Emptying Buried Propane Tank

October 27, 2008 8:47 AM

How does one go about removing propane from a disconnected, buried tank?

Does the EPA have any involvement, or the local fire department? Does a propane company do it? How do you fill it with water/sand?

posted by raikkohamilonso to home & garden (14 comments total)

I would call local gas company 1st
posted by patnok at 9:06 AM on October 27, 2008

I would contact your local regulatory agency (not necessarily the EPA, but whomever licenses propane activities in your state). Or a commercial propane dealer could point you in the right direction - someone had to be filling that tank in the past.

Yeah - even though I had my propane license (for refilling portable tanks & vehicles) many years ago - I wouldn't mess around with trying to completely empty a large tank myself - be safe and find an expert.

It is too bad it is buried, I'm sure a scrap recycler would want it.
posted by jkaczor at 9:07 AM on October 27, 2008

If there is usable propane in the tank you could just hook up a BBQ (or even better a construction heater) and burn it off. Once there is no pressure left you can complete the purge with carbon dioxide by dropping dry ice pellets into the tank. You don't want to fill the tank with water as it'll eventually rust out, drain, and collapse leaving behind a sink hole. Filling with sand is just a matter of pouring the sand in. However it would be better to dig the tank up. A couple hours with a back hoe would do the job.
posted by Mitheral at 9:28 AM on October 27, 2008

jkaczor - I've been trying to contact local gas companies, but they seem unwilling to help ("it's not our tank"). When it comes to finding an expert I'm getting nowhere. Is this even something propane companies do? I'm presuming I'm looking for a "pump out"?

Mitheral - I don't have a clue as to how to hook something to the tank.

I seem to be finding contrary answers from people: those who treat it casually ("oh, you just need to take the regulator off and burn it") to those that don't want to have anything to do with it.
posted by raikkohamilonso at 9:41 AM on October 27, 2008

Oh you could totally un-bury it, if i you wanted to dig up your yard. Maybe the scrap price would be worth it?
posted by hipersons at 9:44 AM on October 27, 2008

It's under my (non-paved) driveway, adjacent to the house - digging it up would be a massive undertaking. I'm paranoid about the valve leading to the house malfunctioning, I just want to know nothing is in it and to fill it in if I can.
posted by raikkohamilonso at 9:51 AM on October 27, 2008

Pipefitters, or whoever handles natural gas hookups in your state/country, are often equipped with little fiberoptic cameras that they use to inspect lines and tanks. That might help you ascertain that the tank is both empty and intact/usable inside.
posted by rokusan at 10:02 AM on October 27, 2008

Don't ask the gas companies to help. Ask them to tell you who to call.
posted by Class Goat at 10:03 AM on October 27, 2008

Raikko - Where (roughly) do you live? In the US, the state environmental regulator will always be the ones to take care of this sort of thing, or at least instruct you as to how you should.

If you're in New Jersey, take a deep breath, and expect this to take an absurd amount of time and effort. :)
posted by Citrus at 10:11 AM on October 27, 2008

raikkohamilonso writes "I don't have a clue as to how to hook something to the tank."

Assuming you have a propane BBQ (if not the local Freecycle/Craiglist can probably hook you up for free) a Fireplace/BBQ dealer could supply the hose you need and come out and hook it up.

You don't want to take the regulator off to burn it, you'll get a lot more pressure than you can handle. In the old days we'd just hook a hose up to the liquid port, wait for a windy day, and then open the valve and vent the gas to the air. This may have been what they were thinking but it is illegal in most places now. Not because it's dangerous but because of regulation on volatile hydrocarbons.

I've never heard of people pumping out LPG tanks however we don't have them underground around here either. Unlike fuel oil there isn't an environmental hazard or contamination concern (your tank is less dangerous when empty than a septic tank) so help is unlikely to come from EPA like agencies.
posted by Mitheral at 10:31 AM on October 27, 2008

Yeah - sorry, I meant to say - ask local gas companies for who to call - it may not be their tank, but they are in a regulated business and should know the proper authorities.
posted by jkaczor at 10:52 AM on October 27, 2008

You could call your local hazmat team. They would most definitely know where to turn to for that sort of thing.
posted by tubesaddict at 1:31 PM on October 27, 2008

raikkohamilonso, where do you live? Have you tried contacting your state department of environmental quality? The underground storage tank (UST) division should be able to help and maybe point you toward some contractors. If you're not getting anywhere with the propane companies, maybe try someone who installs/removes USTs. Even if they normally deal with gasoline or diesel, I imagine the process of inerting the tank would be similar. Or try some local environmental consultants.
posted by curie at 2:36 PM on October 27, 2008

Turned out I finally stumbled upon a gas company that came out and basically opened the inflow valve and bled off what little was left in the tank... Thanks everyone for the answers
posted by raikkohamilonso at 9:24 AM on December 5, 2008