Safety With Depressurizing Propane Tanks

Originally Posted by 406Refining

Hey all, I recently did a large scrap pickup from a new customer. He asked me if I recycled the small coleman propane tanks. I said yes and now have several dozen of these little tanks. From your experiences what is the best way to safely vent these tanks? I was planning on punching a hole in the side, but was wondering if there is a better/safer way to dispose of them. Thanks.

An old boss of mine had some. If I remember correctly, there is a round depression on the side near the top. He just pounded a nail into that spot.

Originally Posted by HipoGear

An old boss of mine had some. If I remember correctly, there is a round depression on the side near the top. He just pounded a nail into that spot.

If I was doing it, I would use a brass punch to avoid a spark. That is the advantage of a lead bullet since it does not create a spark. Movies display gas tanks exploding after being shot and this is a myth. Even with tracer rounds they will not explode, but with the exact fuel/oxygen mixture they might catch on fire, if shot from a long enough distance.

This information is valuable for using a torch on vehicles and large machinery. I always fill fuel tanks with water before using a spark around them. This eliminates air, dilutes the fuel, and removes any fumes. Hopefully this information will help members of the forum from learning the hard way.