Fall is when the cylinders come out of the shed around here. Grill tanks, patio heaters, the chile roaster, the camp stove for elk season, the heater for a cold shop in Edgewood or Estancia. A lot of them end up at our cylinder filling station. Before you load yours in the truck, here is what the station is for, which cylinders we can fill, and what to bring.
Refill or exchange
You have two ways to get a small cylinder full. You can trade your empty for a full one at a store cage, or you can bring your own cylinder to a filling station and have it refilled.
We refill your own cylinder. You keep a cylinder you know, and you pay only for the propane that goes in, so what was left from summer is not wasted. Every time it comes to us, the attendant looks it over before filling it. If you run larger cylinders for a shop heater, a cabin stove or ranch equipment, call the office and ask about on-site cylinder refill.
How we fill it
You do not fill your own cylinder at our station. A trained attendant does. The attendant fills by weight or with a small gauge valve on the cylinder, and stops at about 80 percent full. That empty space on top is on purpose. Propane is a liquid in the cylinder, and it grows when it warms up. The space gives it room to expand on a hot afternoon in the truck or on the porch. A cylinder filled to the brim has no room left, and that is when a relief valve can vent gas.
Which cylinders we can fill
Not every cylinder can be filled. The attendant checks three things.
The date. Look at the metal collar around the valve. A date is stamped there, the month and year the cylinder was made. Most new cylinders are good for 12 years from that date. After that, a cylinder has to be requalified before anyone can fill it, and the new date gets stamped on it. How long a requalification lasts depends on the method used. If your cylinder is past its date, we cannot fill it as it is. Call the office and we will talk through your options.
The valve. Grill-size and patio-heater cylinders, from 4 to 40 pounds, must have an overfill prevention device, or OPD. You can spot one by the valve handle, which is shaped like a triangle and usually marked OPD. An older cylinder without that valve cannot be filled as it is.
The shape it is in. We will turn away a cylinder with deep dents, bulges, heavy rust, fire damage, or a bent collar, foot ring or valve. A damaged cylinder is still holding pressure, and the attendant is the one standing next to it.
What to bring
Bring the cylinder with its valve turned off. If it came with a cap or plug for the valve outlet, bring that too. Full cylinders are heavier than they look, so bring a helper for the big ones.
Call the office nearest you before you drive over. We will tell you where to bring it and when the station is open. Our offices are open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, and closed Saturday and Sunday. If you want the grill ready for a weekend, bring the cylinder in before Friday afternoon.
Getting it home and storing it
How you haul a full cylinder matters as much as how it was filled.
- Carry it upright, with the valve closed.
- Secure it so it cannot tip over or roll, in a truck bed or on the floor of the vehicle.
- If it rides inside a car or SUV, crack the windows.
- Go straight home. Do not leave it in a hot vehicle while you run errands.
At home, store cylinders outside, upright, away from doors, windows and anything that makes a spark or flame. Never store a cylinder indoors. Not in the house, the garage, the basement or an enclosed shed. Spares too.
Carbon monoxide and a gas odor
Propane appliances work hardest in winter. Every level of the home should have a working carbon monoxide alarm. If you smell an odor like rotten eggs, or a CO alarm sounds, get everyone outside first, call 911 from a safe place, then call the office nearest you during business hours. Do not look for the leak yourself. Do not go back inside until responders say it is safe.
Call before the first trip
Not sure your cylinder can be filled? Read the date on the collar, look at the valve handle, then call us. We can usually tell you over the phone whether it is ready or needs attention first. That beats a drive from Mountainair or Pecos with a cylinder we have to send back home.
Moriarty - 2502 U.S. Route 66 W, Moriarty, NM 87035 - (505) 407-2260 (main)
Mountainair - 711 West Broadway, Mountainair, NM 87036 - (505) 847-1136
Pecos - 274 Glorieta Hwy, Pecos, NM 87552 - (505) 757-0977