thermal storage pressurized tank prices

jpelizza said:

ahona be all set up to connect

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Plus aren't they ASME?

jpelizza said:

Yup I think so.

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gates salvage, previously mentioned, has all sizes of used propane tanks as well as some other odd ball stuff-stainless steel reaction vessels, etc, for propane tanks they charge scrap prices so 500gal tank weighs about ~800#@ $0.30/lb= about $250-they sold me 2 500gal tanks for $500 and loaded them for me, but then you have get your fittings welded up, my guy charged me $65 but I had all the holes cut and threadolets lined up for him so if you can find some other tanks with fittings that work you might come out ahead, cruising ebay/craigslist might pay off, I bought my boiler from tarm but those ASME 300 gal tanks @$10/gal were a little too dear for me

I'll be interested in how you move the two 500 gallon tanks into the basement and then assemble them since I'm planning on doing the same.
I measured the opening in the concrete where the 36" door is and it seems to be 41", which may or may not be enough for a 1000 gallon tank. I have no idea how to drag them in. I mean, I have ideas, but not sure if they'd work.

I've seen someone here move it on dollys-easy to move once on concrete floor.

The tanks are out there. Have your truck and trailer ready with the cash saved up. many times you get extra pieces with a tank previously used. Hard to find in my area so if I find them in my travels I bring them home for others and cover my commuting expense. works well for everyone. scrap is $0.50 a gallon, a clean decommissioned tank is $1 a gallon, a tank with ports welded in place $1.50 to $2.50 a gallon. a tank set up and pressure checked with extras that fits your needs priceless. 500 gallon tank fits in a 8' bed easy with gate down feet are in bed. 1000 gallon better on a flat trailer. The tanks are bulky but you rig them correctly with a sling and a comealong they move easy. casters placed on the feet of tank they roll right onto the concrete coming down the planks on the bulkhead stairs. The Ahona tanks are good looking tanks worth the money when you figure in your time. I would think they would be turnkey. One advantage with the tanks that are sold out of Maine is that they can be moved easy if you ever sell. Real estate agents like to have the wood boilers removed before listing. When I studied residential energy back in 88 the tanks where always the costly part of the thermal storage equation. now we have a few more options and even more insulation options.
if you buy a used tank for an inside installation I recommend making sure the original spec plate is still on the tank.

www.americansolartechnics.com

Flying cow has one he may speak to his experiences. I have researched the liner material he uses and it is more suited for higher heat than the hpdm liners from yester years. when I researched the Econoburn I recall that antifreeze was a recommendation so in my mind one would use less antifreeze and also have no need for expansion tanks.

If I did it again(I'm sure I'm not the first person that thinks like this)I'd give the Ahona tanks serious consideration, as mentioned above they could be turnkey and save a lot of time/labor/etc.The 500 gallon tanks are around 37-38"diameter so a regular 36" door might not be a go. The smart person that built my house(not me)put a 42" door in the basement bulk head so they went in easily, and as NE points out above, if you rig them carefully a come along will suffice, but a FEL or backhoe can make things easier. I stacked my 500gal tanks with a HF engine hoist and some rachet straps, it was a tight squeeze. There's some other threads here with pictures with various installs, worth a look.

I'll be looking for those threads! Hmmmm, come along, rollers, dollies,engine hoist. Not so sure if I can get the other equipment, but where's there's a will, there's a way. I'll probably have to take out the entire door, but I wanted to replace that anyway!

velvetfoot said:

I'll be looking for those threads! Hmmmm, come along, rollers, dollies,engine hoist. Not so sure if I can get the other equipment, but where's there's a will, there's a way. I'll probably have to take out the entire door, but I wanted to replace that anyway!

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If it helps you out, I have a spare 1000 gal anhydrous tank available. Upstate NY as well, Wash Co.

Dirtyrottenoldwood said:

If it helps you out, I have a spare 1000 gal anhydrous tank available. Upstate NY as well, Wash Co.

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I saw a couple of tanks on trailers on Albany Craigs List a while ago. Maybe you got them? I thought about it, but realistically I didn't think I could do it. They say that ammonia tanks are quite clean. I think I'm going to go with the AHONA. A fair amount of money but the tank'll be ready to go and they'll deliver. The diameter should just be right, hopefully. I've got no equipment, welding skills, etc.

Thanks very much for the offer. I'm sure somebody would have a use for it.

velvetfoot said:

I saw a couple of tanks on trailers on Albany Craigs List a while ago. Maybe you got them? I thought about it, but realistically I didn't think I could do it. They say that ammonia tanks are quite clean. I think I'm going to go with the AHONA. A fair amount of money but the tank'll be ready to go and they'll deliver. The diameter should just be right, hopefully. I've got no equipment, welding skills, etc.

Thanks very much for the offer. I'm sure somebody would have a use for it.

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No it wasn't me who got those, I had this for a project that didn't work out. Measured it today and its 42 inches wide..It does have 1 1/4 ports (3) and one as a drain , plus a 3/4 incher.

What poppeldungeon1 said above..... When it was all said and done and all my time with the welder... etc... if AHONA had been closer to me that would have been the way to go.

Oh... looks like above you decided that. AHONA's tanks are a good deal if you don't have to pay shipping. In fact if I had to do it again, I'd just take my truck and trailer and go buy from him. My drive time would be less than all the time I spent running around, fetching parts, instructing welders, and dealing with getting propane tanks safe for the welder.

Good decision.

It's no small job to retro propane tanks, cleaning can't be a lot of fun...

I think ammonia tanks are better.

As for getting them in, if in doubt, call riggers. They have the equipment, and more importantly the knowledge, to move heavy stuff safely. Beats the heck out of getting hurt, and often surprisingly affordable if you can be a little flexible.

Hydronics said:

It's no small job to retro propane tanks, cleaning can't be a lot of fun...

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I just left mine open for a few weeks,then pressure washed the inside after the welding was done.There wasn't much dirt inside,and the smell was gone after the wash.
Thomas

velvetfoot said:

I'll be looking for those threads! Hmmmm, come along, rollers, dollies,engine hoist. Not so sure if I can get the other equipment, but where's there's a will, there's a way. I'll probably have to take out the entire door, but I wanted to replace that anyway!

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There are some photos of how I moved my tanks in this thread:

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/one-mans-eko-40-illustrated-story-start-to-finish.29042/

Good luck!

Thanks. Nothing's going to happen til the snow is gone and the ground dries out, but that might be sooner than later. It is after all, the middle of March.

Stee, is there a central thread for installs, with pictures? I haven't been following the Boiler Room threads that closely over the years and it's hard to find stuff just with the search function.

Just read your install thread. Great thread. I wish everything was as close together as yours, but I'm gonna have to put my storage on the other side of the basement. It also considerably more $ for the stacked 500s.

salecker said:

I just left mine open for a few weeks,then pressure washed the inside after the welding was done.There wasn't much dirt inside,and the smell was gone after the wash.
Thomas

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Me too. Two things I did do that I think I determined later were unnecessary were washing & painting them. Mine turned out to be pretty clean from the get-go, others might not have the same luck.

Getting fittings in them cost a couple hundred & a half hour drive each way to the welder.

Plus him coming to me to fix up a couple cast fitting leaks but that didn't cost me anything.

If I had had ready-made tanks close to me that I could have bought & just rolled right in & started plumbing, I certainly would have considered that. But I didn't. And, if you have a tight space you want to custom fit certain sized tanks into (also the case for me), the semi-DIY way might be the only way to go.

On installs velvetfoot, my install thread is also in my sig, if you haven't seen it yet. Speaking of things close together.

I have decided to add storage this year and have been diligently searching for tanks. I found a source for 1000 gallon anhydrous ammonia tanks in Middleport,N.Y .(upstate western ny) The place is a farm feed mill and they have about (20) 1000 gallon tanks for 1000 bucks apiece . I talked with the owner of the place and he said farmers have been buying their own new tanks of late and he hasn't been renting these out much anymore, so they are all for sale. I drove up to the place yesterday and checked out all the tanks and there is a good selection to choose from. Some are tanks alone while others are on dedicated trailers and he said they are all 1000 bucks with or without the trailer. If interested drop me an email and I will give details. Bruce