I live in Brazil, I am a gas engineer with 20 years of experience, and I think it is very dangerous to introduce air into a propane tank for inerting, in my opinion it is safer to do it with water. By putting air in you can make an explosive mixture inside the tank.

Great idea on the strap! Smaller stuff I use the tape to wrap

Genius! I've done the water method and it does get messy. Love the shape of that one.

@kylebiederman5543

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the comment. Hope I shared a few things that will help in your projects.

@rodrickdansby5780

2 жыл бұрын

With the water method. How long can you let the water set in there before its safe to cut on it

Gracias por tu video muy bueno, saludos desde Mexico

I could smell the odorant as soon as you started the vacuum ; ) . And I thought Emeril was the only celebrity with Smell-a-Vision! Good information.

@kylebiederman5543

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the comment! It definitely stinks, but it good for social distancing :)

That's a very nice plasma cutter you've got there! But be safe my friend. Some while ago a chap near us was cutting a 50 gallon barrel in half. He was killed and his mate lost his arms, they still don't know if it was properly vented or maybe he accidentally filled it with acetylene. After venting these things the last thing you want to do is refill with an explosive mixture. A good shop vacuum is a really good idea.

@kylebiederman5543

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you. A good reminder to always be careful and not get complacent!

Nice work Kyle! That sure beats the water method.

@kylebiederman5543

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Andy, it is a safe, effective method!

@rksg2003

5 ай бұрын

@@kylebiederman5543 Kyle is this method what they call the blow down method? By the way thanks for the how to..

What are the odds of having any gas in a tank that has been open for 8 years or more. All valves have been out that long.

Hey mate.will air compressor work on a 44 gallon oil steel drum.will cut with a grinder. Cheers

It may sound horrible but i was bracing for an explosion when he was about to use a machine on the tank shouting: "ARE YOU READY? HERE WE GO!!"

Great vid. I was hoping to avoid the water also. I just picked up a 250 gal tank that had been decommissioned sometime ago. Valves removed and sitting for sometime with no smell. Should I still be very concerned? Is a backpack blower just as good as a shop vac? Thanks

@kylebiederman5543

3 жыл бұрын

I would still move the air inside before I attempted to cut it. A backback blower or even an air compressor would work great. The whole goal is to keep air moving and keep it out of it's explosive range. Keep any residual propane too lean to burn with air moving. Keep my updated on the progress of your project!

Only reason I came across this video was cuz I was bored but I like to see different Ideals on easier ways to do things

Hello Kyle great advice and wonderful project...can you recommend a good plasma cutter brand or model number? I am doing to Franklin Style OFFSET BBQ smoker 500 gallon propane tank and heard all plasma cutters are not the same...120 or 220? Under $1,000.00 ? Thanks.

@kylebiederman5543

2 жыл бұрын

If I were going to get a new plasma cutter I would look really hard at a Hypertherm 30Air. I know it's out of your $1000 price range, but the fact that you don't need compressed air to run it, is a big advantage. I am not an ambassador or receive anything from Hypertherm that I don't pay full price for, I am just impressed with there plasma cutters. I hope this helps.

@SurvivaLust

2 жыл бұрын

@@kylebiederman5543 Thanks buddy....I believe in having the right tools for the job so it is what it is...I am sure it will make up some time and labor cost if I invest in a good one. Thanks again for your help.

@kylebiederman5543

2 жыл бұрын

@@SurvivaLust Good luck on your project! I'd love to hear how it goes

I have a tank that looks like the one in your video but mine only has one, 1” threaded hole in the vertical top center. I’m going to repurpose mine as a horizontal reverse flow smoker and I plan to start cutting “just as soon as I find out how to make enough air move through this tank via the one hole”, to keep me from harming myself or anyone else. Can you please advise??

@kylebiederman5543

3 жыл бұрын

You don't need to move a lot of air, but having air constantly moving is the key. I have actually used one hole in the past to input air and have air escape out of the same hole. I used an air compressor with an air gun, that I taped the trigger and put it in the hole. It allowed air to go into the tank but also allowed air to escape around the air nozzle and out the hole. If that makes sense? In my video the air input was stuck or filled the opening. In your case don't fill the only hole you have. Allow air to escape around it. I hope this helps. Thanks for the question!

@guitarman_3693

2 жыл бұрын

drill a 1" hole in the other end. ?

That seems like a unique way of safely cutting one of those cylinders! Did you come up with the idea/method yourself? Thanks 👍🏻

@kylebiederman5543

3 жыл бұрын

It wasn't completely my idea. I was tired of water stinking up my yard, so I had to come up with a better way. Thanks for the reply!

how long should a tank be decommissioned before cutting into it using your air method ?

@kylebiederman5543

2 жыл бұрын

There really isn't a wait time. You can remove all the valves and start blowing air into it right away. I have bled off the tank, removed valves and cut with in a half an hour. The important part is to keep air circulating through it. Let me know how your project goes!

How long have you been using this method? Will it work in 250 gallon tanks?

@kylebiederman5543

3 жыл бұрын

I have used this method on all different size of tanks. It will work great! Just keep the air moving on your initial cut and you won't have any problems. Thanks!

Hello do you know how to get rid of the smell in a propane tank going to use one for a air tank thanks

@kylebiederman5543

Жыл бұрын

Hey John, thanks for the question. The easiest way to get rid of the smell, I have found is to light a fire in it once it is cut open. It doesn't need to get real hot, but that will get rid of that mercaptan smell.

Hey Kyle nice video. Have you done this method on multiple tanks?

@kylebiederman5543

3 жыл бұрын

Yes, I have cut quite a few tanks over the years and this is the technique I use every time.

@hardworksucks

3 жыл бұрын

Great video. I’ve been hesitant getting a tank to make a smoker, because i don’t really want to fill a tank with 250 gallons of water in my front yard. This looks the the answer. 👍

@kylebiederman5543

3 жыл бұрын

@@hardworksucks This will be the ticket! I'd love to hear and see how your project goes. Thanks for the comment

@codycrow1337

3 жыл бұрын

How long would you recommend blowing air into a 250 gallon tank before cutting? I have a tank thats been open for over a year that I'm still skeptical about cutting lol

@kylebiederman5543

3 жыл бұрын

@@codycrow1337 Hey Cody, I would set up your shop vac first, and let it blow into the tank as you set up your other supplies. Just blow the tank out for a few minutes before you get after it.

How does this method work if you still have some residue in the bottom of the tank?

@kylebiederman5543

Жыл бұрын

Good question. Propane under pressure is liquid hence the term LPG (liquid propane gas). It turns to gas when it meets atmospheric pressure. If you have liquid in the bottom of your tank, most likely it is rain water or snow melt, especially if it has been sitting for some time, with the valves out of it. This technique will work even with liquid in the bottom of the tank. I hope this helps!

WARNING!!!! don’t Cut LP tanks like this guy is doing! Pumping oxygen rich air to mix with propane fumes is a good way to get a fire-ball or explosion! He stated that “to much or to little oxygen is what makes it safe” but he has no way on measuring the levels! The only reason he hasn’t been blown up is the tank must be 100% empty! If you want to cut one use water!!!

how thick it the wall thickness?

@kylebiederman5543

2 жыл бұрын

It's 3/8" think

Not bad but like I said, you did it right outside your home. Who knows where that could’ve gone wrong, I’ve always done water to 3/4 full with exhaust of a truck flowing through The rest. But it worked so maybe your into something.

@kylebiederman5543

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your comments. If it works for you keep it up. This is just another option.

That tank is almost large enough for 1 person hot tub which cold be heated with a fire below the tank.

@kylebiederman5543

2 жыл бұрын

It's definitely a nice size tank. I often get asked about larger fire pits, from customers, and they can be hard to get a hold of. But with a bigger fire ring requires a lot more wood too.

@HealthSupercharger

2 жыл бұрын

@@kylebiederman5543 500 gallon tank makes a fire bowl that is 37" large instead of the 29.5" diameter. Maybe that would be better for larger groups. the 1000 gallon tank makes 41" bowls.

How thick are these tanks usually?

@kylebiederman5543

Жыл бұрын

Hey Tyler, I have found that the usual thickness is 3/8" Good luck with your project!

Now there’s a man who’s using his noodle! 🧠

@kylebiederman5543

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks! If I can share a tip I've picked up I am happy to do it.

Ive worked in the propane industry for 35 years and this is ABSOLUTELY NOT SAFE. For starters propane is heavier then air. Next it doesnt take much for fumes to ignite as you only need AIR, FUEL, SPARK. I hate to be so harsh but this is not safe at all.

@kylebiederman5543

2 жыл бұрын

I agree that propane is heavier than air. But with constant air circulation you don't have any propane or mercaptan pooled up and you can keep the mixture too lean to burn. I have used this method many times with out incident.

@Dev_Everything

2 жыл бұрын

@@kylebiederman5543 Well it not a matter of IF but WHEN. It will happen and I would suggest at the very minimum that you get a TFT meter if you insist on doing it this way. You are betting that by adding air you are getting away from the stoichiometric ratio, and you have messed up that ratio however you dont need to have a good A/F mixture in order to get an ignition. I only say something because I dont want someone to get hurt, especially when you are teaching this method as "safe". Someone could lose their life!

@mikenaples4046

2 жыл бұрын

@@Dev_Everything Totally agree! It’s not being harsh. No one wants to see someone else get hurt. In the propane industry, is there a preferred method that’s used if you had to cut into a tank? Fill with water, etc.?

@TheBeStLifehomestead

2 жыл бұрын

So you sell propane and propane accessories? Taste the meat not the heat.

Boom

I wash my tank with water and when i empty it the whole ground was and is still smelling of that stank gas

@kylebiederman5543

2 жыл бұрын

Absolutely. I did that one time and said there has to be a better way!

can i ring you ?

@kylebiederman5543

3 жыл бұрын

Sure!

I’d rather make a mess of stinky water

I’m a manager for a fuel company deal with a lot of bad LP tanks that need to be cut and recycled I’m the one that does the cutting, you can do lots of stupid stuff like this guy and nothing happen but your taking a 50/50 chance of an accident! KZread needs to pull this guy before some poor soul make a human fire out of them selfs! If you cut a tank USE WATER!!

@welding4fun

4 ай бұрын

Hey man I am new to welding and hear about this water method quite a lot, I would love to pick your brain about it, since I am nervous to cut up my first tank ever next week! Thanks

Excel ant video

@kylebiederman5543

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you!