I have two propane tanks for my gas grill. I guess these are known as a 20 Lb. tank, the usual size used for gas grills. Two weeks ago, my brother tried to use the grill and told me he could not turn the gas on.
The usual procedure is to turn the valve off at the tank after extinguishing the flame. Then, to light the grill, you turn the valve on at the tank, then turn on the controls on the grill to start the gas, then light the grill. Simple procedure, probably what most people with gas grills do. Anyway, two weeks ago, my brother came to visit and I showed him how to light the grill (the ignitor doesn’t work, so you have to light the burner through a hole in the side). We cooked some ribs and I turned the burners off, then the tank, when I was done.
A couple of days later, he told me he could not turn the valve on the tank. It just would not turn. He finally had to take a pipe wrench to the valve and open it, and just leave the valve open, since he could not close it without the pipe wrench. We just turn the burners off. I told him to try the other tank, and it had the same problem.
I find it odd that this problem occurred on both tanks at the same time. I have never had this problem before. I thought maybe the packing nut on the valve had been tightened too much, but this valve does not have a packing nut that I can see. The only other piece of information that may or may not be relevant is that this occurred sometime between October 29 and November 2 (I was in the hospital for surgery at the time, the reason for my brother’s visit). I thought this might be a Halloween prank, but I have no idea what could be causing this.
Any ideas? My plan is to just use the tank and turn it in when empty to Blue Rhino, although I prefer just to have the tanks refilled because it is cheaper and you get more gas, since the BR folks never fill them all the way. But, they do take care of the maintenance on the tanks, so that might just be my best solution. I would like to know what is going on, though.
excavating (for a mind)