Propane Tanks

A message from the Law Enforcement Network

For those of you who like to grill it up during the summer, here's a safety
announcement you should be aware of. Please put this information out to
ALL personnel. For those of you who exchange your propane tanks, this is
something you definitely need to be aware of, especially in light of the
recent news of 'Meth-labs' in our area. Meth cooks are getting propane
tanks from exchanges at Wal-Mart, Kroger, etc. and emptying them of the
propane. Then, they are filling them with anhydrous ammonia (which they
now have a recipe for by the way). After they are finished with them, they
return them to the store. They are then refilled with propane and sent
back for you and me to buy. Anhydrous ammonia is very corrosive and weakens
the structure of the tank. It can be very dangerous when mixed with
propane and hooked up to our grills, etc. You should inspect the propane
tank for any blue or greenish residue around the valve areas. If it is
present, refuse to purchase that tank. Check out the following website for
more details. They also have pictures.

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

Rudy

 

More good news from our warped society! Thanks for letting us know.

Tell me this, do drug dealers ever get done with their propane tanks? The only ones I've ever seen go out of business were either arrested or an explosion destroyed their lab. In either case, I hope the tank don't get recycled. I own my tanks so I can be certain they're properly maintained.

 

Thanks for the heads up, Rudy!

 

S/B
Remember that the Drug Dealers do destroy their Labs but thats only if they know the good guys are coming, they still need propane tanks no matter what.

Rudy

 

I'm glad I don't do the tank exchange thing...I buy a tank, use it for 10 years then buy a new one.

 

The following came from an email sent to me:
"There was a meth training/workshop yesterday and there was a lot of great new information presented. I wanted to let you all know about one thing that I was not aware of.
Meth cooks are getting the propane tanks from the exchanges at Wal-Mart, Kroger, etc. and emptying them of the propane. Then, they are filling them with anhydrous ammonia (which they now have a recipe for by the way). After they are finished with them, they return them to the store. They are then rfilled with propane and sent back for you and me to buy. Anhydrous ammonia is very corrosive and weakens the structure of the tank. It can be very dangerous when mixed with propane and hooked up to our grills, etc.
According to our presenter, you should inspect the propane tank for any blue or greenish residue around the valve areas. If it is present, refuse to purchase that one."
I researched the information, and you should check out the following website for more details. They also have pictures you can show.
http://www.npga.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=529

 

Godamned Tweakers!

 

Is it like this

 

We get so many "urban legend" warnings that turn out to be false, I always check snopes. THIS ONE IS TRUE, but extent of problem is unknown.

http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/methtank.asp

 

Thank you for the heads up Rudy. Very good info to know. Thankfully I own my propane tank for my grill, and fill it as needed. I do not exchange it, and never will.