Yoo hoo, here I am
Well I am finally back on line - not that anyone perhaps except Fred there missed me. Anyway, I go back to the newspaper full time on Monday and I send thanks out to everyone who sent good wishes while I was out on a surprise lengthy medical leave. What was supposed to be a simple procedure turned into major surgery and I was sidelined for four weeks. I akm feeling much better and looking forward to getting back into the swing of things.
I wanted to get on line to day to pass along an interesting note sent to me by a reader warning consumers who trade in their grill propane tanks.
For those of you who like to grill it up during the summer, here's a safety announcement you need keep
on your front burner.
It seems that "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. After they are finished using the tanks, they return them to the store. The tanks 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, and note any pungent smell of ammonia near the tank. If it is present, refuse to purchase that one.
Here's the NPGA Site for your review also. Article includes pictures of stained valves.
http://www.npga.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=529