What does your yard require when taking large oil tanks or air compressor tanks?

Ended up with a couple small compressor tanks (rust holes in the bottoms ) and a 250g empty oil tank. Used to be that yards around here would take compressor tanks as is as long as they were empty, and fuel/oil tanks with a 5" "window" cut in the side for inspection.

Now they require everything to be cut in half. Going to call some other yards to check but the location of this one is so convenient, it almost makes it worth the extra work (and saw blades!)

has your yard changed the rules lately?

my yard has always been it has to be cut in half and clean for the most part its not too much work if you work hard youll have it prepped to go in half hour

local yard requires they be cut in half and cleaned of any flammable fluids, and i usually cut them in half long ways so they look like a big feed trough and leave them at my lot and use them as big bins for all the small loose metal from tearing stuff down whenever its full i just load it on the trailer and scrap the whole deal

Put a hole in it big enough that a person can shine a flashlight in it and see its clean. I would also right clean on the side of the tank so the yard knows it has non-flammables in it.

Thanks guys. But do you have any trouble with air compressor tanks - do you usually cut them in half too?

Great idea on the trough...I did not think of that!

In order to make them prepared scrap they have got to be cut in half you can't send a sealed unit to the mill they will reject the trailer or rail car outright. This also includes hydraulic cylinders, hydraulic accumulators, propane tanks, oil filter tanks, fuel tanks, etc.

I always cut tanks in half, but for very large tanks an inspection hole will do. A yard near me shredded a half full 1000 lb propane tank once it sent the crane operator to the ER he blew his ear drums out and the blast could be felt for miles, it set off the the systemic activity monitor in Albany.

What dumb operator loads a 1000 lb propane tank to begin with. The tanks are 10 feet long and 6 feet around you would have to be an idiot to load that into the shredder. I also hope whoever checks the loads, the yard manager, the crane operator, the guy in the shredder pulpit were all fired that day. What a bunch of knuckleheads. I had a guy bring in a sample load to the yard I am working at of 500 gallon propane tanks told me they were empty but you could still smell propane and there was still residual in it. The guy said he sells them all the time with just the valve removed. I laughed and said yeah right that is why you are looking for a buyer and the owner kindly said thanks but no thanks and that was the last I saw of that guy. That's still not safe enough and any residual gas can catch fire or in this case explode. Use your head if you have one and think for a minute before cutting into anything that is sealed.

You're right Pistone, residues can be extremely dangerous. A kid was killed in a shop class explosion up here. He was cutting into a drum that had peppermint oil residue in it. I believe charges have been laid against the school, the teacher and the board. Won't bring the kid back though. It always amazes me how stupid people can be. I find it hard to believe a shop teacher couldn't be aware of the dangers involved in this type of activity.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa...-leighton.html

I have 4 empty propane grill tanks that are the old style that cannot be filled anymore. yard wants a big hole cut in the side of them. Way too much work for way too little money!

Hoping to take them shooting one day (after filling with water to displace any residual gas) and make swiss cheese out of them. Hopefully the yard will take them if you can see clean through em!

" I have 4 empty propane grill tanks that are the old style that cannot be filled anymore. yard wants a big hole cut in the side of them. Way too much work for way too little money! "
I was helping a friend out at his shop a couple of winters ago and the guy in the shop behind us collected them , always had over 50 + .
We use to empty them out with our 115,000 BTU portable heater LOL .
When empty , he took the valve off , flushed with water , then placed it in a " Old " Reciprocating Hack Saw and let it run , only way the local yard's would take them .
Bandit

The yard I go to they dont care as long as there is a hold about as big as a half dollar so that they dont get no surprises in the yard which is understandable.

Originally Posted by PistoneScrapProcessing

What dumb operator loads a 1000 lb propane tank to begin with. The tanks are 10 feet long and 6 feet around you would have to be an idiot to load that into the shredder. I also hope whoever checks the loads, the yard manager, the crane operator, the guy in the shredder pulpit were all fired that day. What a bunch of knuckleheads. I had a guy bring in a sample load to the yard I am working at of 500 gallon propane tanks told me they were empty but you could still smell propane and there was still residual in it. The guy said he sells them all the time with just the valve removed. I laughed and said yeah right that is why you are looking for a buyer and the owner kindly said thanks but no thanks and that was the last I saw of that guy. That's still not safe enough and any residual gas can catch fire or in this case explode. Use your head if you have one and think for a minute before cutting into anything that is sealed.

World is full of dumb people, once I happened to come into a yard and the foreman was about to blow out the injectors lines from the oxygen tank, I asked him if he could wait until I had left the yard before proceeding. He looked at my like I lost a screw, then I pointed to the gauge on the oxygen bottle were it says use no oil.

Then I suggested he contact their gas supplier to get the facts on pure oxygen and petroleum products, they don't mix well. This is one reason why I love my plasma for cutting up oily scrap like large hydraulic cylinders or into the base of an old crane filled with oil, with an oxygen torch you get tremendous blow back with burns to your face if your too close. The plasma torch does not do this as it does not use pure oxygen to burn the metal.