how to cut up a metal water tank?

[george (dicegeorge)]

how to cut up a metal water tank? so i can get it out of the attic without creating sparks and burning the house down!

I have an anglegrinder...

[g

[Vortex2]

Sounds like a good excuse to buy a "sabre saw" or put one on your pressy list..

're the dogs'.

[Tim S]

george (dicegeorge) coughed up some electrons that declared:

I'd use a jigsaw with an HSS blade.

Cheers

Tim

[Vortex2]

...and don't forget ear defenders.

[Andrew Gabriel]

Why do you want to? Many lofts have an old steel water tank just pushed out of the way.

[george (dicegeorge)]

I have one from aldi, cost about £20, so i could use that until it melts?

[Onetap]

Black & Decker jigsaw did for mine. Not an angle grinder job, sparks everywhere.

BTW, the collective noun for a group of electricians is a shower of sparks.

[matthew.larkin]

FOr some reason I've got 3 in my loft!

Wouldn't using anything electric create quite a lot of heat and shards of hot metal?

Matt

[Roger Mills]

Not if you keep it full of water while cutting it up.

[Andy Dingley]

Cutting disk is great if it's outdoors, but not if it's still in situ (spark hazard) - use a reciprocating saw instead. I'd go for a "sabre saw" size rather than a jigsaw, as a cheap sabre saw is useful for firewood too, a cheap jigsaw no use for anything - especially not after this sort of work.

If it's a _large_ attic, a hefty (6lb-ish) axe works pretty well. Quicker and quieter too. You don't necessarily need to cut it up, just fold it into a flat package to fit through the hatch.

If it's a slate tank, take it apart _very_ carefully and sell the panels.

[Merryterry]

Nah. Leave it up there. Its warm and dry and shouldnt cause a problem. Why do you want to take it away?

[mail]

Seconded chris

[Adrian C]

If the walls are thin you could get a way with a Nibbler and a hacksaw for the thicker parts.

[nightjar]

body into manageable pieces with a power nibbler.

Colin Bignell

[Kevin Poole]

That served him right for parking across your drive.

Air nibblers, even cheap ones, are useful tools. Electric seem disproportionately expensive for occasional use. I've had quite a lot of use from an anonymous cheapo sabre saw off ebay - great for insulated roof sheets if you can find a long enough, fine blade.

[Ed Sirett]

1) Try to not do this work. The old tank can wait in the loft until the loft is converted. At that stage there may even be a crane to install steel beams so getting the tank out with the roof off is easier. 2) Assuming that the tank must be removed in situ. (In the block of houses where I live this was the case for every house as the tank was in a cupboard over the stairs.

A) Power reciprocating saw with metal cutting blade, Green Bosch c. £99. saw must be pushed hard against tank, needs clearance so if tank is in a small cupboard you'll need other tools. Very noisy.

B) Angle grinder with metal cutting discs. Fire hazard from sparks. Noisy and dirty.

[newshound]

Key question, is it galvanised steel (normally rectangular) or copper (normally cylindrical). Copper is thinner, softer. Will cut with a big shears once you make an opening. Relatively easy to flatten, apart from the domed ends. May be full of scale at the bottom. For steel, sabre saw and ear defenders. Copper should have some scrap value.