On Fri, 27 Sep 2013 00:24:08 -0500, dpb wrote:

Clearly you own the property in question; whether the tank was the
previous occupant's to transfer is in doubt

After googling and googling and googling, I've come to the
belated realization that this is a relatively common situation.

I couldn't find any California statutes, so all I have is anecdotal
forum and usenet situations, all of which have their myriad details,
but it seems like the tank belongs to whomever can prove they own it.

I went back to my title papers, and there is just no mention of the
tank. Since the serial number is presumably unique, I am slowly
realizing it's probably their tank, and not mine, as I have thought
all this time.

I will call the title insurance company today, to see if they'll
compensate me for my $2,000 loss - but - since it's not actually
mentioned in the paperwork, I doubt it's something they deal with.

So, now I'm making plans for buying a new tank, and putting it in
myself.

It looks like I'll need the following (based on new regulations
of distance from the house and earthquake resistance which had
grandfathered the original tank but don't apply to new):
* new 1,000 gallon propane tank *
* reinforced concrete pad with tie-down eyehooks or lag bolts *
* trench must be 12" deep minimum & 18" if driven over *
* underground yellow flexible conduit (25' minimum distance) *
* two galvanized steel risers at the tank *
* high pressure regulator at the tank for the house *
* low pressure regulator at the tank for the pool & BBQ *
* low pressure regulator at the house *