Date:         Sun, 24 Mar 2002 17:27:54 +0000
Reply-To:     Mike Finkbiner <mike_l_f@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Mike Finkbiner <mike_l_f@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Propane Tank Clean Up
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed

Tom said -

<SNIP>

My question - do you have any advice about/procedures for removing a Westy
tank, stripping off regulator and valves, removing paint/rust, repainting,
and installing new regulator & open/close valve -  all without blowing
myself into the next State
<SNIP>

Tom -

I just went through this with a used tank myself. The other posts have
covered most of it.

Rather than sandblasting, I wirebrushed it and used POR-15.  Either method
should work.

The inside of my tank had a fair bit of rust.  The RV guy said that was
common, because propane has water in it.  I cleaned it up by getting a
handful of ball bearings and shaking the tank.  Good for the arm muscles!

Then I washed it out with plenty of warm water, rattled it some more, and
rinsed again. Once the flashlight showed a pretty clean interior, I got the
ball-bearings out through the fill hole.  They didn't all want to come out,
but I used a piece of stiff plastic from a bubble-pack to make a trough and
stuck it in the hole to catch them as they went by.

The bleeder tube was partly plugged, so I ran a piece of stiff wire in there
to clean it out.

To get out any remaining rust, I used a product called Super Iron Out
(www.ironout.com) which is a powder you mix with water to remove rust
stains.  It was an experiment, but it seemed to clean up the inside surface
pretty well.

One propane web site said that rust inside the tank will absorb the chemical
which makes it smell, so I figured a little extra care wouldn't be a bad
idea.  Also, the RV guy said that in his experience, inside rust is what
causes tanks to fail, not outside rust.

After a final rinsing, I let the tank dry out next to the stove.  Just
before taking it to the RV place where they were going to hook it up, I ran
a pint of anhydrous alcohol through it to soak up any last bit of moisture.

My RV place didn't pull a vacuum.  They ran propane through it to remove the
air, and then filled it up to check for leaks.

One note on paint.  I had intended to leave the tank black, but had to paint
it white to get it mounted.  The code apparently calls for a light color to
avoid having the tank absorb heat.  Don't know how logical that is, but
another coat of paint won't hurt.



Mike Finkbiner
'87 Westy
Moscow, ID

mike_l_f@hotmail.com


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