleum on it. He said yes. So, I did. He then asked if I drove this in snow & salt. I said, of course. (He and I know we live in the middle of the Hudson Valley so, of course we do.) He said that would worry him about an exposed tank like this.
Well, when I crawled under the van, I saw the surface rust is also on the underside. So, I have now scraped/brushed it all (without exploding) and have sprayed it all down with Rustoleum. I am glad he made this stink about it because, I never would have thought about such a thing. Now I'll be sure to maintain it.
Has this become an issue for anyone else, getting someone to agree to fill it? And/or, has anyone had issues with propane tanks rusting out and needing replacement? (He said they only last 12 years so, I guess the answer must be yes.)
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Mike W
Pueblo Gold Ford EB 350 v10 with EB 50 floor plan & Quigley 4x4 from Huntington (aka: Minerva)
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