Here's the Right Way to Purge a Propane Tank - Survival Sullivan Purging a brand new tank is the only way to ensure your tank remains free of impurities that can impede function or cause the tank to degrade and fail. Neither outcome is good, and either can be dangerous! Luckily, purging is easily done with the right tools and knowledge of the procedure. We will tell you about both in this article.
I use a 2 stage vacuum pump to evacuate the air, then once it starts filling with liquid the propane fill guy opens the vent. I figure that gets all the air out.
This purging stuff is mostly nonsense. When the tank is filled, the vent is opened and much of the air in the tank bleeds out and that which doesn’t will vent the first time the tank is used. With a full tank, the liquid propane will occupy the bottom 80% of the tank and the gaseous propane is heavier than air and will tend to settle on top of the liquid with the air above so it exits first when the valve is opened. I’ve cut open old #20 propane tanks for various projects and they generally are fairly pristine inside.
Done the same as @Airtime I have inspected many older tanks (inside) THEY ARE IN BETTER SHAPE THAN the rust outside Sloth
