How to check a propane tank for leaks?

I picked up a spare propane tank for my forklift, the horizontal/vertical type, but on the side of it..someone had painted with a rattle can..leeks.

Its empty, so is there anyway short of putting in a few gallons of $3 propane to pressure it up and check for leaks?

What kind of pressure can I put on this tank? If its safe, Ill pump it up with air, and spray with soap and check for bubbles. Better way?

Gunner

"A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences."

- Proverbs 22:3

Reply to
Gunner
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"Gunner" wrote: (clip) on the side of it..someone had painted with a rattle can..leeks. (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Maybe it contains leeks. They would not normally build up much pressure, unless they start fermenting.

Reply to
Leo Lichtman

See if it holds a vacuum. Requires a vacuum pump and gage.

Reply to
Richard J Kinch

Looks like

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in your neck of the woods pressure can easily get over 200# so I doubt your compressor will give you anything to worry about. By the way, don't you need the new style of valve to get this refilled?

dennis in nca

Reply to
rigger

The leak is probably in the valve stem--open valve till it back-seats to cure that--or--you may have a scratched valve seat where the hose fitting attaches. Jerry

Reply to
jerry wass

You won't need much propane to pressurize it. I would just attach it to another propane tank & fill it with *gas*. I.e., don't use any liquid propane. You'll need very little this way and you can still do the leak test.

If you do pressurize with air, it will have to be bled off during the refill.

Bob

Reply to
Bob Engelhardt

There is an exemption for industrial/commercial/"?" propane use.

Reply to
Bob Engelhardt

Why screw with it? just get the tank hydro-tested.

Reply to
Roger Shoaf

That will work fine, and it will easily take 125 PSI if you want - propane gets over 200 PSI when it's hot. But using air means you have to purge the air when you fill the tank.

Make a cross-fill hose and pressurize with gaseous propane only, not liquid. That will allow you to bubble-test the valves and see where the leeks (SIC) are, and you can do a simple leakdown test as long as the temperature is accounted for, but you don't waste a lot of propane when changing the bad valve.

If you feel lucky, you an leak check with a match...

If it's just the valve packing or seals you'll have to go schmooze the local propane service company - they'll have the replacement pieces, but getting them directly is likely to be a big hassle. I needed a replacement back gasket for a Visible Junior float gauge on a

30-pound cylinder, and that was where I had to go.

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Reply to
Bruce L. Bergman

I doubt at any pressure above 1 psi that would be an issue.

Wes S

Reply to
clutch

Yeah, unless it was a tiny-bubble class leak it would probably be moving too fast to light coming out the leak site before it mixed and slowed down and then got too dilute to light.

High velocity would also blow out the match.

(But a blowtorch effect would be cool. "Oh, there's the leak...")

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Reply to
Bruce L. Bergman

Magic!

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are it doesn't leak and the last idiot couldn't hook it up right. Check the seat for biffs. Or, just leave the truck outside like we do when we smell propane.

Reply to
Tom Gardner

I'd fill it with a little and set it out in the sun - it will auto pressure and propane maintains a constant type - since the vapor is pushed back to liquid.

If you have a leak it will be obvious soon - the smell and the soap is best.

It might be a joint but then someone might have dropped it.

Martin

Martin H. Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net NRA LOH & Endowment Member NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member

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Gunner wrote:

Reply to
Martin H. Eastburn

Woooo Gunner - what your describing is quite correct - pump it up, check for leaks with soap and watter (put a bit of Glycerine in there as well, increases surface tension of the bubbles..)

BUT - dont know what the regulations there are, but here in Oz there is a mandatory test on these things every five years, the test date is stamped into the collar, and its illegal to refill one thats out of test.

Why? - it might look fine on the outside, but they can rust from the INSIDE. Inspection shoves a camera down there, has a look. They also water pressurise them to some factor greater than rated pressure.

Here, it costs about $20 to get it done. Cheap insurance - maybe someone in your state does it, dont know. But worthwhile - they can be deadly things if a leak catches fire.....

(And , sorry mate, but I cant resist this one for a Winger - maybe you have the right to blow yourself up, so mandatory testing is not required...)

Andrew VK3BFA.

PS - know one guy personally who got blown up by a leaking valve (filled a bottle, put it in the back of his car. On the way home that night, lit a ciggy, and BOOM - 6 months in hospital, he is still stuffed, years after. The silly thing was he did this at work -and right next to the bulk refill cyclinders was a huge drum of water, you were supposed to submerge the bottle after filling to check for leaks....he didnt want to get the back of his car wet, so did not bother....)

Reply to
Andrew VK3BFA

Its probably the gaskets where you connect the hose that are leaking.

I have to replace a couple of gaskets in my tanks because they leak a little. The square rubber seals get hard and dont seal properly.

John

Reply to
John

We use converted forklift h/v tanks all the time as portable air tanks. We pressurize them to 90+ lbs from the shop compressor. We have converted them so the inlet is connected to the valve and the normal outlet has been replaced with one of those self-coiling hoses with a quick-release. You just hook them up to the shop air through the hose to the valve, open the valve, fill the tank, close the valve, and disconnect it. Holds enough air for a cutoff tool to run for about

30-60 seconds or a blow gun for a couple minutes. Also light enough to lug around for a little while. At the high school we spend a lot of time lugging them around to cut off locks on lockers and other tasks distant from the shop.

Disclaimer: The shop teacher of many years has been using the tanks this way for many years, I'm just describing their use. If someone thinks this isn't smart, let me know but don't kill the messenger.

ww88

Gunner wrote:

Reply to
woodworker88

Both my propane tanks are aluminum. Last time I had a bottle hydro'd, it was a 20lb CO2 tank for the Mig, once resembling one that may once have had a Pepsi logo on it before it found its way to the swap meet....

And they charged me $45 to hydro it.

Ill stick a half gallon in it and set it out in the sun.

Gunner

"A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences."

- Proverbs 22:3

Reply to
Gunner

I bought some stuff from a forklift shop Thursday for one of my customers and the guy gave me a couple of those square o-rings. If the tank leaks only when hooked up..Ill change em

Gunner

"A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences."

- Proverbs 22:3

Reply to
Gunner

EGAD! You're going to the /wrong/ place to get a Hydro done - they probably don't have their own machine, and you paid the markup and the labor to run it over to someplace else that does them.

Next time you swing through the Van Nuys City Hall area, drop by Pioneer Fire Protection at 14819 Calvert and tell them I sent you.

They have their own hydrotest tank, and when I had two Amerex

5-Pound ABC Dry Chems hydrotested and recharged a few weeks ago it was $10 each for hydro and $10 each for charge and seal, and they were done in about 90 minutes. (Go hang out at All Electronics or Costco.) I'm pretty sure CO2 Hydro is the same, and they do the gas fills too.

And very reasonable on new Amerex products also.

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Reply to
Bruce L. Bergman

Fucking Praxair. I hate both the local outlet and the main company. Total rip off from start to finish. And locally, most folks have no other choices..so they stick it to the customer..dry, no lube...no reach around either.

Thanks! Saved to my pda!

Gunner

"A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences."

- Proverbs 22:3

Reply to
Gunner

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