Underground Propane Tank Question - Water in Housing

[jade97]

Good Morning All,

I have an Underground Propane Tank Question for the experts.

500 Gallon buried Propane Tank with Green Plasting housing/hatch sticking out of the ground. I own the tank.

Yesterday I noticed the green housing was filled with water, just below the head that contains the gauge/fill/connector for regulator. We did have a bunch of snow over the weekend and a thaw over the past 2 days (70-75 yesterday and today. I bailed most of the water out. I understand it is bad to have the regulators submerged (luckily I don't have any installed yet).

How do I keep this from filling with water? Shouldn't it drain off?

I am under contract to finally get my generator installed and want to fix this issue ahead of the installation if possible.

Thank you in advance.

 

[bob15]

Did you ask your propane company? Who installed the tank, you or the gas company?

 

[jade97]

I bought the tank from those fine folks at suburban propane. My builder dug the hole & dropped in the fines. Propane company dropped in the tank and filled it.

This is the first time in 3 years I noticed water in it.

I won't be calling suburban,......

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

I've never seen an underground propane tank,any pictures?

 

[On-Wheel]

It should drain off.I guess the ground was frozen and you did good bailing it out.Chances are it ,tank ,needs gravel around it to drain off better.

 

[jade97]

I've never seen an underground propane tank,any pictures?

Just like the one on this site:

https://hillcountryhydrogas.com/underground-tanks/

My housing sticks up about 6 or 8 inches higher than in the picture.

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

Must be a regional thing.

 

[Adk Mike]

Open the cover. See if its installed with enough line so you can pull the regulator up out of the water. That cover should stick up out of the ground 14 inches. When it dries up raise it up. Expensive ? Yes but if it’s too deep fix it.
I’ve installed over 1000 of those tanks . Often they are buried too deep. Or get the water to drain around it. Mike

 

[Adk Mike]

In rural NY where I live. People were oil heat for years. When propane got popular. The common thing was they didn’t want to see the tank. So there are 1000’s of the buried tanks around here. It causes issues over time. Especially when the tank is owned by a company and is buried. Very hard to switch suppliers.
Mine is above ground. I like to see it. I can change it very easily things like that.

 

[DB7]

Was a solution ever found for this? I am having the same issue. Have a non-electric hand pump but yard is so saturated it immediately fills back up.

 

[Jackfre]

UG tanks are a good idea. In very cold areas the vaporization rate of propane is temperature dependent. Sit an LP tank out in the yard in VT and you have a good chance of a frozen regulator and if the tank is on the edge size wise you can end up with no-heat. Underground temps stabilize temperature.
Here in CA underground tanks make a lot of sense to help prevent them from cooking off in a fire. Also, if you are going to make the investment in an UG tank you will likely get a 500/1000 to give you enough capacity to get through the season without having to buy when the market is high.

 

[Jackfre]

Was a solution ever found for this? I am having the same issue. Have a non-electric hand pump but yard is so saturated it immediately fills back up.

The solution is to dig a dry-well next to the tank and give the water some place to go other than pooling around the tank.

 

[kd3pc]

bilge pump would work well....small battery and solar panel...the green box is supposed to stick up, out of grade quite a bit more..