Considering a 2nd tank will have to be mounted in a non standardised location, with custom brackets and lines, im pretty sure an engineer will need to sign off on it.
A good gas fitter should be consulting an engineer before undertaking the job also.

Thanks Ash for taking the time to explain it better, no wont worry about having a engineer sign off the only time i get pulled over is when iam speeding lol, but should be good till the car dies I was going to use the one i bought around 6 months ago but have deceided to use the one out of the sedan iam wrecking and will sell the other complete unit.

I will probably make a start of it on the week end and take photos of it along the way for other dummies like me who havent done it before.

Thanks Alan

Getting a second tank done, i enquired what needs to be done :

you need the following

hydrostatic valve(aprox $80-$100),
2*45ohm senders,
some pipeing work,
(brackets or Velcrow) to secure tank.
1*qualified gas fitter
1*Extra LPG tank
2 - 3 hours Labour depending on experience

How it works is both tanks feed the converter, evenly till one is empty then runs on one tank untill empty. Filling is same as before except where you have one larger tank than the other one samller tank will shut off first then larger tank fill a little longer...

The 45 ohm senders always sending a average level indication between both tanks consistantly.

I used to get 500k's to 61 litres of lpg.
Next week i will be filling up 120 litres of LPG, should go close to 1000 k's between refills costing at [56cents per litre $67.50 to fill 120L LPG aprox to 1000k's]

Probably the only downside of this setup is you will be standing at the SERVO twice as long, and add a little extra weight in your vehicle, in some circumstances you may need to upgrade the standard suspension componets.

SVI system is used in my circumstances not the conventional setup, so i also have the 68 litre factory petrol tank as well just in case things get pear shaped.

I also asked about what happens to the gas tank when it has expired it is solely up to the owner of the vehicle to get it tested, some places charge aprox $66

Last edited by cilkorules on Sat Jul 30, 2011 6:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.

They can't be doing much of an inspection for $66. Considering to do it properly the tank needs to come out of the car. There's more then $66 in labour for remove/refit.

Testing stations up here charge on average $250 AFTER the tank has been removed and given to them.

But I guess VIC gas fitters aren't exactly known for quality work or following the rules.
They are well known for cheap though.

i found this when i went to purchase my hydrostatic valve, check it out its a link to the diagram showing what parts u need for the 2 tank setup from AMRGAS.com

http://www.amrgas.com/images/products/h ... lves_1.jpg

I don't think its fair to tar all Vic fitters with the same brush. I sure there are dodgy ones all over Australia.

My neighbour was just telling me yesterday that he know a mobile guy who comes out and retests tanks. Tank stay in the car, external inspection only, valve assembly check for leaks and operation.
For under body tanks the cover is removed and costs a little extra. To say the least I was stunned, because like you said i thought the tank needed to be removed and x-rayed or something to check weld and wall thickness. Don't the tanks rust out for the inside?

1: he's not looking inside the tank for a start,
2: if the tank stays bolted in, it is imposible to do do a complete external inspection.


My comment about the VIC installers is based on the stuff that comes through my workshop

The Guy I use locally does an external inspection, replaces the blow off valve, fills the tank with a small amount of LPG (probably for a leak test), and inspects internally with a borescope.
All tanks are done off the vehicle - price is around $115-$120 test only.

Do any inspectors use X ray ?? I'd assume that would only be used on a new tank by the OEM (APA, Manchester, etc) ??
Be interesting what the std says (is there one ??).

sorry for the confussion yeah i meant to say you have to take the tank to them your right they just carry out a simple test , i found them on ebay after searching for lpg tanks.