Date:         Fri, 7 Feb 1997 17:34:46 -0500 (EST)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Derato@aol.com
Subject:      propane leak?  

now that ive had my 87 westy for several months now....ive tried putting
propane in three times.  each time is a different experience.   the first
time....put a pound ion just to check for leaks.  lasted a few days....not as
long as it should have based on how much i used it.   the next time i added a
puond....it lasted several months....about right for how much i used it.
 this last itme i figured all was well...and i would fill the tank(three
pounds or gallons ).  it was very cold outside...and once full and hose
removed...the hissing began.  i could see the vapor..or liquid propane coming
out the fill valve.  not where the propane goes in...but a littl hole  to the
left of fill, this went on for a while...i figueed it was over fulll...and
was venting off overflow.  the fill valve is a special type that only permits
filling to 80%.  i vented off more gas to speed up the process and the flow
did slow down.  finally it seemed to have stopped.  unfortunately it didnt
stop...and i could smell propane for days and days,  until finally all the
propane had leaked out.   my question is...has anyone encountered this
problem...and what was the solution?  im wondering of the cold weather had
anything to do with it...?  have i noticed somthing about rebuilding the
safety fill valve on the list?  any input would be apprecciated.  cant face
the reality that my tank is rusted thru......since replacement is cost
prohibitive.  anyone made a conversion to another propane tank? or to the
little one pound containers?
                     derato