Propane Tank Safety Alert

**mjlaupp** · 06-25-2008, 04:17 PM

Hi folks, I received this information from the safety director at work and thought it was timely information to pass on.

Propane Tank Safety Alert

Please check out the link at the end of the article, as it has pictures which allow you to identify bad tanks immediately.

Methamphetamine cooks are buying propane tanks from the exchanges at Wal-Mart, Circle-K, Kroger, etc., and emptying them of the propane gas. Then they fill the propane tanks with anhydrous ammonia, which they now have a recipe to cook Methamphetamine. After they are finished with the propane tanks, they return them to the store. The stores refill the tanks with propane gas, unknowing to them the improper substance that was inserted in the tanks and sell them to their consumers. Anhydrous ammonia is very corrosive and weakens the structure of the tank. It can be very dangerous when mixed with propane gas and hooked up to a grill, recreation vehicle, etc.

You should inspect the propane tank for any blue or greenish residue around the valve areas. If there are evidences of these substances, do not purchase the propane tank and advise the vendor of your findings.

The information was researched, and you should check out the following website for more details. They also have pictures for you to view.

http://www.npga.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=529

Mike

mcgyver210 · 06-25-2008, 05:31 PM

Wow if we didn't have enough to worry about.

06-25-2008, 06:25 PM

I always go to www.snopes.com for a sanity check on stuff like this.
Here's what they had...
http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/methtank.asp

Troy

06-25-2008, 09:12 PM

Check snopes, this seems to be an urban legend.

**mjlaupp** · 06-26-2008, 03:43 PM

I did not intend to propagate an "Urban Legend" and I don't think I have. Both of the web sites referenced in this thread confirm the existence of these tanks. The trained refill specialists at the propane facility must be screening out all of these defective tanks. Therefore the chance of you getting one of these tanks is no greater than the chance of you getting salmonelia from eating a tomato in a restaurant.

There are some people who would not know that a tank with a green valve could be defective. My intent was to alert these people to this condition so they can protect themselves if needed. After all, you are responsible for your own safety.

Mike

mcgyver210 · 06-26-2008, 06:26 PM

Even if I never see it I appreciate knowing it could happen.

Thanks for trying to help.

Leslie & Nick · 06-27-2008, 06:32 AM

Thanks for the heads-up Mike! I wasn't aware of this propane tank issue. Personally, I only have my own LPG tanks refilled (while I watch), and have never used these tank exchange facilities.

BobandPat2720 · 04-20-2019, 09:53 PM

As a propane professional, I would just like to inform you that, the culprit of the "green valve" is most likely from a former renter of the cylinder probably using a solution of liquid dish soap
(which contains ammonia)and water and NOT flushing the solution from the brass and copper connections. This lack of flushing will leave a coating on the brass and cause it to corrode( leaving the tell-tale green wherever the solution made contact.

BrucePerens · 04-23-2019, 01:16 AM

I see a lot of helpful people trying to pass on computer virus warnings. The problem with this is that it trains the user to take instructions from unofficial sources who could as well be giving instructions that compromise your security.

For that reason, it is best to never pass on anything but a direct URL of the product manufacturer containing a warning about their own product. And check that carefully.

Some sites carrying the warning cited the National Propane Gas Association, using a bad URL. Maybe it existed once, but it's not on their site any longer.

It's probably like the static electricity during gas fill fire tale. Sounds plausible, never happened.