When I worked in the RV industry - shop mechanic -and we needed to change a valve we would take the tank out in the lot and crack the valve. You don't want to do it anywhere close to where you'll be because it stinks so bad! You will not believe the flies it attracts! You have to have a pretty good concentration of propane to have any danger of fire and if you vent it outside you won't get that concentration. Propane is kin to swamp gas, so the little you would vent won't hurt anything. If you'd rather not vent it to open air, do as Bill suggests - it will just take a lot longer since it's going through the regulator instead of just the valve. This time of year I wouldn't even worry about it unless it's really hot where you are. Here's something else you can do to see if the tanks are really too full or if the gauge is just wrong. "You know there is an easy way to see the level of propane in a current tank. Just warm up some water and pour it on the side of the tank. Since the gas is liquid and cool, the water's heat will cause the tank to form condensation at the current level of the propane. I do this before any cookout so I can get propane before the guests arrive rather than the last minute dash."
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