RV Propane – Our Tank Was Overfilled

Have you ever had your RV propane tank overfilled? Well, it happened to us in January! In this blog, we share what we found out so you can make sure it doesn’t happen to you.

Warning Signs

Looking back, there were a few warning signs which led up to our propane tank being overfilled. First, when the person came to fill our propane, he mentioned he forgot to bring his glasses with him. Secondly, he had to change the hose adaptor a couple times before he had the right one. Thirdly, he didn’t open up the bleeder valve which is used during the refill process to alert when the tank is nearing the full mark (80%). And, lastly, when he released the connection, there was a stream of liquid propane that came out of the propane tank which normally would be nothing or a momentary spurt at most. When we left, we didn’t realize the tank was overfilled. Fortunately, while driving to our next location, it was cooler weather and the propane tank was in the shade at our new site.

What happens when your tank is overfilled?

When we arrived at our campsite, we turned the propane on and didn’t realize anything was wrong. In the evening, we turned on the furnaces as temperatures were going into the lower 40s. When we woke up, the RV was cold and the furnaces wouldn’t come on. Mark checked our propane stove and it came on but wasn’t acting normal so he shut it off. Mark checked the propane tank and the fill indicator was buried past the ‘full’ line! That isn’t supposed to be like that!

To allow for expansion, propane containers should be filled to only 80% of their capacity. The same amount of propane can take up more or less space depending on the temperature. The extra space in the tank is a cushion against pressure that builds up inside a tank when it is hot outside.

We found this on the internet…

“An overfilled propane tank can explode, causing damage and even injury. The risk of overfilling is complicated by the fact that the liquid in the tank will expand in warmer weather as pressure in the tank increases. The tank may also cause the relief valve to open and spill propane onto the ground.”

How did we get the propane tank working?

1. First, we called Mark’s brother because he has a similar propane tank/setup. We also researched and connected with people in the Tiffin Motorhome Owners FaceBook group. This same situation had happened to a few others as well. Knowing our propane tank had a pressure relief valve to release excess pressure, we felt comfortable moving forward to resolve the situation on our own.
2. Since propane is heavier than air, we made sure there were no ignition sources near the propane tank (open fire, someone smoking, etc.). Open the bleeder valve slowly and shut it off again. When overfilled, you will get a SOLID stream of near liquid propane. If the tank is at or below 80%, you get a mist of propane that is mostly vapor. When Mark checked the bleeder valve, it had a solid stream of liquid propane!
3. Start with the propane stove because it is less finicky when it comes to flow pressure. We turned all the stove burners on to burn off the gas. After 15 minutes, the stove burners returned to normal. 
4. Next, we turned on our propane furnaces and they started working immediately. We turned on the gas water heater and it worked correctly too. Then, we ran everything for quite a while to help reduce the propane in the tank. We continued to do this on/off the next few days. It turns out our propane tank is a BIG 36-gallon tank!
5. We continued to watch the propane indicator % was going down on the propane tank and on our inside panel. It took about a week for the % to get back down to the full/80% mark!

Be informed and educated!

Note: If this happens to you and you do not have confidence to proceed, we recommend you contact someone that does, i.e., mobile repair technician, RV dealer, or a reputable seller of propane.

This was quite the experience for us and we wanted to tell you how important it is to be educated and informed, especially with regards to propane. We adopted the following procedures now when we fill our propane tank.

Procedures for filling your propane tank

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• Be confident with the individual filling your RV propane. They should be wearing gloves and should be communicating with you.
• Make sure they open the bleeder valve on your propane tank.
• Make sure they reset the pump so you don’t get charged for propane you didn’t get.
• Stand back from the propane tank when they are filling it.
• When you see a light mist coming out of the bleeder valve, make sure the propane gets turned off and your bleeder valve gets closed.
• Lastly, depending on the model of your propane tank, verify the propane indicator says, “Full” or “80%.”

We are always learning new things!

Thanks for coming along with us as we learned about propane, more than we ever thought we needed!

In the comments section, feel free to ask us a question or provide us a topic you would like us to cover.

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