![My Propane Insights](/img/default-banner.jpg)
- 65
- 206 980
My Propane Insights
United States
Приєднався 26 кві 2021
There are two main reasons why I started this channel, information and encouragement.
Our industry is blessed with an abundance of technical knowledge, but lacking in examples of practical real world implementation. We all need encouragement in our lives so we don't feel isolated, and in this vein I encourage you to share your insights and how to's. Our industry needs more points of view, not less, to stay vibrant.
Our industry is blessed with an abundance of technical knowledge, but lacking in examples of practical real world implementation. We all need encouragement in our lives so we don't feel isolated, and in this vein I encourage you to share your insights and how to's. Our industry needs more points of view, not less, to stay vibrant.
62 - Top Tech Issues
Had an odd problem occur with one of my Top Tech heads. It would work fine until it was time to clear out at the end of a load, then the entire keypad would become unusable. We used the operating software to remote into the head, clear it, then it would begin working normally for several days. I treated it as a software issue at first, then became convinced it was a part failure. That is when I opened the unit up and found the damaged power wires.
Переглядів: 81
Відео
61 - 891 Compressor Piston Damage
Переглядів 10321 день тому
One of the bolts securing the piston cap to the piston broke off just below the head. This bolt head bounced around and caused considerable damage in just a few seconds. In the video I forgot to mention the cylinder wall. Even though the cylinder head was difficult to remove, the cylinder wall had no significant damage. There was some slight scoring, but we were able to smooth it out using 400 ...
60 - Replacing Relief Valves
Переглядів 7222 місяці тому
I am replacing the relief valves on my storage tanks. They are made by MEC, Marshall Excelsior, and Marshall states in their literature that these valves need to be replaced every 10 years. The problem I have encountered is that the factory installed these valves too deeply. They are in so tightly that we could not remove them while on top of the tanks, so we had to come up with a solution. Thi...
59 - Upgrading Meters
Переглядів 4373 місяці тому
LINKS: Spiral Wound Metal Gasket, 7-1/8" = www.imperialsupplies.com/item/9317451 Spiral Wound Metal Gasket, 5-7/8" - www.imperialsupplies.com/item/9317450 Spiral Wound Metal Gasket, 12 1/8" - www.imperialsupplies.com/item/9334435 flexsealindustrial.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Gasket_Reference_Guide.pdf Fully Threaded Stud: 3/4" - www.imperialsupplies.com/item/9254471 Imperial Grade 8 USS Hex...
58 - 2019 Truck Rollover
Переглядів 7205 місяців тому
This shows the aftermath of loaded transport rollover accident. This is an example of how good training and a smart driver kept a bad situation from becoming a disaster.
57 - Liquid and Vapor Lines
Переглядів 7329 місяців тому
I had a viewer ask for this video. I talk about and show how the liquid and vapor lines flow.
56 -Walkway Anti Slip
Переглядів 20111 місяців тому
This is my solution to slippery flat surfaces on my rail car towers.The galvanized, zinc, paint is heavier than normal paint and much more expensive. Depending on which brand you get and where you buy it, it costs between $270-360 per gallon. The upside is that it provides great rust protection, especially when Penetrol is mixed in with it.
55 - Civacon Repair
Переглядів 19511 місяців тому
A recently had two Civacon grounding units at my place stop working correctly. I was also asked to repair a Civacon at another plant that had stopped working entirely. The circuit boards had failed on all three. Link To Civacon: www.jmesales.com/civacon-printed-circuit-board-pcb-replacement-boards/
54 - Corken Z4500 Pump Cavitation Results
Переглядів 24511 місяців тому
I show the resulting damage to two pumps I was asked to repair. Cavitation occurs when too much vapor gets mixed in with liquid. This causes vibration, noise and loss of performance. In propane this is always caused by a lack of supply and its resulting drop in not just pressure, but in weighted inlet pressure. A loss of inlet pressure of around 5-7# can be enough to cause vapor bubbles to form...
53 - Flanged 891 Quick Look
Переглядів 175Рік тому
While this flanged compressor set up looks quite different from a typical 891, the valves are the same as on my others. I did install new aluminum crush gaskets and O-rings.
52 - Replacing packing barrels in a D891
Переглядів 928Рік тому
The packing barrels contain all of the seals that keep the compressed vapor in the cylinder head. I will show how I replace these barrels. I also replaced all eight(8) piston rings, all eight(8) ring expanders, all four(4) intake valves and all four(4) discharge valves. After running this unit for a couple hours I replaced the oil. This machine is now running smooth, quiet, and leak free.
51 - Useful AAR links for Rail and Hazmat Safety
Переглядів 108Рік тому
Here are the links that I find helpful. Field Guide to Tank Cars - www.aar.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/AAR-2022-Field-Tank-Car-Guide.pdf Damage Assessment - www.aar.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/45117A-Tank-Car-Damage-Assessment-Best-Practices-Ver2021-05-12.pdf Hazmat Rail - www.aar.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/US-HMI-for-Rail-Updated-01.27.2022.pdf Casualty Prevention - www.aar.org/wp-co...
50 - Replace Your Keypad in Under 10 Minutes: A Top Tech Tutorial
Переглядів 265Рік тому
I show how to replace the keypads on two Top Tech units. I'll walk you through the tools and supplies you'll need, and provide helpful tips and tricks to ensure that your replacement is successful. I try to provide clear, easy-to-follow instructions that anyone can follow, regardless of their experience level.
48 - FRA warning for tank cars leaving shops
Переглядів 324Рік тому
My FRA inspector told me to pay attention to any cars recently out of shop. He said the FRA has received multiple complaints across the US, specifically tank cars, coming out of shop with quality control issues. I am passing along his warning.
49 - Corken Z4500 Pump Vane Lengths
Переглядів 92Рік тому
Ran into an issue with two Corken vanes being too long, never had a problem like that before. Also talk about how I solved it and what to look for in the future.
45 - Another car with a tear in its jacket
Переглядів 273Рік тому
45 - Another car with a tear in its jacket
42 - Unknown Item Discovery And Discussion
Переглядів 314Рік тому
42 - Unknown Item Discovery And Discussion
39 - Another self-actuating car valve.
Переглядів 8452 роки тому
39 - Another self-actuating car valve.
38 - New employee at the rail yard. #shorts
Переглядів 2252 роки тому
38 - New employee at the rail yard. #shorts
I was wondering what the black box was then I realized must be some kind of lock codes for operations.
If you are referring to the black box on the inside of the door that connects to the keypad, I think it is called the keypad interrupter. They tried to briefly explain it to me, it limits keypad access once the loading procedure starts if I remember right. Thanks for sharing.
He should have checked that a blue "hawk at lunch" sign was placed at each end of the yard track before tucking in.
Somebody told Godzilla that the riser should be finger-tight?
0:30 SpaceX and Kerbal Space Program fans would call this "rapid unscheduled disassembly"
That's funny, thanks for sharing.
This is how you teach the new guy how to properly do the job. Not some stupid animated video that corporate would probably prefer.....
Thank you for sharing.
stainless steel vs stainless steel = galling. the stainless makes it so there is much less oxidation. when that minimal oxidation is broken away from the surface from friction, the steel sticks to itself because there is no oxygen at that exact spot to create oxidation layer.
Thank you for sharing that.
is that derail on backwards? or is it meant to protect against your parked cars escaping the yard? I was assuming that the derail was there to protect against a train coming from the direction of the "stop, unloading cars" sign, but the geometry of the derail suggests that it's built to take impacts from the other direction. Mainly, it looks to me like that big hook that drops into the ballast is meant to fetch up against a tie to brace against the force a train striking it. The webbing across the top also appears to be braced to withstand an impact on the side facing outward as-position in the video. I'm just a dumb nobody on the internet, but i feel like if that's meant to protect against a train entering the yard and striking the parked cars, it needs to be flipped around. Alternately, if it's protecting against cars rolling out of the yard, it needs to be shifted to the other rail, but still in the same direction.
The company who owns the yard wanted the derail installed this way. After this company completed some work on their property last year, I was able to swap its direction. Thanks for asking.
sorry, but hank hill handles all my propane needs.
Thanks for sharing.
I dare you to smoke a cigarette on top of that tanker 😅
Challenge not accepted! Thanks
38:10 Except the 4 pounds of loose petrified pipe dope, that would fill the tank that breaks off from the factory install! 😁👍
Pipe dope acts as a lube and dries like epoxy. Also don't tighten too much. It can split the flange from the taper threads.
Thanks for sharing.
Very interesting video.
Thank you.
Great video! Been watching for a while, always learn something new each vid. Could you possibly make a video explaining the purpose of your propane storage facility? Meaning do y’all mostly sell/export for agriculture, residential or industrial purposes. And how much volume of product do you store/sell/offload in any given time. Average pricing would be a cool bit of information too. Anyways, love your work, not trying to sound creepy or crazy just truly interested in the industry, thanks!
Thanks for letting me know you liked this. I do address your questions in a few videos but have not done a single video covering them. I'll see about doing a short office video to answer your questions. The only thing I do not deal with is pricing, I made it a condition for hiring on that I don't want to know any of the pricing. I find it a distraction. Interesting trivia for you, next time you get a can of spray paint read the ingredients. Most contain propane along with butane and/or propylene. Propane, unodorized of course, is used a a propellant. It replaced CFC's many years ago.
@@mypropaneinsights6074 wow! Did not know that, very interesting tidbit. I could see how the price of the product could be a bit of a distraction might start worrying about the numbers more than the safety of you or your men, like a lot of companies are doing nowadays. I work on the utility side of chemical plants/refineries down here, I’ve always had a curiosity about the products being made and transported at these facilities. Appreciate your response, much love from Louisiana!
do you know a " Hank Hill"? I hear he is huge in the propane world .
The man, the myth, the legend.
I see a safety issue: putting a toxic substance(antifreeze) in an unlabeled drinking container.
I address this in video 27 at the 20:20 mark. I also address this is several comment replies.
Instead of a crescent wrench get an 8 point socket & ratchet
Well, if an 8 point works for square headed plugs, it might be helpful for some of these rounded off hex head plugs. Thanks for sharing.
If they make an 8 point impact socket it would be even better than a regular 8 point
was that glycol in a gateraid bottle? did it have a hazcomm sticker? safety safety safety
I address this in video 27 at the 20:20 mark. I also address this in several comment replies.
Is the placard removed when the car is empty? I see tons of cars going by with no placard.
Only cars carrying hazardous materials are required to be placarded. Empty hazmat cars are still considered "Residue" cars and have to stay placarded. Only when a hazmat car is empty and purged of all traces of its former contents is it no longer placarded. Most tank cars are built to handle a variety of commodities and are built with placard holders straight from the factory since it is cheaper to do so in the beginning and no one knows what the car will carry in its life span. In my area I see a lot of food grade oils, syrups, etc. along with Ag supplies roll by with no needed placards, just a commodity/shipping name. Hope this helps, thanks.
Non-hazardous material in tank cars doesn't need a placard, and there's a lot of non-hazardous stuff that gets carried, too.
Got it. The car ships back with ~10 psi vapor pressure.
Yes
I assume you have 2 liquid lines because of tank baffle/baffles? Where do you get the Nitrogen from? Is the Nitrogen just used to purge the pipe fittings? When the car is empty, is it slightly pressurized with vapor and shipped back? The whole thing looks like one big explosion hazard. It looks like your tools are Aluminum alloy spark proof. The VFD on the compressor will save a ton of wear and tear. All really great info. Thanx.
Your assumption about baffles is a good one, yet these cars have none. We use two liquid hoses to speed up the process. My nitrogen is supplied by "T" sized cylinders that hold about 300 square cubic feet of nitrogen. I use the nitrogen to open and close the stingers (ESVs) that I thread into the car valves and connect my hoses to. The nitrogen keeps the stringer open while in use, and in an emergency my system will automatically cutoff the flow of nitrogen which causes the stingers to slam shut. Yes, the cars leave my place with about 5-20 psi, less pressure in the winter and more in summer. For shipping purposes the cars' status is changed from loaded to residue. You are correct about the VFDs, they prevent a lot of problems. Hope this helps, thanks for sharing.
Hello from Finland. I am a senior electronic maintenance engineer and found this really interesting. I learnet some good stuff too. It’s a real honor to meet a person who does his job well.
Finland! Wow what a treat! I am glad you found something positive in one of my videos. Thank you for sharing.
Gotta be the best instructor I've seen so far. The way he speaks clearly, informative and visually must be his greatest strength when teaching newcomers.
You are kind to say so, thank you.
You should watch his video on making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. ... How to become unionized and over complicate every job. Before the union white knights rill in let's talk all the toppled cranes...
I deliver these to 2 facilities just outside houston.
Thank you for sharing about your work.
Interesting channel! -- QUESTION -- Did you ever see Breaking Bad where they stop a train and steal some liquied chemical out of one of the tanker cars and replace the weight removed by pumping in water (so that no one at the train yard get's suspicios)? Is what they do possible and has it ever been done before?
Yes, in my opinion it would be possible. The car was a low pressure one, so once they vented it , transferring like they did should work. Wasn't it Methylamine they stole? If so, it is highly flammable and can be toxic, much like almost everything else used to make meth. I do not know if something similar has ever happened, but I am very sure it has and the authorities did not want to make it public.
@@mypropaneinsights6074 ....wow.. I always wondered if they got the details essentially correct. What about all their talk about the Feds monitoring the exact location of trains carrying that stuff etc. Do you think that the producers must have consulted with actual train people to nail down the details? That whole show blew my mind. How carefully do you guys actually weight the train cars when they arrive and compare the numbers to see if stuff is missing?
@@Coleen-Love Please keep in mind that I can only share what I know, so my responses will probably be less that 100% accurate. Does the government track hazmat shipments? Yes, through the required reporting of rail carriers. Do they actively track all shipments? Only through the rail carriers as they have reporting requirements. Keep in my that there are not enough DOT/FRA employees to actively monitor 24/7. That said, some commodities are deemed higher risk than others. My cars, along with virtually every car, are weighed either before or at switching yards, since rail carriers have weight restrictions for tracks plus they charge shipping based in part on total car weights. Twice I have had issues with cars that did not fully empty out at my terminal, so we had them scaled before returning to a refinery so we could compare gross and tares weights to determine how much was left in the cars. I have no doubt that highly restricted/regulated commodities do get scaled prior to offload to ensure BOL accuracy. Hope this helps, thanks.
@@mypropaneinsights6074 ....wow.. that episode was epic and raised so many issues. I think people loved Breaking Bad because it just seemed realistic while at the same time being enjoyable to watch. Gotta watch it again!
To bad we inspect 200 cars a day and get 2 mins a car and not 30 mins lol
Time is a luxury that I have as most of my cars stay on site for a few days before shipping out. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for the hypothesis. Knowledge base.
You are welcome.
That's an awesome catch
You used the crescent wrench incorrectly on those first two valves. The way you had it, the force of turn will attempt to move or loosen the movable jaw. By having the movable jaw on the leading direction of movement, there is not anywhere near as force on it versus it being in the trailing position.
Thank you for sharing that.
Man we just take a part the pump and 🍅🍅 🍅🍅 goes everywhere!!
Captain Save a load!
Yes, that driver did safe that load.
What if its the end of the world and we need to know how to get propane from a car! Wala. 🎉
True enough, thanks for sharing.
You train just like my boss Juanita! I can be a little sarcastic but I know your thinking! Your a great teacher. We work as a mix cook. With 1000's if gallons of tomatoes. They don't blow up but we produce caustic acid and we use really hot steam. Ive seen guys get injured in the 9 years I've been there. Mostly the cocky ones.🎉 Thank you.
Thank you for sharing about your work.
Suppose to be hand tight. Stresses it, gripes about it. Then uses a wrench to tighten it!😂🎉 Very informative thank you.
Thanks for sharing.
Great instructional video. As a plumber I hate when plugs are cranked in so far you need a 5 foot breaker bar.
Thank you.
I'm a HAZMAT Technician instructor who teaches Railcar basics and Chlorine Tank Car response. We also have an LPG / Ammonia dome trainer. Excellent preso. Nothing wrong with your way of doing business- you thought through the process to keep it efficient and SAFE! Going to send your video around to our other instructors.
Glad to hear that you found this useful. Thanks for letting me know.
I now have knowledge on how to test things on a Dot 111 tanker car. I do hope I get to use this knowledge some day. Mainly because this was fascinating.
Thank you for saying so.
interesting
Thanks
Thank you 😊
You're welcome, glad you got something positive from this.
Alls I heard was "my ways the best way and the others guys are idiots that break my equipment"hahaha
Thanks for sharing.
This ain't his first rodeo. One your first day, do you (a) figure it out yourself, (b) ask the guy who started yesterday, or (c) listen to the guy who's been doing this shit for 30 years? (I betting you're an "a" person.)
im GLAD you fixed the Gatorade bottles.. .cuz i was going to make a comment something like that particular flavor of Gatorade is delicious .. glad to see the correct WHIMIS approved labels.
As I mention in the video, improvements like this happen over time, especially in a facility like this that we built from the ground up. We are forced by time and circumstances to prioritize things, and these bottles were a great example. I could have easily edited out the original bottles I was using and only shown the labeled ones. I did not think it honest to do so as leaving it in and explaining why was a good learning/sharing topic.Thanks for sharing.
What a quaint system.... When was this designed.... The last century?
Thanks for sharing. This century, although last century was only 24.5 years ago. Time flies.
Keep it simple. No need to over engineer it.
Incidentally, you "screwed-up" nothing. Repositioning the keypad was simple to do, and that is what you did. You fixed the temporary problem to become a permanent fix. The method does not even take a high school student to accomplish without difficulty. The new keypad was properly and perfectly placed. Otherwise, you did a great job the same way you have been taking charge of "your" railroad. If anyone does not like it, one can "kiss off!"
Thank you for saying so.
@@mypropaneinsights6074 You are welcome.
Your job is an occupation in which you need not type as I can on the microcomputer. You may still be able to manage data and take control of your fluid systems without letdown. I am pleased to mention that your load monitor lets you keep control of your railyard, and that must make all the difference in the world. Therefore, let no one change your style.
Thank you for the extra knowledge about gaseous and liquid cargo for tank cars. It is so helpful because I liked tank cars when I was a little kid.
You're welcome.
I swear I thought that was Gatoraid in your tool box. But it's ethylene glycol antifreeze, which is highly toxic and sweet tasting. It takes about 8 ounces to kill a person, and its a slow painful death. To make this more dangerous, there is a Gatorade flavor that is almost the same yellow green as Prestone antifreeze. At least use a different bottle and mark it as to its contents
Thanks for sharing. Has already been taken care of.
Your Propane Insights adds insight to the workings of the American railroad. That was a genuine heritage.
Thanks
@@mypropaneinsights6074 You are welcome. I bid you Happy Railroading!🚂
damn. yer right up there with hank hill!!
Thanks for sharing.
Never use oil on pressurized oxygen fittings / caps.
True. Thanks for sharing.
15:45 don't they make some sort of ratchet so you don't have to constantly take the wrench off when tightening and loosening?
Yes, a standard socket will work on an undamaged plug. The problem we run into is that the majority of these plugs are so chewed up by pipe wrenches that sockets cannot fit properly. Thanks.