I used a 30 lb taqnk for years, but somebody here mentioned that they aren't coated inside so may rust through. Chicken that I am, I sent it to the scrap pile.
Does a propane tank absorb propane?
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It is mounted up-side down and I live at the 2000ft level in near desert conditions.
I have two air reservoirs before it gets to that one with drains. But It is not a bad idea, I will take them off in the spring put in some Tremclad paint, swish it around and let them dry in the sun. :thumbsup:Always willing to go that extra mile to be safe.
I have two air reservoirs before it gets to that one with drains. But It is not a bad idea, I will take them off in the spring put in some Tremclad paint, swish it around and let them dry in the sun. :thumbsup:Always willing to go that extra mile to be safe.
Mark @ Everlast
Advertiser
Propane is a volatile gas. It doesn't stick around. It can lay around, hanging low to the ground or in the tank, but when the pressure is gone, it does NOT stay liquid. This pore business may be true of some liquid gas that does not volatize. But I think even that may be attributed to little or no prep.
But there are several places you can find on the internet, even from the gas companies that discuss the nature of propane. The smell is entirely separate and over time, it will leave a sticky, oily film in the bottom of the tank...which can cause a flammability issue possibly, but its more likely to stink than anything else. If you completely fill up the tank with water, and possibly a little soap and flush it until all the bubbles purge, then let it sit for a day or so. When its dumped out and dry the propane has to be gone. The filling it up completely will force out any residual fumes of propane. The smell will hang around...but again its an additive to propane that has settled out, not propane itself.
But there are several places you can find on the internet, even from the gas companies that discuss the nature of propane. The smell is entirely separate and over time, it will leave a sticky, oily film in the bottom of the tank...which can cause a flammability issue possibly, but its more likely to stink than anything else. If you completely fill up the tank with water, and possibly a little soap and flush it until all the bubbles purge, then let it sit for a day or so. When its dumped out and dry the propane has to be gone. The filling it up completely will force out any residual fumes of propane. The smell will hang around...but again its an additive to propane that has settled out, not propane itself.
Egon
Epic Contributor
Propane may come down the line with a few more addatives than Merkpatan. Things like water and H2S are pretty common in propane. Starts a little corrosion. Can lead to more with encapulations. The corrosion can be of a size you can't see with the naked eye and will be occuring between the grain boundaries. Gives the liquids a place to go hide.
On larger vessels, as pointed out by a few welders this could make for interesting events.
On a small vessel like a 20# C3 tank filling with water and boiling followed by air purge and a combustible gas tester should suffice.
Some fellows have commented on hot work on an emptyhydrocarbon barrel. there will be more than one fellow who's had the barrel blow up :
Chilled liquid propane can stick around for some time. As it is heavier than air when it evaporates it it has a tendecy to flow to natural ground traps and form a pool of vapour. Wind will disperse this vapour depending on how srong it is and what the local conditions are.
And Yeh, you never know what pollutants in C3 may be and they can be there.
On larger vessels, as pointed out by a few welders this could make for interesting events.
On a small vessel like a 20# C3 tank filling with water and boiling followed by air purge and a combustible gas tester should suffice.
Some fellows have commented on hot work on an emptyhydrocarbon barrel. there will be more than one fellow who's had the barrel blow up :
Chilled liquid propane can stick around for some time. As it is heavier than air when it evaporates it it has a tendecy to flow to natural ground traps and form a pool of vapour. Wind will disperse this vapour depending on how srong it is and what the local conditions are.
And Yeh, you never know what pollutants in C3 may be and they can be there.
My neighbour is looking for the 8 ft long tanks about 3 or 4 ft around he cuts them in half welds on a cutting edge and one end out making a good snow plow. Bigger ones he cuts into three sections, unless you have a machine that will handle it.
He is looking for one for me and I will remove the bucket on My Furukawa loader and mount it. Everything can be recycled, I do not know how he prepares it for cutting but he has done quite a few. He gets the tanks for free if he removes it.
He is looking for one for me and I will remove the bucket on My Furukawa loader and mount it. Everything can be recycled, I do not know how he prepares it for cutting but he has done quite a few. He gets the tanks for free if he removes it.
petes
Silver Member
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I got a scrap 250g tank from the local propane fill place for $10. They removed the fittings before they'd let me take it (I slipped the guy another 10... it was a cold day!). I flipped a furniture moving dolly (with casters) upside down to use as a roller cradle, used a shopvac output to blow air through a 1" PVC pipe into the far end of the tank for 10 minutes, then a propane detector to "sniff" the air in the tank before plasma cutting, just to make sure. It didn't register anything (threshold of the detector is 1% of the lower explosive limit gas concentration). I left the shopvac blowing while cutting the first end off anyway just to be safe. I used a piece of baling twine tied around the tank as a guide... should have used something a little less melt-able (like a thin strip of wood). I had to re-tie it a couple times, but it worked. Now I have THREE curved snow blades waiting for me to build a frame for at least one of them.
Mark @ Everlast
Advertiser
Propane at any normal pressure and temperature cannot exist in a liquid state. When the pressure goes, so does the propane. Its the same as if you popped the top on a cola and left it sit for a week or so...It escapes.
Egon
Epic Contributor
Sorry Mark, liquid propane sitting in a bucket at atmospheric pressure will stay liquid for quite some time.:thumbsup:
And no, you don't want to put your finger in the bucket to see if it is cold!
And no, you don't want to put your finger in the bucket to see if it is cold!
greasemonkeyok
Veteran Member
As Egon noted, propane is not the only hydrocarbon you have to worry about. Sure, the tank was supposed to be filled with only propane, but you don't know what other hydrocarbons were introduced to the tank along the line, and they may not boil off under normal atmospheric pressures and temperatures.
Egon
Epic Contributor
If you remove the valving and turn the tank up side down in the sun on a warm day, maybe fill with dawn dish soap and warm water and shake it around and drain it you will be OK. If you still have fear, do not do it, problem solved.
Propane vaporises at -41F The rest of you statment sounds like a lot of big words that mean nothing.
Propane vaporises at -41F The rest of you statment sounds like a lot of big words that mean nothing.
Redneck in training
Elite Member
What we call propane is actually LPG. In other words it is a mix of mainly two gases propane and butane. There is a winter and summer mix. Each has different proportion of the gases. Winter mix is mostly propane while summer mix is mostly butane. Butane evaporates at -.4C (31F) at sea level.
Either gas is heavier than air and can linger around for long time when released.
I can tell you several "war" stories:
When working in a gas plant everyone has to attend an induction. Part of the induction explains the gases etc. and says if your car stalls unexpectedly do not restart. Get out and out of there cross wind ASAP. So there is a guy driving his jeep not too far from debutanizer tower. His car stalls. He restarts. They never found the guy. There was a crack in the bottom of the tower. Operator got a low pressure alarm so he maxed out the compressor to keep the pressure up and filled the entire place around with butane.
Friend of mine had propane heating. He had three or four large cylinders that he had to take to town for refill once a while. He usually used only two and when they were empty he would switch the valves on gas manifold and take the empty one to refill station. One cold winter day his heating stopped quite unexpectedly. When he removed the tank he felt liquid sloshing inside and deduced that the people in refill station were cheaters and filled the tank partially with water. So he turned the tank upside down and drained the water in the snow. When the tank was empty he put it in his car, got in and started. The whole place blew up. Fortunately the car started so he drove from the flames and was not hurt but the car was pretty ugly with all the blistered paint.
Another guy I used to know complained that somebody was stealing his tulips. Interesting thing was that the tulips were disappearing from the center of the plot and there were no footprints or any damage to surrounding tulips. He tried to figure out how the thieves do that. One winter day he went to visit his garden where he had small cabin. When he wanted to boil water for coffee his propane burner wouldn't work. After removing the tank he reached the same conclusion that he got cheated and there was water in the tank. So he emptied the tank to the snow. Sometime later he took a smoke break. Lit a cigarette and threw the match on snow. The whole garden exploded and there were all the tulips flying in air. Some animal was pulling the plants under ground to store them for winter. So at the end he found out who the thieves were punished them.
There was a summer mix in both cases in the tank.
Either gas is heavier than air and can linger around for long time when released.
I can tell you several "war" stories:
When working in a gas plant everyone has to attend an induction. Part of the induction explains the gases etc. and says if your car stalls unexpectedly do not restart. Get out and out of there cross wind ASAP. So there is a guy driving his jeep not too far from debutanizer tower. His car stalls. He restarts. They never found the guy. There was a crack in the bottom of the tower. Operator got a low pressure alarm so he maxed out the compressor to keep the pressure up and filled the entire place around with butane.
Friend of mine had propane heating. He had three or four large cylinders that he had to take to town for refill once a while. He usually used only two and when they were empty he would switch the valves on gas manifold and take the empty one to refill station. One cold winter day his heating stopped quite unexpectedly. When he removed the tank he felt liquid sloshing inside and deduced that the people in refill station were cheaters and filled the tank partially with water. So he turned the tank upside down and drained the water in the snow. When the tank was empty he put it in his car, got in and started. The whole place blew up. Fortunately the car started so he drove from the flames and was not hurt but the car was pretty ugly with all the blistered paint.
Another guy I used to know complained that somebody was stealing his tulips. Interesting thing was that the tulips were disappearing from the center of the plot and there were no footprints or any damage to surrounding tulips. He tried to figure out how the thieves do that. One winter day he went to visit his garden where he had small cabin. When he wanted to boil water for coffee his propane burner wouldn't work. After removing the tank he reached the same conclusion that he got cheated and there was water in the tank. So he emptied the tank to the snow. Sometime later he took a smoke break. Lit a cigarette and threw the match on snow. The whole garden exploded and there were all the tulips flying in air. Some animal was pulling the plants under ground to store them for winter. So at the end he found out who the thieves were punished them.
There was a summer mix in both cases in the tank.
Egon
Epic Contributor
Propane vaporises at -41F The rest of you statment sounds like a lot of big words that mean nothing./QUOTE]
Are you saying that you don't know what happens when a liquid propane vapourizes??
A three gallon bucket of propane will remain liquid for about three hours on a normal summer day.:thumbsup:
Seen it done more than a few times.
JB4310
Super Member
Any other precautions I should know about propane?
I just got a fireplace log and piped propane into my house from a 100lb tank outside. A continuous 1/2" flex line thru the outside wall, across the basement ceiling and up thru the bottom of the fireplace.
I do know it's heavy and will settle into a basement or other low area, but will it dissipate or always stay volatile in that low area???
Also is there a reliable gauge for a 100 lb tank, so I have an idea when it's running low???
JB
I just got a fireplace log and piped propane into my house from a 100lb tank outside. A continuous 1/2" flex line thru the outside wall, across the basement ceiling and up thru the bottom of the fireplace.
I do know it's heavy and will settle into a basement or other low area, but will it dissipate or always stay volatile in that low area???
Also is there a reliable gauge for a 100 lb tank, so I have an idea when it's running low???
JB
Set it on a scale and after a runout you'll know what weights you will be looking to refill at.
Egon
Epic Contributor
You might also be able to tell by the frost on the tank during heavy usage. This may/may not happen.
bearcreek paul
Gold Member
Pour some hot water on the tank and feel it where it's still cold that is the propane level.
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