While trying to get two portable butane tanks filled at a different place than I usually do, the employee was looking intently at the tanks. I asked him, what are you doing? He was looking for the manufacture date on the tanks. One was four years out of date and couldn't be filled, the other will be out of date in four years. According to him portable butane tanks only have a life of 12 years before they have to be replaced. They're a 20# and a 40# tanks, not the little ones for lanterns and portable stoves.

He was going to fill that one tank and I told him to hell with that, I'll just take them where I usually go, they never check the date there, and they didn't, when I took them to my regular place.

Who knew they're only good for 12 years? That seems ridiculous to me. I didn't want to ask at the place I usually go to, in case they didn't want to fill them. My tanks are fairly new looking.