Gas appliances won't stay lit?

[Bill]

We have had a number of posts about appliances that won't stay lit. The fussiest appliance may be the refrigerator. I found a gem on the Manchester Tank web site that may help if the problem occurs when your TM (or your propane tank) is new.

When a tank is manufactured, it is not filled with propane. Instead, the factory pressurizes it with an inert gas that absorbs any water vapor that might be in left in the tank. The tank can be shipped with this inert gas in place - shipping a tank with propane in it is a lot harder.

The first time the tank is filled, the technician must “purge” it (remove the inert gas) through a special valve at the fill station. According to Manchester, if a tank is not purged, it will be hard to fill - I have experienced this. In addition, the inert gas will mix with the propane vapor, and the mixture will burn poorly. Appliances require constant adjustment, and pilot lights won't stay lit, until the inert gas is finally gone.

So when you first fill a new tank, be sure to tell the propane tech that you have a new tank and it must be purged.

Bill