[P2assist] NEW PROPANE TANK RULES WILL AFFECT REFILL OF GAS GRILL TANKS STAR TING IN APRIL

[Diana Kees]

Attention backyard grillers: home cooked steaks and burgers on
your patio grill may become a smoky memory starting this spring if you
fail to ensure your grills propane tank has a new kind of a safety valve.

A new ruling published by the National Fire Protection Association and
adopted by North Carolina states that as of April 1, 2002, all propane
tank cylinders without overfill protection devices (OPD) are prohibited
from being refilled by anyone. For consumer safety, OPDs have been
required on all new propane cylinders with a capacity from 4 pounds to 40
pounds since Sept. 30, 1998. The OPD, which is a part of the filling
valve, serves as a safety shut-off device and prevents overfilling of
propane cylinders to avert propane release, fire and possible injury. Most
cylinders with a triangular valve wheel have an OPD. Cylinders that have
an overfill protection device will also have the letters OPD on the
valve hand wheel and the side of the valve. Cylinders with a round or
star-shaped valve wheel usually do not have an OPD.

Consumers who own a propane cylinder not equipped with an OPD may choose
either to have the old valve removed and replaced with an OPD or to take
the old cylinder to an exchange cabinet, like those at convenience and
hardware stores, and pay an upgrade fee for a new cylinder with the OPD
device. In some areas, larger cylinder exchanges like Blue Rhino and
RapidXchange may take old cylinders and charge a one-time upgrade fee in
exchange for new equipment. Cylinders with the new OPD valves can be found
at propane companies, hardware stores and discount stores.

Some propane providers can take your old cylinder and refurbish and reuse
it. If, for some reason, you are unable to exchange your cylinder, RECYCLE
IT!  Propane cylinders are made of metal and can be recycled as metal
scrap. Be sure to call ahead to your local scrap metal dealer to see
whether they accept cylinders and how to handle them before recycling.
Tips for owners wishing to dispose of obsolete propane tanks:

*  If your cylinder is damaged, obsolete or unable be retrofitted, you
should not abandon it. Doing so could create serious environmental and
safety problems.
*  DO NOT PUT YOUR CYLINDER INTO A DUMPSTER OR OTHER DISPOSAL CONTAINER. 
This could create an explosion hazard.
*  Avoid cutting the tank with a torch or cutting wheel. Your cylinder may
still contain propane and create a potential fire and explosion hazard.
*  Always keep your propane cylinder stored upright until you can recycle or
exchange it safely.

A two-page consumer guide for management of propane cylinders
can be found online at http://www.p2pays.org under Hot Topics. For
more information on recycling obsolete propane tanks, please contact Tom
Rhodes, waste management analyst, at (919) 715-6516/6500 or
tom.rhodes@ncmail.net; for technical information on propane tanks and the
new ruling, please contact Richard Fredenburg, L-P gas engineer for the
N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, at (919) 733-3313 or
e-mail standards@ncmail.net. Please visit http://www.ncstandards.org for
the latest information about propane cylinders.

****************************
Diana Kees
Public Information Officer
N.C. Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources
Div. of Pollution Prevention and Environmental
  Assistance
1639 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1639
(919) 715-6515/6500
diana.kees@ncmail.net
www.p2pays.org