I have a 6' tall fuel drum, would like to cut into, I have a plasma cutter but

wondering how to go at this? The drum was used for house fuel.

I was told stand it on end, have a hole at the bottom and one at the top, which it does, and then pipe car exhaust into the drum, fill it up and It would be safe for cutting? Or should I fill it half with water, then pipe in some exhaust. Maybe I should abort the whole mission and job it out.

Input would be appreciated!

Thanks,

sam

why not a large hack saw or is that just stupid

The only safe way to cut the drum is with a water jet cutter. If it had gasoline in it don't do it. If it had diesel or fuel oil you could use argon or CO2 to purge the tank. CO2 is cheap. Get a 50lb bottle and purge the drum for several days. Leave the CO2 on at a high rate while cutting. Cut only after you have pressure washed the drum with very hot soapy water. Wear safety equipment while cutting. A guy who worked for my dad tried to weld up a gasoline tank after it had been sitting out side open to the air for five years. The tank blew up and sent him through the garage door. He was in the hospital for two weeks. The welding goggles saved his eyes but his face and hands were badly burned. Hydrocarbons soak into the pours of the metal and then are released when the metal is heated. Be Careful!!!!!!!! There are few enough of us trials riders.

The other way is to fill the drum with water on its side, use a disc cutter with a hose running water onto the blade to stop any sparks.

Or fill the drum with tinned expanding foam with the top left off and the foam will expand to push out any fumes in the tank.

Working for a petroleum installation company you get to hear of so many nasty stories but this is one of the safest ways to go about it as this is how we decommission old tanks no longer required without taking them out of the ground.

Plus the foam will help strengthen the drum afterwards when you doin splatters against it.

Is the successful outcome worth the risk to your life?

Yes it can be done, but I doubt seriously that you have the equipment to check it properly. (meter)

If you are going to do it, we usually use dry ice to inert the atmosphere. Get below the lel and away you go. Constant monitoring is required becuase the conditions will be changing as you cut.

I would suggest leaving it alone, or getting there another way.

I had to get 2 old oil tank out of my house basement or our prospective buyers wouldn't get their FEMA loan.

As it turns out, one of my neighbors was a pretty highly-paid engineer, and his specialty was fuel tank removal, reclamation, stabilizing, etc.

He said, "Heck...you've got a cutting torch, don't you?"

That's all you need for fuel oil. There are no combustible fumes.

Gasoline would be another story.

In the UK house fuel means OIL, git the blinkin grinder, torch owt and get at it, wont do no arm, thought you US lads werz tuff?

A local person Died while arc welding a drum that had oil in it but was empty, exploded and tore up a garage!

I wouldn't touch it!

if it is an oil tank just fill it with water and use a cutting torch when it is on its side so the oil dont ctch light and the tank blows up

A friend had got some new fuel drums to make a pontoon. He was welding them together at the school where he worked when then cleaner came in smoking. He yelled at him to put that out can't you see I'm welding fuel drums! After the cleaner put his smoke out he realised he had been had.

"Or should I fill it half with water, then pipe in some exhaust?"

Hey Sam, I don't know what kind of exhaust you really meant, but it sounds suspiciously like a water bong to me!