Why are oil tanks painted silver?

[Woot]

Is it to reflect heat, or what?!

[dracoi]

Is it to reflect heat, or what?!

That's what I was told. Since there are so many flammable liquids and vapors around, you don't want it to get too hot either inside the tanks or on the outside surface. I have seem some painted white or tan, but never anything dark.

[Woot]

Alright, that makes sense. Thank you, very much.

[Polycarp]

That's what I was told. Since there are so many flammable liquids and vapors around, you don't want it to get too hot either inside the tanks or on the outside surface. I have seem some painted white or tan, but never anything dark.

This makes a lot of sense, especially considering that I can remember coal gas tanks, before natural gas was piped to my hometown, which were painted black or extremely dark green -- getting solar assist for the heat used to drive off gas from (bituminous) coal especially during the winter months was presumably useful.

[Bijou Drains]

A lot of propane tanks are silver too, sometimes they are called silver bullets.