painting propane tanks????

Ok I gotta question, I'm running forklift propane tanks on my crawler same as a lot of you are. So my question is what is the rules or regulation for painting the propane tanks? I don't wanna paint them the wrong color and not be able to get them filled after ward's. I'm really wanting to paint the forklift tanks a blue color similar to that of a NOS tank is this a possible color to do???

I got 1 painted black an I've never had an issue with getting it filled

I'm really wanting to paint both tanks the same blue as NOS tanks and put the NOS labels on em so it looks like I'm just running NOS for fuel

I painted both of mine and had several different venders tell me you're not supposed to paint them, but they did still fill them.

Re: Re: Re: painting propane tanks????

jfwelding said:

I'm really wanting to paint both tanks the same blue as NOS tanks and put the NOS labels on em so it looks like I'm just running NOS for fuel

Click to expand...

Nos couldn't be "fuel".

I painted one black. No issues.

TBItoy I know NOS ain't fuel it's kinda setting it up as a joke thing especially for kids and people who don't know any better.
Everything I have read has said you can paint them as long as it's like a light reflective color to help prevent the tank from holding in to much heat

This what I'm referring to in what iv read during my online searches

"Propane bottles, like ASME stationary LP Gas tanks, must be painted a reflective color to avoid overpressure situations."

Got friends spent all morning last weekend trying to find a place in Chattanooga to fill a purple painted one.
Met errybody at Golden Mountain anyway and went in to Sparta, TN and the first place filled it no problem.

I've never run it... but given what I've heard, if I didn't have a guarantee from a go-to place... I'd leave it unpainted

Yeah that's my worry is going through all the trouble of painting the tanks then going to get em filled and told nope

Re:

If the paint is a thin coat and you can still make out the stamps on the tank it should be fine.

Yeah it's not so much about the paint as it is about the certifications and dates. Ours get a sticker everyear after inspection so I would imagine as long as that sticker and the tank manufacture date are easy to read you should be fine. Painting one up with NOS stickers all over it will not help your chances though.

customcj7 said:

Painting one up with NOS stickers all over it will not help your chances though.

Click to expand...

Exactly....

Re: Re: Re: painting propane tanks????

jfwelding said:

TBItoy I know NOS ain't fuel it's kinda setting it up as a joke thing especially for kids and people who don't know any better.
Everything I have read has said you can paint them as long as it's like a light reflective color to help prevent the tank from holding in to much heat

Click to expand...

Gotcha, as long as you are doing it as a joke!

Iv called around and found some answers to the can and can note of painting the tanks. They can be painted as long as they are a light or heat reflective color, so basically no dark colors especially black , lol. But the lighter the color the better and the stamping s in the tanks have to be visible and fully readable too. All this information was from a couple different propane service company's that I called yesterday

Gas grill tanks are painted whats the difference except maybe the color I use our local tractor supply and ace hardware they could care less what color they are

Someone said it earlier. The reason propane tanks are painted light colors is to reflect as much heat as possible. Even then I have seen silver forklift bottles
during August in Alabama pop the relief valves purging the excess pressure they had built up. Any color darker than gray will lower the outside temperature needed to build up excessive pressure. If you haven't heard a relief valve pop it sounds like a .22 caliber round going off.

I have also had bare forklift tanks vent pressure in the GA summer heat just sitting in the sun.

Isn't there thermally reactive paint that changes color based on heat? Could one paint a tank with it to indicate fill level?

patooyee said:

I have also had bare forklift tanks vent pressure in the GA summer heat just sitting in the sun.

Isn't there thermally reactive paint that changes color based on heat? Could one paint a tank with it to indicate fill level?

Click to expand...

Having the thermal reactive paint would be cool having tanks that change colors like Coors beer cans in ice.

Iv have been pondering what about hydro dipping the tanks with some off the wall pattern or design?