Large propane tank purging

[6bg6ga]

So my question is, would the tank stand to be evacuated to deep vacuum, would it implode or collapse with a deep vacuum like that.

Absolutely would not implode or collapse. It was meant to take pressure so if it will take pressure it will also take vacuum.

[Hossfly]

Held vacuum very well. Pulled vacuum for 48 hrs. To make sure all moisture was gone, then put positive pressure with propane gas to 15# psi and let sit for several weeks, still held tight. Drug it with my tractor to final spot, cleaned and painted. Called for gas, installed 600 gal at $1.47 per and new regulator. Worked good all heating season, waiting to get all liquid out, then all pressure so can fix liquid withdrawal valve that leaks slightly, but is blocked in for now. Won’t take long tho cause we still got some cold nights ahead.

[lightman]

I was looking for a 20# propane bottle for a member, Tazlaw, and rode down to the river where all of the flooding was last spring. I didn't find Tazlaw a bottle but there are several 250 and 500 size tanks laying in the woods, having broken loose from their attachments and floated away. My buddy, that owns a lot of that property has offered them to me. I was thinking about cutting the end out of one of the 250's and making a smelting pot.

I thought the propane companies owned them but apparently they don't want them bad enough to come after them.

[Hossfly]

Lightman i thing the head thickness on those tanks are about .230’’ thick a little thinner than the shell thickness, would indeed make for a large melting pot. You would need a lot of burner under it, and a good support to hold it up tho.

[drac0nic]

I was looking for a 20# propane bottle for a member, Tazlaw, and rode down to the river where all of the flooding was last spring. I didn't find Tazlaw a bottle but there are several 250 and 500 size tanks laying in the woods, having broken loose from their attachments and floated away. My buddy, that owns a lot of that property has offered them to me. I was thinking about cutting the end out of one of the 250's and making a smelting pot.

I thought the propane companies owned them but apparently they don't want them bad enough to come after them.

Some of them are customer owned some of them are owned by their respective companies. Usually labelled accordingly. A lot of companies won't fill another company's tank.

[lightman]

Lightman i thing the head thickness on those tanks are about .230’’ thick a little thinner than the shell thickness, would indeed make for a large melting pot. You would need a lot of burner under it, and a good support to hold it up tho.

I doubt that I will do anything. Anyway you look at it I'm closer to the end of my casting career than I am to the beginning of it. But then again, if any of them had propane in them it might be nice to have a larger tank around the shop.

A buddy has a Crawfish pot made from the end of a 500 gallon tank. It uses a huge star burner from a carwash water heater. Its a heck of a set up!

[dg31872]

Just as a base line to gauge how much the propane guy is profiting, we got a 8,000 gallon load of propane last night for 65 cents per gallon. That is delivered to my tank.

[Markopolo]

yikes!!!!! .65 a gallon???? propane here is nearly 4 bucks a gallon!!!! must be an alaskan thing...

[Froogal]

Around here, the propane companies will NOT fill any tank unless they have inspected it, and approved it themselves. One company will NOT fill any tank that they do not own.

[Hossfly]

I was looking for a 20# propane bottle for a member, Tazlaw, and rode down to the river where all of the flooding was last spring. I didn't find Tazlaw a bottle but there are several 250 and 500 size tanks laying in the woods, having broken loose from their attachments and floated away. My buddy, that owns a lot of that property has offered them to me. I was thinking about cutting the end out of one of the 250's and making a smelting pot.

I thought the propane companies owned them but apparently they don't want them bad enough to come after them.

I’ve seen some around here that were old, they almost were giving away for scrap. Thing is if they have a readable serial # they’re good to fill with an inspection of $50, I’ve got an old 150 tank dated 1962 and they fill with no problem. DOT small cyl need testing at 5 years. The Freon 30-50# cyl also make good melting pots, if you got a friend in A/C business they get lots to get rid of and wont blow up with sparks, just be upwind when you cut them.

[lightman]

I have a nice smelting pot. Its just that seeing those tanks laying around got the building part of me stirred up! The pot that I have used for years was the valve cover from a high pressure rail road tank car. Kind of like the valve cover on a bulk propane tank except that its 3/8 inch thick. It will hold close to 400 pounds.

A lot of guys build smokers from those bulk tanks.

[EDG]

Well you never can tell.
Myth busters pulled a vacuum on a railroad tank car and it held up.
Then they dropped something on it with a crane and the tank imploded.

So my question is, would the tank stand to be evacuated to deep vacuum, would it implode or collapse with a deep vacuum like that.

Absolutely would not implode or collapse. It was meant to take pressure so if it will take pressure it will also take vacuum.