Presto-Tap designer leaves safety legacy

Rance Eugene Morgan III, who helped create the Presto-Tap leak detection system, died Jan. 21 at the age of 71.

Morgan III

Morgan was born to Rance Eugene Morgan Jr. and Thelma Burt Morgan on Aug. 1, 1951, in Greenville, Mississippi. He married his high school sweetheart, Druanne Woollard, in 1971.

Morgan began his career in agriculture before later working at Scott Petroleum. He helped the company expand to three states, including Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

Working alongside Jimmie Shaw, a Mississippi state inspector for the fire marshal and 40-year propane industry veteran, they designed, created and patented a leak detection device. Morgan and Shaw would go on to form a manufacturing company, Presto-Tap, for the nationwide distribution of the safety device. It includes a specially designed pigtail and other tank pressure products intended for permanent installation.

In 2009, RegO and Presto-Tap agreed to create a partnership and combine the patented technologies. The full line of Presto-Tap testing products and kits is available at all RegO distributors.

The Presto-Tap technology allows a retailer to remove the cap from the test fitting, install the gauge onto the fitting and perform the same NFPA 54 leak test without ever disturbing the system. The gauge is then removed and the cap reinstalled ­– saving about 10 minutes on each system pressure test, according to RegO.

Read Morgan’s full obituary here.

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