they put bags of magnesium or something inthe hole with teh tank to attract the rust. the tank MUST be fully painted. the lid of the tank stays at ground level. other than that, i don't know. no one here buries them, simply becuase our water table is just a foot or so down during most of the year due to proximity to the Mississippi river.

We have one. The propane companies here do it all the time. It is not a DIY thing since it requires a wench etc to raise and lower the tank. A construction/excavator person has to dig the hole a proscribed width and depth and the gas company places the tank and fills with sand. The top does indeed show and you hide that with bushes etc. They have to lift the top to check gauges and fill.....
They told me the tanks are the samt but the tops are not??? Does make it a lot nicer to not have to see the sausage all the time.

The buried tanks are not the same as the above ground models . . . . not by a long shot

I strongly suspect that if you painted and then buried a conventional tank, you wouldn't be able to find anyone who would fill it for you - It's not a DIY project and you would need the special tank

Don

"painted" is not correct, it's more like "coated" they cover the tanks with a thick asphalt substance, and then seal it. defiantly NOT a DIY project.

Not to be difficult, but my propane company told me they were the same, I didn;t make that up. Maybe that varies according to the part of the country or other things. I questioned it, as a matter of fact and they said that the tanks are subject to much less environmental things buried in sand that drains than out in the wind, rain, cold an dice. Their story.....Easy thing to check where you live. The real thing is that is is NOT a DIY activity. Of that I am certain.

Underground tanks will be and must be listed as underground tanks, this info is on the data plate. There are three types: aboveground(AG), AG/UG, and underground(UG). The AG/UG tanks can be used in either service. The underground tanks usually have some form of an epoxy type coating instead of paint, and scratches in the coating should on be repaired with the same coating available from the manufacturer. Anodes are used to protect the tank from corrosion, with magnesium being the most common type but depending on soil conditions other types are used as well, and a certain size anode or multiple anodes are used depending on soil type and tank size. Clearances from property lines, structures, wells, buried power lines etc. must be met as well. Most LP companies do this quite often and can line up everything needed to do it. It is recommended by the anode manufactures that the space around the tank be backfilled with the original soil, or completely with sand but never both unless thoroughly mixed. Rocks should be removed from the backfill and special care should be taken to prevent damage to the coating while backfilling. It is a very simple job to do, usually taking about 30min to one hour to do.