propane tank smelter question

[a.squibload]

Basically make sure there is NO propane left in it.
Lots of tips above & in other threads.
The short version (a series of steps, just one step
Will NOT make the tank safe for cutting):
((Disclaimer: if you do it wrong and blow your head off
don't come yelling at me!))

Open valve, point valve downward & let all the gas out.
Carefully remove valve without making a spark.
Leave tank in direct sunlight for a week OR
Put it on some firewood THEN light the fire (with
a 10 ft match).
Fill tank with water and cut it. Optionally you might
remove the water before cutting, I left it in 'cause
I'm no expert!

Another option before removing valve (as improper
valve removal could make subsequent steps unnecessary)
is to shoot a couple holes in the top part of the tank.

Huh, I COULD be a technical writer after all!

[Oreo]

Don't listen to that guy. Whole bunch of bad advice in his post.

** All these steps should be performed away from any possible source of ignition. No waiting is necessary for the process outlined below. Just do each step in order one after the other.

1. Start with an empty tank, or use up the remaining pressure on your gas grill.
2. Disconnect tank from gas grill & open valve on tank all the way.
3. remove valve from tank.
4. Fill tank to the top with water.
(The tank is now free of combustibles. You can light up a fine cigar safely.)
5. Drain water.
6. Cut tank open.

[jblee10]

finishman2000, I like your burner!

[MT Gianni]

Mer-captan is a liquid that is highly flammable. It is added to LP and Natural gas a a rate much smaller than one drop from an eyedropper per 20 lb tank. It will stay in the pores of the steel tank and smell for quite a while. If the tank has been purged with either water or an inert gas, think exhaust, it is fine to cut. Burning one in a fire may reduce the temper of the steel as you are not controlling the temps as when you smelt. I am not predicting that the bottom will fall out just that the temper might change to softer.

[finishman2000]

finishman2000, I like your burner!

i used it for the first time yesterday.....475lbs of wheel weights in 3 hours!

[DukeInFlorida]

Remove the valve, turn the tank upside down for one day. PURGED!

It will still "smell" like propane, but that is the organic chemical that they use to make orderless propane smell so you could otherwise detect a leak. That chemical smell is stuck to the insides, but poses no danger. It would burn off the first time you use the smelter.

One day with no valve, upside down, and it;s purged. No need to add water, etc....

How do you properly purge one?

[Coffeecup]

You know, all safety concerns aside, a guy would be feeling pretty dumb right now if he had been seeking a replacement for the lead pot on his plumbers furnace, and for more than a year had been storing the furnace in the same shed as several old-style propane tanks.

I'm not admitting anything, I'm just sayin' . . .

[a.squibload]

Most of my "bad advice" (???) was gleaned from reading here,
including anecdotal evidence that propane tanks can explode
if misandled. Figured it's better to cover all the bases than to
let a guy start cutting away with gas present!

Didn't consider the annealing effect of a really hot fire, assumed
a fire only big enough to heat up the tank. Again, from someone
else's experience.

There was a guy near here, experienced welder, got killed while working
inside a tank of some kind, it blew up. Safety first couldn't hurt...

[Oreo]

You have to be careful getting advice on the internet. Lots of bad advice on the internet gets passed around by a lot of people as fact. This site is no exception.

[a.squibload]

I still don't see what was bad about it?