Stubby wrote:



Joseph Meehan wrote:

Kurt Gavin wrote:

How vulnerable are those 500 gal home propane tanks to lightening?

Are any particular grounding or other precautions useful?

thanks


I would follow local codes and you should be safe.

The tanks are metal and totally enclosed. There is not oxygen in
the tank so unless the tank ruptures it is safe. The electricity will
run around the tank, the same way it does if your car gets hit by
lightning. Sort of like a Faraday cage.


Other things can happen. I know a guy that had a large tank on his
property for the purpose of fueling his balloon tank, about 45 gallons.
He had a heater on the tanks to keep the propane volatile in the midst
of winter. When he came down in the morning and flipped on the light
switch, an explosion occurred. The shed was destroyed, a wall on his
house was burned, he suffered burns and was in a hospital for several
days. I can guarantee that he obeyed all the rules and laws. But there
must have been a tiny leak somewhere.

Hmmm,
Didn't he know there is winter grade propane? Like winter grade gasoline?