# Cleaning my Propane Storage Tank



## Birdman (May 17, 2010)

This is a smelly job. I have secured a 250 gallon propane tank and I am in process of cleaning it out. There 4 places in the top that I can use as access. I am using 2 that I have unscrewed the fittings from. I have filled the tank with water. Drained it. Filled it again with bleach( gallon ) and water. Drained it. Filled again with water and bleach. The stuff that comes out is quite smelly. Also.. at the end of the drain process.. some larger debris is coming out along with rusty looking water. 

How many times should I complete this process? How do I know when my tank is clean enough to use? Is there something else I should be doing to it to clean it? 

Is this smelly stuff coming out a danger to my artesian well?


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## DaveBP (May 17, 2010)

How long are you leaving the bleach/water mix in there? I would leave it a day or two (or more). See if the smell is decomposed more. Also if it is in the sun long enough to heat up a little the warmer temperature might break it down quicker.

I have read that the mercaptans as a group bind to and decompose in soil but I still wouldn't dump anything near my well just on principle.

I never used chemicals on my tanks. They were filled with water and emptied when I got them. They still reeked. I put a PVC pipe into them and ran a breeze of air through them with a duct fan for a month in the summer sun. That got it down to tolerable. There can be some residue on the bottom of the tank that has a more potent share of the smell. If you can rinse that out it would probably help. Again, not near my well, thank you.


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## Birdman (May 17, 2010)

I am about 300 ft from my well. What is the name of the products in these tanks. Thought I might research them to find out if there are any major issues. Like if I decide to have more kids and they come out with 3 arms.. was it due to my cleaning out a propne tank


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## taxidermist (May 17, 2010)

Birdman said:
			
		

> I am about 300 ft from my well. What is the name of the products in these tanks. Thought I might research them to find out if there are any major issues. Like if I decide to have more kids and they come out with 3 arms.. was it due to my cleaning out a propne tank





http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts139.html


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## woodsmaster (May 17, 2010)

The Chemical is called Ethyl-Mercaptan. It is toxic but there shouldn't be enough to to harm much. Defiantly keep away from the well. Heard of a guy on here putting some water in the tank then rolling it around the yard by pushing it with a lawn tractor to help clean it.


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## RobC (May 17, 2010)

With the bleach soak add some Lemon Joy or Simple Green. To break up the debris can you get a pressure washer nozzle in any of the openings and agitate while filling ? Definitely let soak for a couple of days.
Rob


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## DenaliChuck (May 18, 2010)

A friend's father, a chemist, suggested that I use denatured alcohol to clean the mercaptan.  4 gallons into two 500 gallon propane tanks (2 gal ea) and drove around for a couple miles with tanks on my trailer.  Rolled the tanks off the trailer onto timbers set horizontal on blocking so the top bung pointed down.  Collected the liquid and disposed of in town hazardous chemical cleanup day.  Filled tanks with water and emptied onto ground 2x.  Smell much improved.  Figured that once full of water and pressurized, it wouldn't smell anyway.  Have since drained and refilled the tanks and the smell is quite tolerable.

I used a high temp filter and haven't worried about sediment from the tanks.  I think the filters have caught mostly floating flux (they were black) but not any sediment that I could see.


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## Piker (May 18, 2010)

I spoke with a guy who worked for a company that drills gas wells a while back.  He said there is a chemical that they use to neutralize the mercaptan... but I only spoke to him in passing, and failed to get his contact information.  I also forgot what the substance was called.  I know... not much help... but someone else might be able to find out what this stuff is.

I used Oxy-Clean in my tanks.  Worked pretty good, or so I thought.  When I tore the system down to install the Froling earlier this year, the water smelled like propane.  Luckily, though, the smell didn't stick to anything.  I was worried that whatever the water touched woud be permanently odorized... but not so.  Not a trace of odor just an hour after the spilled water was dried up.  

cheers


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## dogwood (May 19, 2010)

Try this link. http://www.vapor-tech.net/index.cfm/lev1/134/act/pd/pid/6 

This product claims to neutralize mercaptan instantly.

Mike


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## gorbull (May 21, 2010)

Would someone be kind enough to go through the step by step process to prepare a 500 gal. propane tank for storage?  What modifications need to be made and precisely what type of valves have to be added so that it's ready to go.

Thanks!


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## Gooserider (May 22, 2010)

gorbull said:
			
		

> Would someone be kind enough to go through the step by step process to prepare a 500 gal. propane tank for storage?  What modifications need to be made and precisely what type of valves have to be added so that it's ready to go.
> 
> Thanks!



There are really to many variables to be able to really do that, as it depends on the exact details of your setup, and just what fittings are already on the tank and so forth...  Some folks are able to make workable setups with just the stock tank fittings, others add several additional fittings using either "Weldolets" (SP?) or schedule 80 pipe fittings welded into the tank (get this done by a GOOD welder if you aren't one to begin with...)  

The cleaning has been pretty well covered in different threads, as have the steps to adding fittings, but the mods needed vary from setup to setup,  All I can suggest is making your plans, and posting questions on anything you can't find answers to with the search...

Gooserider


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