A protective valve system including a pipe extending into the tank through a wall with a seat positioned in the pipe inside of the tank and a safety plug movable for releasable and sealingly seating on the seat. A first valve is positioned outside the tank and connected to the pipe and a second valve is positioned in the pipe inside of the tank. A valve operator positioned inside of the tank is connected to the second valve but is exposed to the exterior of the tank for actuation.