On Fri, 30 Nov 2007 18:36:18 -0600, Paul wrote:

Karl Townsend wrote:
I need an old 100# LP bottle for use in my shop. I took the valve off three
hours ago and have an air hose line inside the bottle blowing air in for
over an hour now. No sign of the smell abating. SWMBO will cause me serious
bodily harm if I make the house smell like that. Any good ideas to rid an
old bottle of propane smell? Don't say light a match.

Karl



As others have stated household bleach is an effective method of killing
the smell. Although it might not be practical for you the best way to
clean it out is to steam it with live steam, rinse with full strength
household bleach, and then give it another steaming. Remove the valve,
set it upside down and leave a steam lance in it for an hour or so. You
could mess with solvents but then you have to get rid of them, I'd check
into renting a steam generator, or if you know somebody in the tank
truck cleaning business get them to do it.

At the day job dimethyl sulfide is used as a process additive (it is
also used as a fuel gas oderant) and bleach is used to kill the stuff
off. Steam is also used to clear lines and equipment, but there it's
piped around like plant air. It's quite effective and leaves the pipe
or tank in question hot enough that it dries very fast, avoiding rusting
issues.

Regards
Paul
About ten purges with air only over a period of a couple weeks have
cleared the smell from all five (5,3x20,30 pound) tanks I use.
Gerry :-)}
London, Canada