Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

I picked up a SS car gas tank today from the scrap yard it is 85L and pretty heavy. Is something like this suitable to convert into a boiler/spirit storage? What sort of cleaning would be required? It has a 2inch cap where the inlet and outlet pipes go into the tank so once I get this of I can soak it with something to get the gas residue out. Any advice here would be good as I am a bit nervous mucking around with a gas tank.

Cheers :handgestures-thumbupleft:

G'day Rowey,
I've arc welded gas tanks in the past and all I did was pipe the exhaust of the ute into the tank for about an hour, blew it out with compressed air then did the welding job. That trick was told to me years ago and I have done a few and still got all my fingers toes etc :))

Cheers Bryan,

I am thinking its still sealed and got gas in there as I can hear a little bit of liquid in the tank. I was thinking to drain the gas I could un do the fill point slowly to relieve the pressure as the fitting has a rubber seal and about 8 blots. Do you think that would do the trick?

Sounds like a bomb. Lol, gas, compressed air and an arc welder. Wear a full face helmet :))

To be safe I would recommend draining then fill with water before any hot work is done
this will guarantee no bombs :handgestures-thumbupleft:
edit...carbon monoxide is not inert and is capable of burning in the right conditions :handgestures-thumbdown:

I would give it a blast with the gerny. Then with some car wash and water slosh it around rince and air dry.
Good score rowey

Cheers fellas :handgestures-thumbupleft:

I guess the issue is actually trying to get the gas out. It looks like I will have to slowly undo the fitting with the inlet/outlet to try and get the pressure out. Once the pressure is out I can take off the fitting which will give me about a 2inch hole to soak/clean the inside.

Rum they have plenty of these SS tanks at the scrap yard so if the one I got today works out I will grab another 1 to make a storage drum :happy-partydance:

You will surprised how much gas is actually in an 'empty' tank! I did this years ago to convert a gas tank into a pressurised water container on my old truck. Took about 30 minutes to relieve the pressure at a low rate and still stank the whole back yard out. No welding for me, just drilling/taping etc but I would only work on it when all the volume is dispelled with water (or inert gas if you have access).

Now that I have more respect for the dangers and like my eyes, and face without blisters I wouldn't bother, I don't care how safe it 'can' be made.

Well I managed to drain the remaining gas from the tank and removed the sealing cap from the tank. Have filled it with water to push out the remaining gas, tomorrow I will take it to my mates workshop and give it a good steam clean and ask him the best way to make it safe to work on as he welds up our fuel tankers at work.
Then to decide how to make best use of it as a boiler :think:

Depending on the tanks design the baffles (internal deviders) might cause you a few problems.

I reckon he is talking stainless LPG tank.

I will try and upload a picture if I can work out how.
It is a cylinder type lpg tank, I have been washing it and soaking it with water seem to have got rid of the gas smell. Might have to try soaking it with napisan to see how that works out.

I might be fussy but I wouldn't use any container that had been used for poison or fuel storage for anything that I would go anywhere near drinking... :think:

Zak Griffin wrote:I might be fussy but I wouldn't use any container that had been used for poison or fuel storage for anything that I would go anywhere near drinking... :think:

:text-+1: no level of cleaning would satisfy me either

LPG is highly volatile so should flash off quite quickly. But be sure to boil it as part of your cleaning process to give the hydrocarbons a chance to go.
And also be sure not to reuse gaskets that may be on it. It sounds to me that your on the right track so far. :handgestures-thumbupleft: :handgestures-thumbupleft:
How's the photos going?

Mmmm whiskey with a hint of lpg does not interest me at all. Best of luck with the project mate hope it works out for you.

hey Rowey , I've been waiting for an update on your boiler build. Did you go ahead with it? I want to do the same and was following your build. Hope its worked out for you. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Here is a picture of the tank. I am still deciding how I will turn this into a boiler

That's a great tank but I'd be concerned that, being a fuel tank, it is not a food grade stainless.

Cheers,
Prof. Green.

Ok im going to be the outsider here, A. it's a boiler, I would doubt the vapour carries anything that a vinegar/Junkahol run won't fix, B, Food grade is a lower standard than pressure vessels so I would be comfortable there, I've never seen a stainless pressure vessel rust. I wouldn't like to be doing hot work on it but I have my reasons for that (seen shit go wrong in gas plants) I would use it as a boiler, looks like it's in great knick.