What to do with 30lb. propane tank?

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Teague
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What to do with 30lb. propane tank?

Post by Teague »

Howdy all,

I have a 30lb. (7.5 gallon) common propane tank, probably about 15 years old, and it has a slightly leaky seal where the appliance hose would screw on to mate to the tank fitting. It is empty. Clearly it is useless as it is.

Now, if this were a more common 20lb. (5 gallon) tank I could trade it in to Blue Rhino or similar and receive a usable full tank by paying whatever the fee is for that. But it is a 30 lb. tank, and I am not aware of any trade-in service that accepts that size tank.

I am not averse to removing the valve assembly and blowing the remaining gas out, then putting it in the trash. (Though I am averse to using the use of the word adverse to mean averse.)

Anyway, are there better options than purging and then trashing this thing? Thank you.
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Silk McCue
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Re: What to do with 30lb. propane tank?

Post by Silk McCue »

It is my understanding that you can just drop it off at Blue Rhino. They will properly dispose of it.

In fact I just checked and they state that on their website.

https://bluerhino.com/about/rhino-feed/recycling-tips
Second Best Option: Recycle Your Propane Tank

Since there’s a possibility of propane left in the tank, many landfills, recycling centers, and scrap metal dealers will not accept unwanted tanks for recycling. However, some propane exchange companies, including Blue Rhino, will happily take your unused propane cylinders and recycle them at no cost to you. If you have a propane tank that you don’t want, place your old tank beside a Blue Rhino display and we’ll take care of the rest.
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whodidntante
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Re: What to do with 30lb. propane tank?

Post by whodidntante »

You could sell it for scrap, fix and sell it for what it is, or give it away. I would certainly accept a 30 lb tank that was fixable. Perhaps I would build a flamethrower.
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beernutz
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Re: What to do with 30lb. propane tank?

Post by beernutz »

The new Blue Rhino self service kiosks allow you to swap your current tank for a full 20lb one.
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Flyer24
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Re: What to do with 30lb. propane tank?

Post by Flyer24 »

A post giving dangerous advice was removed. Please give proper advice with safety in mind.
Da5id
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Re: What to do with 30lb. propane tank?

Post by Da5id »

Teague wrote: Thu Jan 27, 2022 8:28 pm Howdy all,

I have a 30lb. (7.5 gallon) common propane tank, probably about 15 years old, and it has a slightly leaky seal where the appliance hose would screw on to mate to the tank fitting. It is empty. Clearly it is useless as it is.

Now, if this were a more common 20lb. (5 gallon) tank I could trade it in to Blue Rhino or similar and receive a usable full tank by paying whatever the fee is for that. But it is a 30 lb. tank, and I am not aware of any trade-in service that accepts that size tank.

I am not averse to removing the valve assembly and blowing the remaining gas out, then putting it in the trash. (Though I am averse to using the use of the word adverse to mean averse.)

Anyway, are there better options than purging and then trashing this thing? Thank you.
My town has hazardous waste collection days and will take propane tanks, filled or not. Maybe an option for you too?
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quantAndHold
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Re: What to do with 30lb. propane tank?

Post by quantAndHold »

A 15 year old tank is expired. The manufacture date should be on the handle, and in the US, they’re good for 12 years. Past that point, you can either recycle it with a local propane dealer, or take it to your city’s hazardous waste disposal.

If it was a standard 5 gallon tank, you could indeed swap it for a Blue Rhino tank, and they would remanufacture it. But I’m not sure what they would do with a 7.5 gallon tank.
adamthesmythe
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Re: What to do with 30lb. propane tank?

Post by adamthesmythe »

If it's empty it would be recyclable metal (brass and steel). So if you can empty it AND unscrew the valve then you could recycle it.

Otherwise I would try leaving it with a propane dealer or your town's hazardous waste disposal.
inbox788
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Re: What to do with 30lb. propane tank?

Post by inbox788 »

If you have a propane dealer nearby, take it in and see what they say. The leak might be as little as a cracked washer that's about as hard to replace as a hose washer. If they have to replace the regulator, it might not be worth the cost. Also, just because a tank is 12 years old doesn't mean it can't be used. If it's in good functioning condition, you may be able to get it re-certified for a period of time, but probably not the full 12 years that a new one gets. I don't recall the specific local regulation and it might depend on where you are.

A new one goes for $70-100 at Homedepot, so consider that when you value the used one and how much trouble to go thru to salvage some value or green earth benefit. You could list it on craigslist.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Worthington ... /202034841
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Valuethinker
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Re: What to do with 30lb. propane tank?

Post by Valuethinker »

adamthesmythe wrote: Thu Jan 27, 2022 10:03 pm If it's empty it would be recyclable metal (brass and steel). So if you can empty it AND unscrew the valve then you could recycle it.

Otherwise I would try leaving it with a propane dealer or your town's hazardous waste disposal.
Yes the best thing to do is call the dealer and see if they will dispose of it. Given they get scrap value, they should do it for free.
tev9876
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Re: What to do with 30lb. propane tank?

Post by tev9876 »

My local Amerigas location takes them for recycling for free. They had a drop off area outside their secured gate you could access 24/7.
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lthenderson
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Re: What to do with 30lb. propane tank?

Post by lthenderson »

Your 30lb propane tank has value. I see them sell all the time at farm auctions. Farmers use them for the acetylene tank on their torch setups. I would probably put an ad on my local Marketplace and see if anyone is interested first before just disposing of it.
crefwatch
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Re: What to do with 30lb. propane tank?

Post by crefwatch »

Partly because of people carelessly disposing of partly filled tanks, a 25-pound home propane tank is a regulated waste item in many places. In my town, a tank with the valve removed cannot be placed in the "metal" dumpster at our town's recycling center. It has to be taken to the periodic HAZMAT events (with a long line of cars ... ).

If your local residents have not driven them out of business by going to Home Depot/Lowes, you might find that your local grill-store will benevolently accept the tank, even if you are not there to buy a new grill. Obviously, if you are buying a new grill, they would cheerfully take the tank, because they are getting rid of them all the time.

OTOH, a stack of old tanks with cheery Haloween faces flame-cut in their sides (a feature at many grill stores in northern NJ) is not that different from a dangerous pile of old tires along the NJ Turnpike in the 1960's, collecting mosquito larvae and attracting arsonists! Be careful what you wish for.
pshonore
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Re: What to do with 30lb. propane tank?

Post by pshonore »

I'm familiar with 20 lb and 100 lb propane tanks. That refers to the weight of the propane when full. 20 lb tank holds approx 4.6 gallons and weighs almost 40 lbs; 100 lb tank holds 23.6 gallons. A full 100 lb tank weighs around 175 lbs when full. My first house had a floor furnace and burned propane. We had 4 - 100 tanks hooked up in tandem that switched automatically. Think I paid $25 for 2 - 100 lb tanks delivered in those days. That was around 50 cents per gallon, but that was almost 50 years ago. Closer to 3 or 4 bucks a gallon today.
canderson
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Re: What to do with 30lb. propane tank?

Post by canderson »

Might as well ask - what can I do with all my 1 lb Coleman canisters? Does Blue Rhino recycle those too, even thought they don’t sell them?
Da5id
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Re: What to do with 30lb. propane tank?

Post by Da5id »

canderson wrote: Fri Jan 28, 2022 12:34 pm Might as well ask - what can I do with all my 1 lb Coleman canisters? Does Blue Rhino recycle those too, even thought they don’t sell them?
Probably municipalities hazardous waste disposal is the easiest answer there too if your town/city has it. Presumably if it can be recycled/scrapped they will do it. Our town has a few times a year when you can drop off most (but not all) hazardous waste.
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quantAndHold
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Re: What to do with 30lb. propane tank?

Post by quantAndHold »

canderson wrote: Fri Jan 28, 2022 12:34 pm Might as well ask - what can I do with all my 1 lb Coleman canisters? Does Blue Rhino recycle those too, even thought they don’t sell them?
Check with places that sell them, such as camping and outdoors stores. Also, some state and national parks have recycling bins for them. If all else fails, either a propane distributor or your city’s hazmat disposal, just like the bigger tanks.
hudson
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Re: What to do with 30lb. propane tank?

Post by hudson »

canderson wrote: Fri Jan 28, 2022 12:34 pm Might as well ask - what can I do with all my 1 lb Coleman canisters? Does Blue Rhino recycle those too, even thought they don’t sell them?
My local propane dealer refills them.
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Re: What to do with 30lb. propane tank?

Post by Jack FFR1846 »

I have done 2 things with mine (although the more common 20 pound). One, I purged it, then cut a triangle shaped big hole in one side. It went on my steel scrap trailer and went in along with the rest. I placed it so it was easily seen with the hole when I brought it in.

The other one, I did some valve fitting to a quick connect. I use a double male fitting to go into that quick connect, then connect my compressor hose, then turn on valves on both sides and fill the tank with air. I can air up one offroad tire from 20 psi to 35 psi. (295-70-17 tire) It can be more convenient to use sometimes rather than moving a car into the garage.

Oh.....and one more tank is the old style valve only, so won't work with a new grill. I have a propane heater on it. So when I need a portable heater in a place like outside or working in the garage, I can turn that tank on and light it up.
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Californiastate
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Re: What to do with 30lb. propane tank?

Post by Californiastate »

lthenderson wrote: Fri Jan 28, 2022 9:25 am Your 30lb propane tank has value. I see them sell all the time at farm auctions. Farmers use them for the acetylene tank on their torch setups. I would probably put an ad on my local Marketplace and see if anyone is interested first before just disposing of it.
A legal certified acetylene tank isn't hollow like a propane bottle. Acetylene is highly unstable above 15 lbs unless it's storage properly. There is a reason the acetylene gauge is red above 15 lbs. on the discharge side of the regulator.
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Teague
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Re: What to do with 30lb. propane tank?

Post by Teague »

OP here, I appreciate all the suggestions put forth, and I will eventually post the final resolution of this burning issue.

Tanks! :)
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egrets
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Re: What to do with 30lb. propane tank?

Post by egrets »

Da5id wrote: Fri Jan 28, 2022 12:54 pm
canderson wrote: Fri Jan 28, 2022 12:34 pm Might as well ask - what can I do with all my 1 lb Coleman canisters? Does Blue Rhino recycle those too, even thought they don’t sell them?
Probably municipalities hazardous waste disposal is the easiest answer there too if your town/city has it. Presumably if it can be recycled/scrapped they will do it. Our town has a few times a year when you can drop off most (but not all) hazardous waste.
My town's transfer station takes empty 1 lb canisters. I got rid of a bunch of full ones by posting on a local group on facebook.
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wabbott
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Re: What to do with 30lb. propane tank?

Post by wabbott »

canderson wrote: Fri Jan 28, 2022 12:34 pm Might as well ask - what can I do with all my 1 lb Coleman canisters? Does Blue Rhino recycle those too, even thought they don’t sell them?
https://www.amazon.com/GasOne-Propane-R ... P5BJP?th=1

I have one of these. Doesn't fill the canister as full as when new, but it does a decent job. Lots cheaper than buying new ones all the time.
CurlyDave
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Re: What to do with 30lb. propane tank?

Post by CurlyDave »

Teague wrote: Thu Jan 27, 2022 8:28 pm
...Anyway, are there better options than purging and then trashing this thing? Thank you.
In my fairly rural area, there are propane suppliers that recertify tanks. Take it to one of them and they will replace the leaky connection and recertify the tank. In my neck of the woods the cost will be about $20 and you will have a tank that is $50-70 new.

They will empty the old one for free, but will probably not give you a credit for the propane in it.

Get it refilled while you are there and you are good to go for 12 more years.
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