Fuel Tank Plumbing Help

[ol'George]

Originally Posted by J-Mech

You can get a fuel company to pump gasoline into a propane tank?

I find that tough to believe. Besides.... a fuel truck usually only has a nozzle with a 1.75" or 2" outlet. Propane tanks don't have a fill hole large enough for that.

Pressurize a fuel tank to dispense fuel...... You can pressure up a tank with gasoline in it if you want..... That is an explosion waiting to happen.

I think you better rethink this entire deal. Or at least first make sure that the fuel company you have in mind will actually put gasoline in a tank not approved for gasoline. I'm betting you'll find they won't do it.


Edit: George, we posted at the same time..... saying almost the exact same thing...... scary.

Experience does that.
--------(even though you are just a kid) Ha,LOL!
----DiFfIcUlT To TyPe WhIlE LaUgHiNg-------

[64fleetside]

Farm fuel tanks are for sale around bere all the time, gravity flow works real good on them.

[freedhardwoods]

I have been working on this idea for about a month. Delivered diesel fuel has been staying 2 cents/gallon above what I've been paying at the gas station. Both places have dropped their prices twice in the past month.

Most people that I talk to say gas when they mean gas and fuel when they mean diesel. I was surprised that so many people here and on other forums thought I meant gas when I typed "fuel" in my original post.

I will be getting fuel from Farm Bureau Co-op. When I used to have him come fill my semi on weekends, I would get 1/2 mpg better fuel mileage burning Co-op fuel. Many farmers say their tractors and trucks go farther on Co-op fuel.

The Co-op propane guy used to fill this tank with propane a few years ago when I was heating my shop, but it never had a tag and he said the government is pickier on the rules now so he couldn't fill it anymore.

The diesel guy said as long as it has a 1 1/2" opening to fill it, it's fine. The tank has that. I am putting a standard, vented, lockable flap cap on it that you see on many fuel tanks.

The other hole that I want to pull the fuel out of is 1". That brings me back to my original post.

[ol'George]

ok If they will fill it,
I Know what you need, but you gonna prolly have to make it.
If it were me, I'd buy an "extra heavy" 1" nipple say 3" long ( extra heavy pipe has thicker walls) and a 3" nipple will give you something to grip in a vice to thread the inside for your 3/4" withdrawal pipe to screw into.
That nipple will be what you install the pump of your choice on.
On the bottom end of that nipple( what screws into the tank) you want to run in a 3/4 pipe tap, so you can thread in a withdrawal pipe that will stay say an inch or 2 off the bottom of the tank cut at say 45*
You don't want to suck condensation off the bottom of the tank.
option #2
If you can't find an extra heavy nipple you can use regular nipple but you will prolly not get many threads to hold your drop pipe into the nipple,and it will not seal so you will be sucking air
so after you get the drop pipe in the nipple you will have have to braze,silver solder or soft solder it in the nipple to retain it,as well as seal it.
I hope I have explained it so you understand.

[drglinski]

I have a large fuel tank behind my garage that was left there by a PO when I bought my house 4 1/2 years ago that I'm still working on removing. It has fuel in it, about 1/3 full. I haven't gotten the $$ to pump it out so I can remove it.

You want it- come take it it's yours. You can even have the oil that's in it. Looks kinda like this one

http://bobsoilburnerservice.com/library/oil_tank.jpg

[J-Mech]

Originally Posted by drglinski

I haven't gotten the $$ to pump it out so I can remove it.

Go find a shop that burns used oil. They will very gladly take the fuel that is in it. FWIW, you can probably mix it with diesel and run it in a kerosene heater too. Might be a little "fumy" but it will burn.

[DoubleO7]

Forget using a hose inside the tank.
Do as ol'george suggests with whatever fitting is needed outside the tank.
Then just weld a steel pickup tube into/onto the bottom of that 1" steel fitting.

Does your local enviro police require a secondary fuel spill retainment "tray" around the outside of the tank?

[freedhardwoods]

Originally Posted by ol'George

ok If they will fill it,
I Know what you need, but you gonna prolly have to make it.
If it were me, I'd buy an "extra heavy" 1" nipple say 3" long ( extra heavy pipe has thicker walls) and a 3" nipple will give you something to grip in a vice to thread the inside for your 3/4" withdrawal pipe to screw into.
That nipple will be what you install the pump of your choice on.
On the bottom end of that nipple( what screws into the tank) you want to run in a 3/4 pipe tap, so you can thread in a withdrawal pipe that will stay say an inch or 2 off the bottom of the tank cut at say 45*
You don't want to suck condensation off the bottom of the tank.
option #2
If you can't find an extra heavy nipple you can use regular nipple but you will prolly not get many threads to hold your drop pipe into the nipple,and it will not seal so you will be sucking air
so after you get the drop pipe in the nipple you will have have to braze,silver solder or soft solder it in the nipple to retain it,as well as seal it.
I hope I have explained it so you understand.

It looks like that's what I'm going to do. Nobody on any of the forums I've asked on knows of a factory made one.

Originally Posted by DoubleO7

Forget using a hose inside the tank.
Do as ol'george suggests with whatever fitting is needed outside the tank.
Then just weld a steel pickup tube into/onto the bottom of that 1" steel fitting.

The reason I said I wanted a "weather tight pickup tube" was because I didn't want to use a hose.

Originally Posted by DoubleO7

Does your local enviro police require a secondary fuel spill retainment "tray" around the outside of the tank?

We don't have local enviro police here. We just recently started to have to mess with building permits if you have a major project. What a pain.

[DoubleO7]

Originally Posted by freedhardwoods

The reason I said I wanted a "weather tight pickup tube" was because I didn't want to use a hose.



We don't have local enviro police here. We just recently started to have to mess with building permits if you have a major project. What a pain.

Gotchya now, I read it as wanting to run the 3/4" pump hose thru a bulkhead fitting on the tank. That had 1" pipe threads to fit tank.

Anyways, welcome to the modern world of gov. red tape. It astounds me that your local gov. in Indiana have only now started requiring building permits.
Pretty soon you wont be allowed to do anything on your property without a permit.