California and some other states have banned the refilling of the tanks
that don't have the new OPD (overflow prevention device) valves to
allow for expansion and prevent gas blow-off, a nice safety feature.
But this law apparently does not apply to horizontal tanks or tanks
under 4 gallons (westies hold about 3 gallons). Read on...

I found this Q&A on <http://www.grillman.com/propane_tankregs.htm>

" Q: I have a horizontal cylinder on my recreational vehicle. Are OPD's
available for that kind of service?
A: Presently, the Code does not explicitly address the issue of OPD
valves on horizontal cylinders. This has presented some difficulty as
horizontally oriented cylinders that were manufactured prior to October
1, 1998, are unable to be retrofitted with the OPD's that are available
at this time. There is currently a proposal in the Code process that
would exempt this style of a cylinder from needing an OPD if visibly
marked that it has no OPD and was manufactured prior to October 1,
1998, and if none of these safety devices are available for this style
of cylinder. While the foregoing is a proposal for the 2001 edition of
the Code, it is not now known if this suggested amendment will be
approved. Without question, OPD's are still required for these
cylinders that have been manufactured after September 30, 1998. An
attempt is regularly made to make propane marketers aware of changes in
the Code. Any question that you have may be directed to your local
propane service provider. "

Keith Ovregaard
84 Westy "Brownie" Solar Charged Camper
90 Westy Syncro (No name yet for the pastel white box)

On Jul 29, 2005, at 1:46 PM, jimt wrote:

> The problem I have most recently seen with small campers is that many
> places
> now have a minimum charge.  Usually a 20 pound fill is the minimum
> charge.
> The westy tank only takes 10 to 12 on a fill.
> Jimt
>
>
> On 7/29/05 10:47 AM, "Woody" <woody@SOULMEDICINEJOURNEY.COM> wrote:
>
>> Here's a Newbie question:
>>
>> Since I acquired my '86 Westy a couple of months ago I've used the
>> range
>> burners a few times; haven't been able to run the fridge yet on
>> propane
>> [another story I'm gradually getting a handle on].  Wondering about
>> two
>> other questions:
>> 1) Is there any way to tell when I'm running low on propane before I
>> run
>> out?
>> 2) Are there any problems getting the tank filled at the gas station
>> or
>> dealer offering propane?  To read the GoWesty info, I should order a
>> brand new tank with all the fittings, sooner rather than later...
>> Woody
>>
>>
>