I want my own 100 gallon propane tank.

[clare]

It is not just moving AIR. HOT AIR helps - and so does CARBON DIOXIDE. So you want an engine that is running hot and efficient - Carbon MONOXIDE is NOT what you want in the tank, as it can still burn. When I need to weld a fuel tank or oil pan or similar device I fill the container with CARBON DIOXIDE from a fire extinguisher. Dry Ice can also be used. Carbon Dioxide is heavier than air so will displace any oxygen in the container - it will not support combustion, and it will not absorb great amounts of heat, making sldering/brazing/welding difficult. As long as the repair site is below the level of the CO2, the repair is safe. NEVER weld or braze on the TOP of the container because it is POSSIBLE there is trapped air/fuel in a pocket at the top. With CO2 leaking out of the repair site there is no chance of fuel-gas fronm the torch getting into the tank unburned and "going off" as some bozo in a former thread on this subject suggested as the cause of a possible explosion.

[Steve B]

CO2 would be common to any welder's shop.

Steve

[willshak]

[e-mail] wrote the following:

Here's what some 'experts' say about preparations for welding on a gas tank.

1. Pour water and detergent mix into the so-called empty tank. Slosh it around to wash all inside surfaces.
2. pour out the water detergent mix and whatever liquid gas was left.
3. Rinse the tank with water.
4. Turn the tank with the opening up and pour some dry ice into the tank. Dry ice skips the liquid stage and goes from a solid to carbon dioxide gas. Dry Ice will continue to produce CO2 until it evaporates, unlike using straight CO2. Carbon dioxide fumes will fill the tank, pushing up and out any fumes suspended in the tank. Additionally, CO2 will not support ignition. That's why they put it in fire extinquishers.
5. Weld to your hearts content.

[Robert Green]

Rubbernecking. It's why in many areas they have erected fences in the median to keep people from slowing down (and thus getting rear-ended) to look at an accident on the other side of the road. I remember once when I was a photojournalist an arson investigator said that the arsonist always hangs around to see his handiwork. So I started taking pictures of the crowd. The number of people standing around (even dangerous scenes) with their mouths wide open, looking stupefied amazed me. People are drawn to disasters like moths to a flame and often meet the same fate.

It wouldn't have mattered. People still went to the Reno air show where 9 died after we had a number of air show accidents in a row. The "it can't happen to me" syndrome is a very powerful one, as the Youtube video demonstrates. People react very oddly to danger. Probably the most gruesome example I can think of was a film of people walking out into a bay drained of water by a tidal wave. I used to think they were idiots that were unaware that some tidal waves drain some areas BEFORE a huge rebound but I now think they knew but were irresistibly drawn to the strangeness of the situation. And they died a pretty horrible death.

-- Bobby G.

*ENGLISH, GLENN H., JR. Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company E, 3d Battalion, ~03 Infantry, 173d Airborne Brigade. Place and date: Phu My District, Republic of Vietnam, 7 September 1970. Entered service at: Philadelphia, Pa. Born: 23 April 1940, Altoona, Pa. Paying no heed to warnings that the ammunition and fuel in a burning personnel carrier might explode at any moment, S/Sgt. English raced to the vehicle and climbed inside to rescue his wounded comrades. As he was lifting 1 of the men to safety, the vehicle exploded, mortally wounding him.

[chaniarts]

yep. i own my own 500g tank and shop around when i need my yearly fill. there are 5 large propane suppliers who deliver to my area, and their prices can vary by $1/gallon between high and low. they all require an inspection before the first delivery.