Propane Question

You'll have to explain what a smart hose is as I am unfamiliar. All I've ever done was vent, unhook, dump the excess out of my hose, watch it disappear and throw the hose back in the tube

 

We're happy to answer any question you have. It's much better to ask first so that you don't make a mistake that could get you fired, injured, or even killed.

As far as managing the liquid that remains in the hose, this is what I do:

After you vent, disconnect whichever connection is higher off the ground (this is so that gravity will cause the liquid to move away from the connection you're breaking) then set the free end of the hose on the ground, pointing away from where you will stand to unhook the other connection.

Next, disconnect the remaining connection and insert that end of the hose into the tube. The liquid will run out onto the ground as you slide the hose the rest of the way up into the tube.

 

A smart hose has an internal valve in each end that automatically closes if it senses excess flow, like if the hose were to rupture. They hook up and unhook just like a normal hose.

 

Those relief valves are changed every 5 years at some companies. While others don't have change intervals. Because they want to save money by not doing preventative maintenance. And only spend when something breaks.

And even on trailers some of the transport companies won't change them as they should. Witch is just cheap. Because some state LPG boards may require it be done at the 5yr VIK inspection. I remember a guy that worked at a small company. Every time he would get loaded. The reliefs would pop open because the springs were so weak. But the facility banned that truck until it got fixed. And he would have to bring the repair paperwork to prove it.

 

@RockinChair ^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

It almost sounds like the customers one way valve in the line was stuck closed and your pump was pushing it open. Are you sure there was nitrogen/air going to their valves? As for the frost, I've never had frost buildup unless there was a leak. Maybe check your O-rings? I'm not sure

 

I don't think you actually did anything wrong, I just think that something went wrong that was not your fault.

Sometimes the customers' air valves don't open all the way up, especially the vapor valve on the underside of the tank. I think that's probably what happened here, for a couple of reasons. First, the fact that it got harder and harder for the pump to do its job makes me think that pressure in the customer's tank was increasing, rather than equalizing with your trailer. Second, the frost that built up on the outside of your vapor pipe tells me that the vapor going through there was mighty cold, which is what happens when it goes from a place of higher pressure to a place of lower pressure.

So the next time you have trouble unloading make sure that all the customers' valves, and those on your trailer, are open 100% and not checked. You might have to close them and then open them all back up again. But the most important thing is that you got the load delivered safely.

 

Sounds like the vapor was closed on the tank you were unloading in to. If they're using nitrogen to keep the valve open sometimes they lose their charge and shut. Usually when a line freezes like that it's cause you have way different pressures between trailer and tank. The first time you unload into a empty tank will about scare the #### out of you when you crack open the vapor and here it come shooting down the hose and pipe