Tanks and cylinders.

So on my new gem of a site i found today. I ran across a bunch of tanks and cylinders. Some i suspect were for propane or water and the others look like a nitrogen and oxygen cylinders. My question. Will the yard take them with just the valves removed or do i have to cut them up? Thanks. Oh by the way its a ton of weight or i would just grab the other goodies first.

You will have to ask your yard how they want them, every yard is different. My yard I frequent wants propane tanks cut in half after you pull the valves.

Cutting in half seem to be a bit of effort for what you are getting for the scrap !
How are you cutting them with a torch or abrasive wheel ?
Thanks in advance for the reply.

As a scrap yard we will take them if it as a hole on the side of tank that you can see from more than 10feet away when you are not looking at it. Reason being a tank not fully empty can be very dealy an could cause all sooo many problems. I know of a yard here who had a tank with about *they are guessing around 5 to 10psi* but when they went to crush the tank it hurt three people. When they tank blew it blew shrapnel not just from the tank but from things around it, It closed the whole yard down for a good bit (they went looking to find if there are any others with no holes before they would let people drop there scrap off...no one wants a lawsuit)

Originally Posted by Mick

Question - can the brass valve be taken off without causing any damage? And does taking the valve off release pressure in the tank so it could be cut open with a grinder or would the sparks from the grinder ignite the propane residual in the tank. I've got several tanks I'm trying to figure out what to do with. The propane company will take them but not without the valve.

Once the valve is out you should be good. Propane is more or less a gas so once the valve is open it will leave the tank but to be safe you can just let it sit around for a few hours before you go to cutting it or what ever. Reason why scrap yards want the hole an or be cut in half is..when your standing an you loading the scrap into the crusher you may not be able to tell if the valve is there or not, a hole you can see...a tank in half you can see...no deadly mistakes

My yard accepts them whole, without valves or with. Cut in half or not. The yard is also has an attached auto salvage, so I suspect they use any tanks with propane left in them for something.

Fire extinguishers on the other hand, they require a hole in them, but the few I've taken, I've just unscrewed the top valve. (They have all been classified as sheet aluminum, also)

If they are out of date, they can be retested and a new date stamp put on the tank. I think they go by 2 year increments after the initial 10 years.

Originally Posted by easyrecycle

Once the valve is out you should be good. Propane is more or less a gas so once the valve is open it will leave the tank but to be safe you can just let it sit around for a few hours before you go to cutting it or what ever. Reason why scrap yards want the hole an or be cut in half is..when your standing an you loading the scrap into the crusher you may not be able to tell if the valve is there or not, a hole you can see...a tank in half you can see...no deadly mistakes

I know it's going a little overboard, but pressurized propane tanks scare the heck out of me, but when I take off the valve, I fill the thing with water, and make sure there's no residue of any kind inside before I start cutting them.

Better safe than sorry,, that's using the ole bean.hehe. A friend of mine was brazing a gas tank off a semi and every time it would"belch" it looked like he was riding a bucking bronco; it would jump 3' in the air with him on top. Ye-haw,,,

Thanks everyone. I decided to ask may yard they say cut in half or a 10" diameter hole. But the advice was great i was wondering about residue and cutting them myself. Plus one tipster made me think maybe the crappy yard near me will take them as is. But either way i have some good options now. Thanks everyone.

Here's what my yard has to say on their website.

IF YOU HAVE SOME INDUSTRIAL EXPERIENCE, AND YOU HAVE THE EQUIPMENT HERE'S HOW TO GET TIN PRICE FOR YOUR TANKS..... BUT ONLY IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING. WE MEAN THIS, IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING SCROLL BACK UP TO THE BIG BADDA BOOM PART OF THIS SECTION, CAUSE THAT'S WHAT CAN HAPPEN.

1. REMOVE THE VALVE ON TOP OF THE TANK

2. FILL THE TANK COMPLETELY WITH H20 .... WATER

3. PUNCH OR DRILL TWO HOLES IN THE BOTTOM OF YOUR TANK

4. LET THE WATER DRAIN OUT OF THE TWO HOLES