For the consumer there is little difference between an acme valve and an opd valve.
New vs old propane tank valve.
With out the overfill protection they will not or should not fill it.
Since april 2002 propane tanks without opd valves cannot be refilled.
This is an important safety measure.
Tanks with the older acme valves are legal to use and transport but only those with opd valves can be legally filled.
Pol valves allow the release of gas without anything connected to it.
The next refinement of propane tank connections comes in the acme valve.
The opd valve incorporates a safety feature that prevents overfilling the cylinder.
A plug is screwed into the propane valve for transporting or storing the tank.
Older propane cylinders won t have one but that needn t mean replacing the entire tank at high cost.
Pol valves are the oldest standard for propane tank connections and newer types are more widely used.
Replacing a tank valve with an opd valve can be done at home.
Dozyant universal fit pol propane tank adapter with gauge converts pol lp tank service valve to qcc1 type 1 old to new connection type propane tank gauge 4 5 out of 5 stars 524 15 99 15.
The real difference is that the new tank valves have both a tipover protector and an overfill protector.
It is possible to convert a tank to the new valve but you will need to have the tank re certified before it can be refilled.
Any new cylinder should come with an opd valve installed.
All propane gas cylinders under 40 lbs require an opd or an overfill protection device.
When the level of liquid propane reaches the limit the float rises and the valve closes.