News » Propane Safety
The following article was written by Jim Halverson and originally printed in the September/October 1994 issue of California Blacksmith.
Check List
- Do you have the correct propane tank for the job? Frame-mounted D.O.T. approved tanks are best for farriers' trucks.
- Is your tank certified? Tanks must be certified 12 years after manufacture and every 5 years thereafter.
- Are your hoses, regulators and shutoff valves in good working order? Keep a bottle of Formula 409 spray cleaner on hand to check for leaks. If it bubble up, there is a leak.
- Is your truck set up so that in the event of an accident, your propane tank will not be struck or punctured?
- Does your truck display L.P.G. stickers on the left, right and top of your truck? In the event of an accident, these stickers will alert emergency personnel of the pending danger. It might possible save your life and theirs.
- Do you carry a fire extinguisher?
- Do you carry tanks in an enclosed compartment? If so, they should be vented to the outside environment.
Did you know?
- Never lay a cylinder on its side. If it vents, it will release liquid instead of vapor. Did you know that one gallonw of liquid L.P.G. = 264 gallons vapor L.P.G.?
- Do you know how many pounds of pressure are in an L.P.G. tank?
- At 50 oF = 86 PSI
- At 70 oF = 120 PSI
- At 90 oF = 165 PSI
- At 110 oF = 220 PSI
- The safety release valve on your propane tank is set to relieve pressure at 275 PSI.
- Some states do not allow vehicles that carry propane to drive through tunnels. (If caught, there is a big fine – $$$!)
- If your tank does explode, it will throw horseshoes approximately on mile in all directions. (FACT!) Just ask Jim Keith.
- Propane gas is heavier than air and settles to the lowest point. So, if you are cutting vent holes, put them in the floor, not the top.
A final note
In 1984, Jim Halverson spent $1,000 for a few hours in the hospital and 30 days' loss of work for a minor propane accident. Jim Keith spent $120,000 and a year suffering from his major accident.
Some costs you may want to consider: A D.O.T.-approved frame-mounted LPG tank, 10-15 gallons, will cost about $250.
The average price of a funeral, including cemetery plot, is approximately $3,000 to $5,000. Straight cremation is approximately $500 to $1,200.
Think about it.
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