Question Steel tank rack material advice

[formernuke]

The space the wood one is in is the space I have

 

[johndiver999]

Storing tanks horizontally is not good practice due to the potential for side wall corrosion. However, if that is necessary, I would make a rearward sloping shelf arrangement so the tank butt is lifted to the front of the shelves, and then the tank slides, on secured pieces of pvc pipe to the rear, leaving the valve exposed for removal. Having a metal horizontal tank rack is going to strip the paint and break your back.

Even semi-circles of 8 inch pvc pipe would work great for normal tanks./

 

[formernuke]

Storing tanks horizontally is not good practice due to the potential for side wall corrosion. However, if that is necessary, I would make a rearward sloping shelf arrangement so the tank butt is lifted to the front of the shelves, and then the tank slides, on secured pieces of pvc pipe to the rear, leaving the valve exposed for removal. Having a metal horizontal tank rack is going to strip the paint and break your back.

Even semi-circles of 8 inch pvc pipe would work great for normal tanks./

Already in the design plans for the new one

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I store my tanks standing up in the bottom of a Gorilla rack with old LP snd HP hoses slit down the sides and pushed on over the edge of the shelf bars. The lowest shelf bars are used to contain the tanks and the next shelf is right above the tanks.
Works pretty good so far.

 

[formernuke]

So is one weld along the joints sufienct or should I do a few passes or get some 1/8 angle to reinforce the horizontal bars?

 

[Boarderguy]

So is one weld along the joints sufienct or should I do a few passes or get some 1/8 angle to reinforce the horizontal bars?

Are you going to weld the horizontal bars to the 1 piece verticals? If so, creating a "shelf" on each vertical to take the weight of the bar isn't a bad idea and won't take up any space. Attached is what comes to mind. Purp is your vertical, black is your horizontal, blue is the angle iron support, red is the weld. Just make sure it get good penetration. 6010 or 7018 do well for 1" square tubing. Or cheat and use a mig welder.

 

[Tracy]

So is one weld along the joints sufienct or should I do a few passes or get some 1/8 angle to reinforce the horizontal bars?

Depends on what you mean by one weld?
Square tubing correct?
I would personally weld the three visible sides, more for cosmetic than function. Welding the front and back would give as much strength as the tubing will support. If you are just thinking one pass across the top of the tubing, structurally it will be weaker than the tubing could support.
In actuality, the tubing is overkill for the application and you would most likely not have a failure.

There is also the aspect of, can you actually weld the material properly or will you just be flinging steel boogers at the metal.

 

[Wookie]

I held hundreds of aluminum 80's on a set of shelves made of 1x2 aluminum spanning 12 feet 5 feet tall, like your wood shelves, but 12 feet.

I no longer own the tanks, but I still have the shelves.

 

[formernuke]

I don't have a mig welder, just tig/stick.

I was thinking 7018 3/32 rod 90 amps.

Done as @Boarderguy showed in his diagram. At the least weld all four sides though 2 are for sealing and cosmetic reasons. The welds that provide the most structural strength are the top and bottom.

I'm wondering if I should get some like 1/2 angle to reinforce the bottom again as @Boarderguy showed or it that over engineering. Other option is to go one weld top and bottom and then go at put two on top of that one spreading it out.

The other concern is to much welding will cause distortion. Big plan for that is to do 1/4 inch welds moving around the unit as I go.

 

[Wookie]

I don't have a mig welder, just tig/stick.

I was thinking 7018 3/32 rod 90 amps.

Done as @Boarderguy showed in his diagram. At the least weld all four sides though 2 are for sealing and cosmetic reasons. The welds that provide the most structural strength are the top and bottom.

I'm wondering if I should get some like 1/2 angle to reinforce the bottom again as @Boarderguy showed or it that over engineering. Other option is to go one weld top and bottom and then go at put two on top of that one spreading it out.

The other concern is to much welding will cause distortion. Big plan for that is to do 1/4 inch welds moving around the unit as I go.

I don't think you need it as strong as Boarderguy's drawing.

But you do you.