On Mon, 01 Dec 2003 20:27:21 -0500, Bob Engelhardt
wrote:

Kent Fowler wrote:
...
And what happens if you just happen to burn a little bitty
hole in the tank with your torch?

You get a little bitty amount of propane oozing out (it's not under any
pressure) and burning _outside_ the tank (remember there's NO AIR in the
tank).

...You still have the vapor and the vapor is what is going to ignite first if you
happen to put a hole in that thin tank with a torch.

Wrong - 1. vapor won't ignite without oxygen, 2. There's nothing "thin"
about a 100# tank.

How do you know there was not O2 in the tank? Remember, he
said he left the valve open over nite, I believe. Could have gotten
enough air to take it out of the rich range into the flamable limit
range. You are " assuming" no air had gotten in there. So is Dave.Was
the mixture checked with an flammable limits meter? No. So you don' t
know, Dave doesn't know and I don't know. Therefore I'm not going to
put any flame on it cause I don't know. I know now,what you guys are
going to do. BTW, you would be suprised how thin those tanks are.

Dave:
The vapor inside my tank isn't going to spontaneously ignite.
It can't, without oxygen. So again, where is the risk

The little bitty hole and a heat source such as
your torch will sure do it.


Braaahh! Wrong again! A little bitty hole will not introduce air into
the tank. Using an OA torch to cut a tank can introduce oxygen
depending upon the mix, but Dave was using a propane torch - there's no
way that's going to put a hole, "little bitty" or otherwise, in the
tank.
Braaaah all you want, stranger things have happened. That's why they
call them " accidents". I see you guys like to push your luck. , You
know for sure there was no O2 in there, don't you. And you know for
sure Dave didn't have a mapp gas cylinder instead of propane. Hell,
the next time Dave wants to put a torch to a cylinder, you might stand
next to him. Smart guys like you fellows surely can't be wrong.

Regards, Kent