Painting Propane Tank ????

[fordy]

................My 500 gallon propane tank needs to be painted . So , tuesday pm I acid washed it with some 4% phosphoric acid from HD . Wednesday pm it has a chalky looking white paste like substance on the metal so I used my squirt nozzle to wash it down in preparation to be painted . Thursday pm it still has this chalky substance but less since I washed it down on wednesday . Can someone tell me if it is OK to paint over this white looking substance with oil based Rusteloum metal paint ? Thanks , fordy...

[Jim-mi]

Can't give ya a good answer on that, but keep us posted on what happens. I've got two 500gal tanks that I want to use Rust-oleum on.
Time for an old fashioned wire brush ... ?

[Randy Rooster]

Hate to say it, but it would probably be best to scrub it all down good with a heavy duty scotch brite pad before painting. Or light sandpaper. I always threatened to paint mine camoflaged so it wasnt such an eye sore, but never have.

[wy_white_wolf]

Originally Posted by Randy Rooster

...I always threatened to paint mine camoflaged so it wasnt such an eye sore, but never have.

You may want to check with the propane company first. A friend of mine painted his to match the house. They refused to fill it until it was repainted white. Something about they wanted them to stick-out so the firemen could spot them quickly in an emergency. May have only been a local thing though.

[MorrisonCorner]

NO, not a local thing... they want it to stand out AND something about white reflecting heat and darker colors absorbing it, making the tank, under the right conditions, dangerously unstable. Friend of mine is in the business.

He also told me if the tank needed repainting that they'd take care of it, not to touch the tank.

[diane]

"He also told me if the tank needed repainting that they'd take care of it, not to touch the tank."

That's interesting because Amerigas won't paint mine. When they set it 15 years ago they said they would be out to paint it and it still hasn't happened. Last year I finally just got sick of how it looked because we cut down some dying shrubs that previously has kept me from seeing it from the house so I called them yet again and got a bit demanding. I was told that if I wanted it painted that I would have to paint it.......but they would provide the paint.....which they did. Wire brush and then brush on the white paint they provided. I was thinking about painting pretty flowers on the white......maybe not???

[fordy]

..................thanks for all the replies . I guess I'll call the propane company tomorrow since they close at 5 pm. There is alot surface area on one of these 500 gallon tanks but I'll try wire brushing a test area and see how it goes . I purchased this tank used almost 12 years previous prior to my moving out here simply because I couldn't see paying rent on something that would be here in perpatuity(sp) . thanks , fordy...

[Windy in Kansas]

Was the acid wash you used labeled as a rust preventor?

I got ahold of some rust preventor and it was latex based and left a milky film, which of course was latex. Supposed to be fine to paint over but I removed it and went with a different product.

Propane tanks build a lot of pressure from the boiling liquid during the summer. The lighter the tank color the less pressure they build. White or aluminum color is better than any darker non reflective color.

[fordy]

Originally Posted by Windy in Kansas

Was the acid wash you used labeled as a rust preventor?

I got ahold of some rust preventor and it was latex based and left a milky film, which of course was latex. Supposed to be fine to paint over but I removed it and went with a different product.

Propane tanks build a lot of pressure from the boiling liquid during the summer. The lighter the tank color the less pressure they build. White or aluminum color is better than any darker non reflective color.

..............Well , I just read the label and this is posphoric acid . So I'll give the tank one more squirt bath , let dry and paint on Saturday I suppose . fordy...

[MorrisonCorner]

Originally Posted by diane

"He also told me if the tank needed repainting that they'd take care of it, not to touch the tank."

That's interesting because Amerigas won't paint mine. When they set it 15 years ago they said they would be out to paint it and it still hasn't happened. Last year I finally just got sick of how it looked because we cut down some dying shrubs that previously has kept me from seeing it from the house so I called them yet again and got a bit demanding. I was told that if I wanted it painted that I would have to paint it.......but they would provide the paint.....which they did. Wire brush and then brush on the white paint they provided. I was thinking about painting pretty flowers on the white......maybe not???

Maybe not.. I don't remember the exact conversation, but here in New England it isn't uncommon for someone to get funny and paint their tank like a holstein cow. If there is a certain percentage of black to white the tank has to be replaced.

I mean, if you think about it... have you ever seen a tank delivered that is anything but white or silver? If it were safe to paint the things I assume lots of people would paint them to match the house, or otherwise blend. A honking white tank is just ugly when you could paint it a more blending green or something. But it is white for safety reasons.

[fordy]

................Well , I'm gonna be the Lone Ranger and....."Hi Ho , Silver" ....on my propane Tankera.....No black as it makes the tank much too hot . fordy...

[Jim-mi]

One of the local propane suppliers has all their tanks a forest green color, another uses a light gray, another a lite tan, another--white. I own my tanks , so I can choose the color and I think I'll stick with the lite gray---what ever that RusT-oleum has

Fusua ... ?---Shocking Pink ... ?..........................nahh

[Christiaan]

My tank is a lovely pale grass green, just the way the propane company delivered it. Now if the cows would leave the plastic caps on the release valves .............

[woodspirit]

Propane tanks have a safety built in that only allows the tanks to be filled to eighty per cent capacity. Painting tanks anything but a light color will cause the propane to heat up and expand which can cause the overflow valve to allow propane gas to escape. It would look like alot of steam and that vapor cloud is highly flamable. Propane boils at 44 degrees below zero. The liquid propane in the tank boils and the gas (vapor) is drawn off the top of the tank. A two story building was blown down by a 1lb camping canister that leaked inside the building in LA County quite a few years ago. The largest conventional bomb that the US Air Force has in its arsenal is a propane bomb.

[Quint]

My propane company paints mine. Did it last year. I didn't even think it needed it but they seen a rust speck or two so they came in and sanded and re-shot the whole thing I guess.

Originally Posted by woodspirit

The largest conventional bomb that the US Air Force has in its arsenal is a propane bomb.

Minor quibble, as far as I know the USAF has never used propane as an explosive. The current large air delivered weapon the GBU-43/B MOAB (Massive Ordnance Air Blast) or "Mother Of All Bombs" uses H6 which is RDX, TNT and Aluminum if I remember right. Weighs something like 20,000 pounds. Warhead is something like 18,000 I think. The older BLU-82 Commando Vault "Daisy Cutter" which is something like 15,000 pounds used a simple aluminized ANFO slurry which is basically what your local quarry uses.

[Windy in Kansas]

woodspirit, you're wrong on tanks having an 80% fill shut off. That is unless the newer tanks have them. Granted bottles do, but not tanks.

I used to haul LPG and have filled a number of tank 100% full on purpose. These tanks were in oilfileds and fueled pumping engines that burned tremendous amounts of fuel. The pumping engines consumption rapidly created expansion space within the tank. Dangerous and probably illegal, probably, and I'd not do it again.

[fordy]

............UPDATE......Ok guys , I just finished painting my 500 gallon tank with Rusteolum , Aluminum oil base paint . It took me alittle LESS than 2 qts and i put it on purty thick . Now , before I started , I took a rake and cleaned out from UNDER the bottom of the tank so the roller would roll all the way under the tank . And , prior too the rake , I used my weedeater to trim away ALL the grass that normally grows around the Perimeter of the tank . The actual painting didn't take 30 minutes so the whole job went pretty fast . Also , I used a roller with a 1\2 inch nap which will hold a considerable volume of paint.
............Also , IF you use Rusteolum , BE SURE and have the store guy put the paint can on the Shaker for about 5 minutes!!!! I had to hand MIX my paint as alot of the coloring or mixture had setteled TOO the Bottom of the can . If you have already Acid washed your tank the painting is a very easy job with a roller and a handle extension . fordy...

[Maggiemoo]

I've seen them painted like pigs!! Too cute!!

[bugstabber]

I've seen a couple painted like watermelons, a pig, and one with a smily face on the end.