Rusty propane tank

[Tigerfan1]

Was crawling under coach and noticed paint and rust flaking off from bottom of the propane tank. Not just paint but some of the metal from the tank as well. Not sure if I should just sand and repaint or replace the tank as the corrosion seemed pretty heavy. I do all my own maintenance so I am a little embarrassed that I didn't catch this earlier. If I need to replace the tank has anyone done this and how big of a job is it and where did you get the tank. Thanks for the help.

[Triker56]

Those tanks are not thin. Even with rust it may take more years for it to get a pin hole and leak, then you will own it.

Go ahead and paint it with rust-oleum a couple coats.

[alvo]

I was under the impression that propane tanks were generally pretty thick steel. Unless there's major corrossion issues, I'd think you could just sand and paint.

[Geocritter]

I have a 1994 HR that spent 18 years in the rust belt of up-state New York. When I bought the RV the propane tank was badly rusted and nearly empty. Even though propane tanks aren’t subject to the same rules and regs as propane cylinders I didn’t want to risk being hassled everytime I filled it so I removed the tank, had the propane drained and the tank sandblasted. Even the sandblaster was amazed at how well it cleaned up. I took it home put it up on sawhorses in my backyard and spray painted it grey. I remounted the tank and have been using for over 3 years now and haven’t yet had a problem having it refilled. BTW many propane dealers don’t know the regs for propane tanks and they get tanks and cylinders confused so it’s a good idea to download a copy of the tank regs and keep them in your glovebox in case someone needs to be educated.

FWIW I used a transmission jack to dismount/remount the tank.

Steve

[Eyephoto]

can of worms time... I have gone in to U-Haul to get the tank filled and the attendant would look at the date of mfg. He would then say that he could not fill the tank because it was past the certification 12 years. So who has re-certified their old tanks.

[BillJinOR]

Again horizontal motor home Tanks are not re certified,ever, only portable cylinders. The fact u haul didn't know that is a common mistake of those filling cylinders and not many tanks .. Thus a wise idea to carry the regs and maybe educate them (maybe) or just find someone who knows better to fill the tank
Large propane dealers ( think household delivery ) do re certify cylinders

[Geocritter]

Originally Posted by Eyephoto

can of worms time... I have gone in to U-Haul to get the tank filled and the attendant would look at the date of mfg. He would then say that he could not fill the tank because it was past the certification 12 years. So who has re-certified their old tanks.

Eyephoto, you're missing the point, tanks and cylinders are not the same. Cylinders are regulated by the DOT, tanks are not. Because tanks are about 4 times thicker than cylinders and because of their more robust construction they don't need to be certified. Are we clear on that? That's why it's a good idea to carry a paper copy of the regulations in your glove box, because the people who should know the regs are often confused too.

Steve


PS here's a link I pulled off the internet that explains things better https://www.eaglepropanesales.com/cylinders-vs-tanks

[CaptSteveW]

Tigerfan1,

When I purchased my 2002 KSDP last year, the propane tank looked terrible with flacking paint and rust spots. The fist time I had it filled I was wondering if the attendant would do it!

I scrapped it down, lightly sanded it (mostly with a scotch brite pad) masked off the decals and fittings, and put three coats of Rustleum Gray paint on. I also used a label maker to add the FILL and VAPOR labels, which were destroyed.

It looks great now.

Before:


After:

[JFXG]

Nice job, captsteve! I've been meaning to do the same to mine. Frankly, my tank makes your "before" picture look like the finished product!!

How did you do the top/back? I have very little clearance-- probably have to use a thin foam roller there, but can spray the front/bottom.

[CaptSteveW]

JFXG,

Surprisingly, the finish on the back wasn't any near as bad as the front of the tank. I just masked off as much of the area as I could with paper. Then spray painted where I could see. For the most part it's just a cosmetic re-touchup.

Steve

[Capt. Bill]

I refinished the tank on my 2005 MADP much like Capt. Steve W. The only thing I did different was on the first coat of paint- I used Zinc Bright spray paint- it's 74% zinc & this will give you greater long term corrosion protection than paint because it provides galvanic protection & will sacrifice itself before allowing the steel to rust. I the applied a coat of grey Rustolem as a top coat. It worked great & looked new when I sold the coach in 2014.
You can buy Zinc Bright or Zincalate spray paint cans from Industrial Supply houses like W W Grainger or Fastnal. Happy Trails