As I purchased an '87 westy quickly a few weeks back, I was just hoping
that I could make it the 1000 miles to get home.  The PO told me that the
propane system had never been used, and I didn't really have time to
check it out.  Everything looked clean (blue platic still on drain sheet).

Anyway, I tried opening the propane valve today, and there's a loud hiss
sound.  The sound goes away when I turn the valve completely clockwise
(closed).  I took the westy to a local propane place, and the guy tells
me that the regulator has a leak from some kind of hole (had a name which I
can't recall).  In addition, he says that he can't fill my tank anyway
since it's more than 12 years old (he looked at the date stamped on the
bottom).  I've never paid too much attention to the propane conversations
here, so I'm unsure what to do to fix this.

First, should I purchase a new regulator, and if so, is it easy to
install or should I have a pro do it?

Second, I've never heard about this 12 year old propane tank law.
Perhaps this is a CA thing, and if the regulator wasn't leaking, the guy
might have filled it anyway.  Should I consider replacing the tank
though?

Thanks for the help,
david