found a 330 gallon propane tank....$$??

[iluvribs]

First of all i want to say i paid for the two year deal to help support this site, i havent been on here for quite some time but when i was you guys taught me alot, people go on and on about the ribs, brisket and pork that you taught me how to smoke. So with that being said i wanted to help support what has helped me. I found a 330 gallon propane tank from a propane dealer (ihave searched all over ohio and surrounding states for a tank, dealers, scrapyards, craigslist..everywhere and when i do find one its anywhere from $250 to $450 so the one i found the guy says a dollar a gallon so thats $330 plus tax (ive been looking for one off and on for over a year) i found one in ky.for$250 but its a4 hour drive one way.......the one for $330 is a half hr. away. i know people get them free and some people pay scrap price and thats great, however around here they are hard to find. So if i get the 330 gallon tank, am i paying to much...what are your thoughts.......i like the 330, same diameter as a 250 but 2 feet longer.......the q you taught me to do helped convince the wife on a smôker build, so i got a green light

 

[weedeater]

Iluvribs,

Personally to me that sounds high but I am in Georgia and they tend to be more plentiful here.  I had good luck putting an add on Craig's List under the wanted section.  Try putting an add on the wanted section for a propane tank and see if you get any bites.  I put an add on a Friday and got three calls over the weekend.  I have found that you get better response if you put a number with both voice and text as an option for responses.  I think it has to do with not wanting to talk to a stranger but more willing to text with one.  Anyway just my opinion and you know what they say about opinions.  Good luck and be sure to post the build with plenty of pics. 

 

[iluvribs]

there are alot of ads on there now with people wanting tanks up here for smokers and the ones for sale are not selling i think because of what i think is a high price, the propane dealers in this area sell there scrap tanks to scrap yards ( under a contract) at scrap price which is $100 a ton so when i talk to him monday i hope to talk him down on the price other than that i really want to get one started so im getting closer to payin the price

 

[maple sticks]

I got my 250 tank in Florida for $150. They use smaller tanks in the south making them easier to find. I had lots of 500 tanks in Michigan but didn't want one that large. I can get a 500 for $250 in Michigan. They are what the are were you can find them. I can tell you from my experience 330 Gal LP tanks are much harder to come by.

 

[iluvribs]

yeah the 500 tanks are to big for me as well so im liking this 330 cause i figure i can use one end of it as a firebox to help save money on steel for building one, i seen a build on here where that was being done so for now its a waiting game to see what this guy says.The receptionist called me back today and said he had a 330 and suppose to call me monday, also he said he would pull the valves and BURN THE TANK OUT....does anyone know what he means by burning it out, i dont understand that

 

[jarjarchef]

Even after you drain the tank there is still residual propane in it. You will smell it and it can be dangerous, so if they pull the valves and burn it out, in my book that is a win. You will not have to soak and do all the pre prep work before cutting it. A much safer deal in my book......

 

[iluvribs]

I will still fill it with water for the first cut, just for my own piece of mind

 

[jarjarchef]

I will still fill it with water for the first cut, just for my own piece of mind

I would too as well....I am a bit of a chicken @#%t when it comes to big things that can go BOOM!!!!

Just the peice of mind that it has been drained and the pressure releaved properly is worth the little extra in my book.......

 

[iluvribs]

I agree, can't put a price on safety

 

[dragons breath]

We have the same problem here. I searched for over a year before finding a 300 gal. for $250 and figured it was a good deal considering my location. Other areas of the country have better deals but you have to go with where you live. Personally I wish I could find a 500 gal for half way reasonable, but no way, not yet anyway. If you have been watching Craig's list for some time then you get a feel for your area. Lots of luck and post pictures when you get her started.

 

[maple sticks]

Even after you drain the tank there is still residual propane in it. You will smell it and it can be dangerous, so if they pull the valves and burn it out, in my book that is a win. You will not have to soak and do all the pre prep work before cutting it. A much safer deal in my book......

You can't smell propane. You smell the oil they put in propane which does coat the tank somewhat. The oil itself does burn and becomes a vapor at 70* which also burns. Both propane and ethanethiol are heavier than air and will stay on the ground and in the tank if its not turned turned up side down and flushed with air.

 

[jarjarchef]

You can't smell propane. You smell the oil they put in propane which does coat the tank somewhat. The oil itself does burn and becomes a vapor at 70* which also burns. Both propane and ethanethiol are heavier than air and will stay on the ground and in the tank if its not turned turned up side down and flushed with air.

Yes, they add ethyl mercapatin to the propane to give it the "rotten egg" smell. This was due to several accidents that happened many years ago. One was a school fire that took the lives of several children. I am not aware of any being sold now days that does not have this additive in it. So you should smell some of the residual if any is left.....

Most tanks are not prepped for you to use and you have a long list of safety precautions to use to avoid the "BOOM".... Once the tank has been safely depressurized, you can remove the valves and fill with water and soak for a couple days, drain and repeat with dish soap added. Some people will leave the water in when they make the cuts and some will drain. Depends on what you are cutting with in my book. Another added safety method is to add dry ice to the partially water filled tank and allow to sit for about 20 minutes. This pushes the propane out and also creates and environment where the O2 has been removed and fire is not likely.......... so with leaving water in the tank you are removing the heat for fire and by using dry ice (CO2) you are removing the O2 for fire.......creates a much safer environment for cutting the tank.......

But this tank will be depressurized and burned out, so with him still filling with water he has created a very safe environment... I was referring to the fact that he was ahead of the game with a lot of the prep work that goes into a safe cut of a propane tank....

 

[maple sticks]

Yes, they add ethyl mercapatin to the propane to give it the "rotten egg" smell. This was due to several accidents that happened many years ago. One was a school fire that took the lives of several children. I am not aware of any being sold now days that does not have this additive in it. So you should smell some of the residual if any is left.....

Most tanks are not prepped for you to use and you have a long list of safety precautions to use to avoid the "BOOM".... Once the tank has been safely depressurized, you can remove the valves and fill with water and soak for a couple days, drain and repeat with dish soap added. Some people will leave the water in when they make the cuts and some will drain. Depends on what you are cutting with in my book. Another added safety method is to add dry ice to the partially water filled tank and allow to sit for about 20 minutes. This pushes the propane out and also creates and environment where the O2 has been removed and fire is not likely.......... so with leaving water in the tank you are removing the heat for fire and by using dry ice (CO2) you are removing the O2 for fire.......creates a much safer environment for cutting the tank.......

But this tank will be depressurized and burned out, so with him still filling with water he has created a very safe environment... I was referring to the fact that he was ahead of the game with a lot of the prep work that goes into a safe cut of a propane tank....

Just because you can smell the "rotten eggs" it does not mean LP is still in the tank is all I was trying to say.

My (long list of safety precautions to use to avoid the "BOOM") was to turn the tank up-side down remove all plugs and flush with air in a well vented area on a nice warm day. Which meant I did not have 500 gal. of water to dispose of. And I'm not saying people should do it that way. The smell was still there when I cut the tank open.

 

[jwsimpleville]

If they weren't selling, supply and demand says the price will eventually drop. I went with the posting an AD in the wanted section of my local Craigslist. When I got a response stating they had a 250gal tank they werent sure how much to sell it for and asked me to make an offer. So I tried to stay with what I thoight would be fair and offered him $150 and was just clear that I had a budget to stick to. He accepted and I picked up a tank with 40gal of LP still in the tank. When I saw that I requested that he empty the LP before I made the 60+ mile journey back home, I felt safe enough with him doing it as he was the local volunteer fire chief and had two fire trucks in his driveway.
Whenever most people post an ad on craigslist they're sometimes overpriced intentionally so if someone offers less than the asking price, it's closer to what they wanted in the first place.
All that to say it never hurts to lowball and see if they take it, or they can counter your offer. Either way you can't ever end with less than you started with unless you find what you feel to be an acceptable deal.

 

[iluvribs]

The lady from the propane company called me today and said it would be the first week of April before the service guy could prep the tank and get it ready, im working out of town right now but im off on fridays ( i work 4 10hr days) so friday im going over there to look at the tank and talk about the price.....bottom line is they can do all the prep they want and thats great and the tank can smell like roses lol, im still filling it with water and dawn

 

[iluvribs]

I'll get a pic of the tank friday