Gas Cylinders (1 Viewer)

[IrasciBill]

Hi, Our MH uses a 19 kg Propane gas cylinder. I know that these cylinders must be kept upright when in use but is it OK / safe to transport them on their side? I'm thinking of transport to & from a depot for exchange / refill and it's too big to transport upright in my car.

 

[Neckender]

As you say ok on side for transport but must be upright when in use.

John.

 

[scotjimland]

Hi, Our MH uses a 19 kg Propane gas cylinder. I know that these cylinders must be kept upright when in use but is it OK / safe to transport them on their side? I'm thinking of transport to & from a depot for exchange / refill and it's too big to transport upright in my car.

Hi Bill..

You shouldn't transport gas bottles on their side.. the reason being, if there is a leak, even a tiny leak from the valve, it will be liquid propane.. which expands 250 times when it escapes.. so a little leak will quickly fill the vehicle !

There is also a risk of liquid gas escaping from the valve thread..

The pressure relief valve is integral to the shut off valve.. if it opens, liquid gas will escape..

I have 19kg bottles delivered to my home from a local farm shop.. you may find someone in your area who does this.. far safer than transporting yourself..

I know people do it.. but you should be aware of the risks ..

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[IrasciBill]

Thanks Jim. You've raised a couple of points which I hadn't considered.
Must investigate the local delivery situation.
Simplest way would be to drive MH to depot and exchange there but it's a b=*^$£r to get in and out of it's mounting position so I'd prefer to do it at home where I have more time and assistance!

 

[mitzimad]

fork lifts drive around with the bottle on its side i know they are liquid take of but safety of the bottle must be the same

 

[scotjimland]

fork lifts drive around with the bottle on its side i know they are liquid take of but safety of the bottle must be the same

No.. they are not the same.. Forklift bottles are designed to be used on their side, the PRV has a tube that goes to the vapour side of the bottle.. so gas vapour escapes.. NOT liquid propane.. the reason why they MUST be correctly oriented when changed..

In use, the shut off valve is OPEN and is connected to the fuel pipe..

LPG powered trucks generally operate in large warehouse or outdoors, the bottle is not inside an enclosed vehicle .. so in the event of a small vapour leak, it wouldn't overpower the operator..

Different bottles, entirely different purposes and different safety considerations..

The transporting and use of LPG bottles carries a risk.. that risk has to be identified, assessed, managed and reduced to an acceptable level..

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[tonyidle]

Thanks Jim. You've raised a couple of points which I hadn't considered.
Must investigate the local delivery situation.
Simplest way would be to drive MH to depot and exchange there but it's a b=*^$£r to get in and out of it's mounting position so I'd prefer to do it at home where I have more time and assistance!

The biggest single advantage of a Gaslow / Gasit system is not having to struggle with bottles. May be worth considering?

 

[Derbyshire wanderer]

No.. they are not the same.. Forklift bottles are designed to be used on their side, the PRV has a tube that goes to the vapour side of the bottle.. so gas vapour escapes.. NOT liquid propane.. the reason why they MUST be correctly oriented when changed..

In use, the shut off valve is OPEN and is connected to the fuel pipe..

Sorry Jim this is not correct. LPG engines in forklifts and car conversions are designed so that the pick up pipe is at the bottom of the bottle for liquid takeoff. The arrow is to indicate the orientation for liquid pickup. It then goes through a vaporiser to convert to vapour for the carb.
The reason the bottles are transported vertically is mainly due to having the stand ring on the end of the bottle.
Laid down but secure will not make any difference to the safety although transporting any bottle in an invented space is really dangerous as any leak cannot escape.
If the valve is gas tight, it will defiantly be liquid tight.

 

[scotjimland]

Sorry Jim this is not correct.

not going to argue technicalities.. I am not wrong..

I was replying to the poster who suggested that as it was safe to lay Fork Lift bottles on the side.. , it was also safe to lay flat and transport a 19kg bottles.. they are NOT the same..

The pertinent safety information is ..

Propane bottles, whether on side or standing up should not be transported in an enclosed space.. nor laying down.

Transporting Gas bottles is covered in the The Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations 2009

Having worked on gas forks lifts am well aquatinted with the design of the bottle.. .. . the PRV has a tube inside to the vapour .. the take off is in the liquid.

If the valve is gas tight, it will defiantly be liquid tight.

yes.. but if it is knocked accidentally when laying down.. or rolling about in the back of car, liquid gas escapes.. not vapour .. this is not a good place to be..

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[johnp10]

Spot on, Jim.

 

[Derbyshire wanderer]

not going to argue technicalities.. I am not wrong..

I was replying to the poster who suggested that as it was safe to lay Fork Lift bottles on the side.. , it was also safe to lay flat and transport a 19kg bottles.. they are NOT the same..

The pertinent safety information is ..

Propane bottles, whether on side or standing up should not be transported in an enclosed space.. nor laying down.

Transporting Gas bottles is covered in the The Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Use of Transportable Pressure Equipment Regulations 2009

Having worked on gas forks lifts am well aquatinted with the design of the bottle.. .. . the PRV has a tube inside to the vapour .. the take off is in the liquid.







yes.. but if it is knocked accidentally when laying down.. or rolling about in the back of car, liquid gas escapes.. not vapour .. this is not a good place to be..

Yes Jim, aside from the technical disagreement about the liquid/gas take off, I said the same that secure and vented transport was the important part.

 

[lincolnshire lad]

Changed to a fixed lpg system, yes i had to pay out but then again i had to pay out up front for the campervan. Now ive got another empty storage locker and never run out of gas, after several outings i topped up when at the garage for refuelling total cost of gas £2.16p. Would i do it again? You bet

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[TheHat]

this might be of help http://gasdeal.co.uk/

 

[Jaws]

We carry spares upright ( we do have refillables but take a couple of Spanish bottle with us when going down there ) but only cos it is the most efficient way to store them

I too spent several years on fork truck repair and have to agree with Jim ( and others )
While cars ( and the like ) have a vaporiser fitted, fork trucks take straight off the bottle, in to a regulator and from there to the delivery device ( I was on old school stuff and said delivery device was a ring that fitted on top of the carb and under the air filter pan )

 

[TheCaller]

this might be of help http://gasdeal.co.uk/

Yep - they are Flo-Gas resellers. Usually the same price as buying direct but with free delivery. Our gas locker takes 2 x 11kg, so once one is empty I order another on-line & it gets delivered by Flo-Gas a few days later. As a repeat order it takes about 20 seconds to do.

They will collect/deliver to a 'safe place' if you are not going to be at home. Nothing fancy - round the back of the house if there is access. I must look weak & feeble - the driver nearly always offers to lift it into the van for me.

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