Can a propane tank be repurposed?

[ROUSTABOUT]

W8BYA,

All pressure vessels have a rated lifetime for a reason, to keep people safe from Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly ( thank you Elon Musk ). There is a date stamped on the side of the 20+ Lb propane cylinders and pressurized air storage tanks to prevent it from being refilled after that date and the 1 Lb bottles are built for single use/ single fill only. That is also why the connection on 20+ Lb bottles has been periodically changed to prevent the continued use of older cylinders.

HF does make a connection that would allow you to fill a 1 Lb bottle but you are playing with a hand grenade that may or may not go off. Air pressure tanks have a valve to remove ( blow off ) water that accumulates so as not to compromise the tank by causing internal pitting/ rusting. 1 Lb cylinders have no means of getting rid of water.

Here is propane vapor pressure graph ( log scale ) but I have no idea what the schrader pressure relief valve on top of the 1 Lb bottle is rated for.



View attachment 752951

Here is a possible non exploding solution

View attachment 752953

I have a propane tank I use. Last certified 1955. Came off an old camper. It still works.

 

[true temper]

My entire shop air system is plumbed with PVC and has been for 30+ years, Running 150 psi no problems in all that time, not heated or cooled, from -20 to 110 F. Of course I'm not an attorney nor have I ever consulted one, ergo it can not be done.

1" Sch 40 is rated for 450 psi working and well over 1000 psi burst, sch 80 is rated for 630 psi and even higher burst. Ratings drop as pipe diameter increases.

Well good for you!! Would you bet your children or grandchildren‘s life on that old brittle pipe. I sure wouldn’t, that being said
I have some schedule 80 1 1/4” pipe buried between building for air line, if it blows no one is hurt. Steel risers coming out of the ground.

For all we know the fellow that said make a sprayer out of pvc might be making it out of 4” DWV foam core pipe that’s not pressure rated.

The propane tanks would hold the pressure fine, if you were worried about it you could hydro test them easily. But its still a stupid idea when you can buy a proper plastic than for cheap that will work well.

 

[BravoXray]

When Dad passed a few years ago, I inherited an air tank he made out of a 20lb propane tank. I had a 10 gallon tank for inflating tires and such, so after it sat around the shop for a while, I decided to repurpose it into a couple of flower pots.
The larger one I added four legs to hold it up, the smaller one I added a couple of handles to. Painted them Kubota orange and JD yellow.

 

[Jstpssng]

I don't think you could find even one Amish farm here that doesn't have an old propane tank for storing air!

They pump them up twice a day with a small diesel engine, as they milk their cows/goats.

SR

He's not talking about an air tank, he wants something to pressurize for Roundup. Furthermore, those one pound single use tanks are just that; single use.

 

[MossRoad]

 

[BravoXray]

Gee, I've always pulled out the Schrader valve and crushed them in my press.

Never thought of making a piggy bank out of them.

 

[MAX-24-Dean]

We made bead cheaters that pop tires on the rim. Old propane bottles. 150 psi all day long.
The little bottles have a relief on them. When you fill them, it sprays out when full. So how can you over pressure that?

By putting 5.6 gallons of propane in a 5 gallon bottle, then wait for high ambient temperatures. That might do it?
And yes you can over fill a tank by not shutting off the pump when you see liquid propane coming out the bleed valve. I've watched someone do it, just to see if anything would happen.

 

[WranglerX]

Sure you can but by the time you buy adapter to tank, shut off valve, regulators and plumb it all together, you can probably buy a small "power" sprayer for less....

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

By putting 5.6 gallons of propane in a 5 gallon bottle, then wait for high ambient temperatures. That might do it?
And yes you can over fill a tank by not shutting off the pump when you see liquid propane coming out the bleed valve. I've watched someone do it, just to see if anything would happen.

I was specifically referring to the one pound bottles. They have a relief that sprays out when full. That's how you know it's full yes, the fish cooker bottles have a screw that you loosen and fill until gas comes out, then tighten. I've used butane tractors and trucks we filled from a 500 gal tank. We had a Minneapolis Moline and a John Deere 4020 that ran on vapor and a GMC truck. I know the truck was a 73 3/4 ton with 500 grand on it and still ran nice.

 

[MAX-24-Dean]

My entire shop air system is plumbed with PVC and has been for 30+ years, Running 150 psi no problems in all that time, not heated or cooled, from -20 to 110 F. Of course I'm not an attorney nor have I ever consulted one, ergo it can not be done.

1" Sch 40 is rated for 450 psi working and well over 1000 psi burst, sch 80 is rated for 630 psi and even higher burst. Ratings drop as pipe diameter increases.

Link to effects of temperature on PVC pipe. The pipe will expand when temperature rises and get brittle when it gets cold. At 110 degrees F, the PSI rating is half of marked value on pipe.

Heritage Plastics has PVC conduit, fittings, accessories

Heritage Plastics is an American manufacturer of PVC conduit, fittings, and pipe for the electrical, irrigation, municipal and plumbing markets.

www.heritageplastics.com

I would not reccomend using pvc as a pressure pipe for anything except an underground water system.
just my opinion.

Many years ago in an industrial accident we had to leave the shattered plastic shards sticking in a guy for fear that pulling them out would cause excesive bleeding. On the ambulance radio we took instructions to give plasma multiple times in route to the emergency room (closest Medical facility was a 31 mile trip). When we got to the hospital they were waiting for him and took him directly to surgery.
They used 5 pints of blood to as they removed the plastic pieces from his body.