Brewpot from a propane cylinder?

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thebikingengineer

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So, here I am at work (a propane cylinder factory, I'm a metallurgy intern) and I'm taking some readings on a heat treat oven when an idea hits me... I thought, "You know, these 33.5# cylinders would make great brew pots / MLT's." I'm going to talk to some people here to see if I can't get one of our scrapped pieces to mess with, but I thought I'd bounce it off of you all.

What would the concerns be with doing this? I'd obviously clean out the interior very well, then just lop the top off (plasma torches FTW!), round the edges, and brew away. It's aluminum, it's pretty darn sturdy, and it should be a good fit for a false bottom kit.

To note, there is no propane inside, nor has there ever been. This would be a factory reject.

Thanks,

Mark
 
According to this website, you'll have slightly less than 8 gallons capacity when you cut the top off of one of those. Sounds like a great place to start!

It's worth mentioning again:
DON'T EVER PUT A TORCH TO ANY TANK THAT ONCE HELD FLAMMABLE GAS!!!

The OP is using factory reject cylinders that have never been filled.
 
Yuri_Rage said:
According to this website, you'll have slightly less than 8 gallons capacity when you cut the top off of one of those. Sounds like a great place to start!

It's worth mentioning again:
DON'T EVER PUT A TORCH TO ANY TANK THAT ONCE HELD FLAMMABLE GAS!!!

The OP is using factory reject cylinders that have never been filled.

I understand the safety aspect here, but say a cylinder is retired from use for whatever reason. It is completley bled and purged with something inert like... compressed air or N2 maybe 5 or 6 times, then left with the valve open overnight or for a few days. Could that be considered safe? Safe Enough? Does the metal retain some liquid or vapors or something? I've no plans of doing this, just curious.
 
I do some welding time to time at work and normally when we weld or cut a fuel tank or anything that has had flammables in it I will fill it as full as possible with water just under the cut or weld line, and drop in some dry ice to purge the rest of the space, But if you are the slightest bit unsure of the safety of doing so just don't do it.
 
chillHayze said:
It is completley bled and purged with something inert like... compressed air or N2 maybe 5 or 6 times, then left with the valve open overnight or for a few days. Could that be considered safe? Safe Enough?
In general, no. There are plenty of horror stories of DIY'ers out there trying to do repairs on tanks with tragic results, even when they "think" the tank has been inerted. As NewBrewer suggests, leave that sort of thing to the pros.
 
Hmm... Maybe I'll see if I can get a 40# tank, you know, just to make sure I've got the capacity. Seriously though, if there was ever anything in there, get a professional to cut it up, even sawing could cause you to have a bad day (I've seen them let go in testing, you will absolutely not be happy...cool to watch behind a screen though)
 
I don't think Hank Hill would approve of dessecrating a propane tank like that. Well I don't know he does like his beer too. I know nothing about propane, but if it ever had gas in it, it sounds like a bad idea to me. If the factory rejects never held gas and you're sure of that I would say go for it.
 
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