Storage Tanks Ready.

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nrford

Minister of Fire
Feb 26, 2011
1,310
NW lower Mi.
Finish my storage tanks last weekend, not pretty but they will sprayfoamed after original, fire and drain.
 

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Looks good to me, and I think they do indeed look pretty right now :) Good luck with the rest of the installation and keep up the photos!!!
 
Is that only one single plate from the top tank to the lower tank. That top tank is going to weigh 5,000+ pounds when filled. I wonder if you need another diagnal plate one each leg. I just wouldnt want that upper tank breaking loose on you.
 
afblue said:
Is that only one single plate from the top tank to the lower tank. That top tank is going to weigh 5,000+ pounds when filled. I wonder if you need another diagnal plate one each leg. I just wouldnt want that upper tank breaking loose on you.

Looks like a piece of twelve inch channel or maybe it's H beam on each end, plus the three pipes, plus the original legs extended by flat stock. I agree with the the guy who stepped back after finishing the last weld when he said that sucka ain't going nowhere.

--ewd
 
looks nice. Looks pretty sturdy to me. Are they going in a basement ? If so how are you getting them in ?
 
oops, I didnt see the H-beams, I for some reason thought they were a shadow. Its not going anywhere, good work.
 
We kinda figured they where pretty secure also. They are going in an addition to my unattached garage. Will be running underground about 40 feet to house. I will be sprayfoaming lines in like the sticky post!
 
I would like to stack mine like that. The welding shop was uneasy about welding into my cleaned out tanks saying the metal would still contain possibly explosive material in the pores I guess. Is that possible? What precautions did u guys take? I thought may filling with dry ice or bottled CO2. I was just looking for a bracket welded to my 250 I want to mount vertical for expansion. He wanted to make something that would bolt together clamping around the tank to avoid welding. I was just going to put the 2 500 gal tanks side by side but I'm envious of yours and hate to waste space in my shed. Any words of wisdom? Guess I should find out who welds on tanks around here. What about your floors? Mine is just 4" concrete, don't think that would handle 5 tons in one spot.
 
huskers said:
I would like to stack mine like that. The welding shop was uneasy about welding into my cleaned out tanks saying the metal would still contain possibly explosive material in the pores I guess. Is that possible?
This has all been discussed more than a few times.

I had a neighbor that was injured badly welding on an old kerosene tank that had been empty for quite a few years.

The guy I bought my propane tanks from had acquired a bunch of them from someone whose employee was killed by a tank explosion where the tank had not been properly purged.


What precautions did u guys take? I thought may filling with dry ice or bottled CO2. I was just looking for a bracket welded to my 250 I want to mount vertical for expansion.
I called around to find a shop that would weld on used propane tanks, and when I dropped my tanks off to have couplings welded on I asked the proprietor what precautions needed to be taken. The guy looked at the rusted port threads and said is was obvious that the tanks had been out in the weather for a few years and that it was impossible that an explosive mixture remained. So then I asked them what he would do if he needed to and he said just move enough air through the tank to be sure it's too lean to ignite.
He wanted to make something that would bolt together clamping around the tank to avoid welding. I was just going to put the 2 500 gal tanks side by side but I'm envious of yours and hate to waste space in my shed. Any words of wisdom?
For horizontal there was a nice one posted not too long ago where they welded in 1.5" or 1.25" pipes horizontally into the ends of the tanks, one on the top and bottom of the end of each tank. The top of the bottom tank went out to a U-turn into the bottom of the top tank, and of course the system connected to the top of the top tank and the bottom of the bottom tank. All connections were on one end of the assembly where you could get at them behind a panel if you ever thought you needed to.

Having the pipes enter the tanks horizontally helps a lot when it comes to promoting stratification and preventing mixing. Also it means the tanks can set one right on top of the other with just some wood blocking in between, maybe a pair of 2x8s with a couple 6x6 chocks located by stirrups on the lower tank.
Guess I should find out who welds on tanks around here. What about your floors? Mine is just 4" concrete, don't think that would handle 5 tons in one spot.

More like no worse than 2500 pounds on each of four spots each as big as your hand. Assuming the fill was tamped half way decent I can't see a problem there.
 
If you can't find a welder, get some industrial storage racking. A 500 Gallon tank is 4000# water and <1000# steel. Industrial shelving works. There is post on this site somewhere with a setup like that. My tanks have "legs" and mating holes for the top and bottom. A bolt goes through the hole to secure them together. I was able to rack and stack using my loaded in the basement double door, then a pallet jack into position.
 
Thanks for all the advice. The tanks are in place now along a wall but not hooked up yet. I've seen the pallet rack that one of the regulars used and looks pretty good but would freak my wife out. Shed was built on ground compacted with heavy dirt equipment (sheep's foot) so I should be OK as far as double stack weight but not sure if I want to test it. I would have to cut ports into the tanks if I double stack though, so still would need someone to weld. 2 of 3 tanks had propane in them when I got last fall. I cleaned and flushed several times with bleach and lemon joy and have vented them since. I planned to build a shelf over the top to store wood and maybe other stuff as well so having them along my wall won't be a total waste. I think I will stick with plan A for cost, simplicity, & maybe safety reasons. I am still envious of NRFORD's tanks though.
 
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