Can a propane tank be repurposed?

[James Mason]

I made a lube device with a standard grill size propane bottle using compressed air hookup which I welded on and a grease fill at the top where the valve normally sits. Worked great for filling differentials and the like. Very fast and convenient.

 

[Surshot]

Appreciate the idea......would be fine but this is not for spraying hundreds of feet of fence lines or tree lines etc.....way too much close in spraying that must be done on foot.

A farmer/Rancher must be inventive to work alone. Use the electric tank, put it on the tractor, 4 wheeler or golf cart, get some reinforced tuning about 30 ft long and two taper coupling joints 4 hose clamps, hook up, fill, then park and walk around. This is how I spray Coogan Grass in the thick woods, under trees.
Handy Dandy on our place is a 48 volt golf cart, modified for sporting clays and fencing. I built a 10’ PVC boom sprayer for it using a 25 gal AG electric spray tank.
It doubles as the power supply for my Wheely Bird traps also.

 

[tstex]

I get repurposing, bc I do it for a lot of diff things, esp w a 100 acre ranch, house, garage and 10-11 other sheds. However, what was good w gas in one application doesn't mean it will be safe w another that it was not intended.

Over the last 3 decades, I have owned and operated at least 20+ diff type of pressurized dispensing devices. All of them were used as the original manufacturers intended. Sometimes I didn't like how they had to work, but they worked. I also learned it's much better to spend more money on a quality product than less money on 2-3 over the same 1- yr period.

Buy quality, read reviews and go w the best one that fits your needs...

 

[pacosperson]

I will admit to my total ignorance when it comes to pressurized storage containers and could use some help. I have had no luck trying to find answers to most of my questions on the net.

Here is an idea I have had for years and wondering if it can be safely pulled off. The goal would be to have a pressurized utility sprayer that I can carry around with me for spraying roundup etc. I am tired of pumping my 2-3 gallon sprayer every several minutes. I have a 5-gallon backpack model but once full I have a hard time getting it on/off by myself and it hurts my lower back as I walk around my 6 acres. I like the idea of a smaller, pressurized, hand held 2-3 gallon sprayer. I know they make battery powered units but I like to experiment & was wondering if an empty propane tank be repurposed (refilled with air) to provide the 10 PSI that I need? I do not think the high pressure paint-ball tanks is what I want as they are thousands of PSI and expensive.

I have long wanted to take an empty (small torch sized) 1-pound propane tank and refill it with air via my shop air compressor and try out my idea. I would attach a regulator to knock down the high pressure air down to ~10 PSI.

My 1st & most important question is what PSI can these small 1-pound propane tanks hold safely? The last thing I would want is to set my shop compressor too high & have a catastrophic failure due to too much pressure while refilling it. The next question would be where can I get a low-pressure regulator with a gauge so I can dial in the PSI into my 2-3 gallon sprayer.

I've done it with a 'grill sized' tank, a submerged pick-up tube, and 80 PSI. It worked great until the inside of the tank rusted and the rust clogged my spray head. It was actually a waste of time and money.

 

[Istillcare]

Fun to play around with stuff. I do all the time, and like the sprayer most times you can buy something already made at a decent price, but then the fun factor is missing.

I did not read through all the responses and may well have been mentioned, I'd give up on the propane tank idea, not because of the danger, I don't think it would be at all dangerous, but because of the small volune and weight.

Use plastic pop bottles, various sizes 1 or 2 liter etc, free, light weight good to 100 psi, easy to work with. If worried about rupturing (I wouldn't be : ) Just put a sleeve of material of your choice around it, stocking etc. Have fun. Sorry if bottle idea already suggested I lost interest in the thread about a third of the way through.

 

[twowoode]

Many companies offer battery operated sprayers now. Why spend your time on something that won’t hold enough air for your purpose.

 

[Grumpycat]

I would use an inspected (VIP - visual inpection and hydro tested) scuba pony bottle for compressed air that has a regulator with a low pressure port on that regulator. The low pressure port would give you the pressure you would need. This combination would ensure your safety and the safety of others nearby while you use that sprayer. I would never repurpose a disposable cylinder - the cylinder wall thickness will not sustain repeated air fill ups like the small pony bottle for scuba use. It may cost a few dollars for that setup but I suspect your life and the lives of others nearby you are certainly worth much more than the cost of this safer setup.

A few dollars!

Hundreds of dollars.

The solution is to either accept the manual pump or find an electric pump that shares a battery with your cordless lawn tools or drill.

 

[Chunin]

I think the best solution for you is to just get an electric pump sprayer. My neighbor has one and he use it to spray the fence lines. Just load in into your tractor or mower cart and spray on command. It would be a nightmare to fill the tank and then pressurize it. I don't think the pressure is going to last that long before having to pressurize it again.

 

[W8BYA]

So OP i think you’d find even if you did what you initially posted, that ‘volume’ in the torch tank WAAAAY to little for what you need in 2 gallon sprayer.

I need to sincerely apologize....for some reason I stopped getting notifications when new posts were made by folks. Not mean't intentionally guys.

So I think many of you are spot on.....I think if I were to fill it with just air, even compressed, it would not equate to too much volume and not last long at all.

I suspect what I was wanting/needing was to fill an empty 1-pound propane tank with liquid air. That way as it warms and vaporizes & expands it would generate a significant amount of air volume and last a very long time.

Think about the typical 1-pound propane tank.....if you just cracked the nozzle open, that flow of propane would last for countless hours before all of the contents were empty. So I guess the question should have been can such a container be filled with liquid (chilled) air?

But that is not something I can do with a simple shop compressor and I am positive no welding or air supply firm is going to re-fill a propane container so I think I have just closed my case.

I have ordered a 3-gallon battery operated unit on a small self dolly. Says it can discharge eight 3-gallon fillings on one charge. I think this was the safest & most expeditious route. TU everyone for their input.

 

[pcman]

So everyone who refills their propane tanks with a larger propane tank is at a high risk of killing themselves?

I will admit to my total ignorance when it comes to pressurized storage containers and could use some help. I have had no luck trying to find answers to most of my questions on the net.

Here is an idea I have had for years and wondering if it can be safely pulled off. The goal would be to have a pressurized utility sprayer that I can carry around with me for spraying roundup etc. I am tired of pumping my 2-3 gallon sprayer every several minutes. I have a 5-gallon backpack model but once full I have a hard time getting it on/off by myself and it hurts my lower back as I walk around my 6 acres. I like the idea of a smaller, pressurized, hand held 2-3 gallon sprayer. I know they make battery powered units but I like to experiment & was wondering if an empty propane tank be repurposed (refilled with air) to provide the 10 PSI that I need? I do not think the high pressure paint-ball tanks is what I want as they are thousands of PSI and expensive.

I have long wanted to take an empty (small torch sized) 1-pound propane tank and refill it with air via my shop air compressor and try out my idea. I would attach a regulator to knock down the high pressure air down to ~10 PSI.

My 1st & most important question is what PSI can these small 1-pound propane tanks hold safely? The last thing I would want is to set my shop compressor too high & have a catastrophic failure due to too much pressure while refilling it. The next question would be where can I get a low-pressure regulator with a gauge so I can dial in the PSI into my 2-3 gallon sprayer.