I'll be finishing up my 500 gallon pressurized propane tank storage soon. The tank and boiler are in my heated basement. I'll probably box in the tank some day. What should I use to insulate now? Hopefully some product that Lowes or Home Depot carries.
Insulating Propane tank
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Propane tanks that hold actual propane belong outdoors. Propane tanks for hot water storage belong in "The Boiler Room".
Chris
Chris
I'd be surprised if you can get anyone willing to fill it. Most jurisdictions require a minimum setback from your residence in case of fire and/or explosion. Fortunately, tanks don't fail often, but it can happen.
OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhh now i see your using a propane tank for water storage (DUH ME). I would get some R30 and wrap it best you can for now then when you box it in you can use the insulation there. The best thing to use would be expanding foam 2 part stuff like this 
> www.tigerfoam.com
> www.tigerfoam.com
I don't know - I would tend to stick with something that could be pulled off easily for inspection. The last thing you'd want is a small leak leading to soaked insulation and corrosion through the tank.
I'm curious as to why the pressurization? It seems like low psi would be more of a hassle than any real boost to storage capacity by having hotter water. But using high enough pressure to give a significant boost in the energy storage would be exceedingly dangerous. A 500 gallon propane tank of water at anything > 212F is basically a giant steam bomb that would level your house if it were to explode for any reason.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmJoyuUJj2Q
I'm curious as to why the pressurization? It seems like low psi would be more of a hassle than any real boost to storage capacity by having hotter water. But using high enough pressure to give a significant boost in the energy storage would be exceedingly dangerous. A 500 gallon propane tank of water at anything > 212F is basically a giant steam bomb that would level your house if it were to explode for any reason.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmJoyuUJj2Q
1. I'm moving this to the "Boiler Room" as it seems a better fit there.
2. For those wondering about using pressurized storage - many boiler systems run at relatively low pressure for various reasons - we are talking about the same pressure as you are likely to find in your car cooling system, essentially what you'd get just from water expansion... There are arguments about pressurizing vs. not pressurizing storage when using it with a pressurized hydronic system. Pressurized storage is slightly more efficient since it avoids the use of a heat exchanger and possibly keeps the plumbing simpler, avoids extra pumps, etc; but tends to be harder / more expensive to build. Non-pressurized is cheaper to build, but usually requires a heat exchanger setup (efficiency losses) and possibly more pumps and complex plumbing to set up. It's a tradeoff that can be pushed either way...
Gooserider
2. For those wondering about using pressurized storage - many boiler systems run at relatively low pressure for various reasons - we are talking about the same pressure as you are likely to find in your car cooling system, essentially what you'd get just from water expansion... There are arguments about pressurizing vs. not pressurizing storage when using it with a pressurized hydronic system. Pressurized storage is slightly more efficient since it avoids the use of a heat exchanger and possibly keeps the plumbing simpler, avoids extra pumps, etc; but tends to be harder / more expensive to build. Non-pressurized is cheaper to build, but usually requires a heat exchanger setup (efficiency losses) and possibly more pumps and complex plumbing to set up. It's a tradeoff that can be pushed either way...
Gooserider
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