Bird
Rest in Peace
Yep, Bob, you use what you have. I've carried 20# propane bottles in the trunk of a car, in the back of a station wagon, in the back of a mini-van, as well as in the pickup.
Does Your Propane Tank Need Someone Looking Out For It ?
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Rara Avis
Veteran Member
<title>RRC: Transport Propane Cylinders Safely April 18, 2007
"To be safe, remember to plug or cap the outlets of propane cylinders before moving them, said Commission Chairman Elizabeth A. Jones. Carry the cylinder with the relief valve upright, and secure the cylinder in an upright position with a tie-down or bungee cord while it's in the car trunk or pickup bed.
Propane cylinders should spend as little time as possible on the road, said Commissioner Michael L. Williams. "Take refilled cylinders directly to your home or business, and remember to store them outdoors, in a shady location."
Propane Cylinders - LP Gas Bottles
Transporting Cylinders - Propane bottles are usually transported in the back of a truck and more often than not, they are unsecured and free to roll around. Transporting unsupported bottles exposes them to potential damage such as dents and possible harm to the valve.(Boy do the writers of this article know Americans or what...
Ensure that cylinders are secured prior to transporting them. In the case of a 20 pound or 30 pound bottle, a milk crate can be used to keep cylinders upright and protected from most damaging effects of transportation.
"To be safe, remember to plug or cap the outlets of propane cylinders before moving them, said Commission Chairman Elizabeth A. Jones. Carry the cylinder with the relief valve upright, and secure the cylinder in an upright position with a tie-down or bungee cord while it's in the car trunk or pickup bed.
Propane cylinders should spend as little time as possible on the road, said Commissioner Michael L. Williams. "Take refilled cylinders directly to your home or business, and remember to store them outdoors, in a shady location."
Propane Cylinders - LP Gas Bottles
Transporting Cylinders - Propane bottles are usually transported in the back of a truck and more often than not, they are unsecured and free to roll around. Transporting unsupported bottles exposes them to potential damage such as dents and possible harm to the valve.(Boy do the writers of this article know Americans or what...
Ensure that cylinders are secured prior to transporting them. In the case of a 20 pound or 30 pound bottle, a milk crate can be used to keep cylinders upright and protected from most damaging effects of transportation.
Scooby074
Super Member
You bring up a good point. Allong these lines though, i know my local welding supply WONT let you load up Acet or Oxy into a enclosed passenger vehicle "if they see it" ( i asked). I always take the truck when filling propane so ive never been directly told one way or the other.
As an aside, has anybody tried the transparent propane tanks yet? I think im going to keep my eyes open for one. no more excuses for running out of gas in the middle of a BBQ.
Lite Cylinder 20lb Composite Propane Cylinder, 33lb Fork Lift Cylinder
From Air Liquide's Propane MSDS
"Additional information
Cylinders should be transported in a secure position, in a well ventilated vehicle. The transportation of compressed gas
cylinders in automobiles or in closed-body vehicles can present serious safety hazards and should be discouraged."
CurlyDave
Elite Member
One day while driving along and contemplating whether to take the car or the truck to get a propane cylinder refilled that afternoon, I estimated the potential explosive force that one could achieve by mixing the right amount of propane with the air in the car.
It turns out that one can release the energy equivalent to somewhere between 2 and 4 lbs of explosive by mixing just the right amount of propane with the air in a car.
I am certain that someone would smell this amount of propane while driving, but a very bad scenario would be a small leak of a cylinder in a parked car. Build up an explosive concentration inside the car, and then open the door. Light goes on causing a small electrical spark somewhere in the wiring, probably in the switch, and boom.
Ever since that day, I have used the truck.
It turns out that one can release the energy equivalent to somewhere between 2 and 4 lbs of explosive by mixing just the right amount of propane with the air in a car.
I am certain that someone would smell this amount of propane while driving, but a very bad scenario would be a small leak of a cylinder in a parked car. Build up an explosive concentration inside the car, and then open the door. Light goes on causing a small electrical spark somewhere in the wiring, probably in the switch, and boom.
Ever since that day, I have used the truck.
ampsucker
Platinum Member
our 100 lb tanks have to be in the bed of the truck and upright. yes, that is difficult to secure because they are so tall. i usually put them right up against the tailgate and then ratchet strap them in as well as i can to keep them from falling over.
i'm told all tanks have to be upright because if the valve begins to leak and the tank is on it's side, you'll start squirting out liquid propane which is going to freeze anything it touches as it tries to evaporate plus you'll get an even higher concentration of gas more quickly.
propane is heavier than air and settles in low pockets. if you transport it in an enclosed space (passenger compartment) there is a good chance the concentration at the floorboards is much higher than at your head (when you first smell it).
amp
ps. my mom has a subaru outback. i transport her tanks for her in my truck ;-) i suppose in a pinch you could securely attach it to the luggage rack on top and still obey the spirit of the law....
i'm told all tanks have to be upright because if the valve begins to leak and the tank is on it's side, you'll start squirting out liquid propane which is going to freeze anything it touches as it tries to evaporate plus you'll get an even higher concentration of gas more quickly.
propane is heavier than air and settles in low pockets. if you transport it in an enclosed space (passenger compartment) there is a good chance the concentration at the floorboards is much higher than at your head (when you first smell it).
amp
ps. my mom has a subaru outback. i transport her tanks for her in my truck ;-) i suppose in a pinch you could securely attach it to the luggage rack on top and still obey the spirit of the law....
scott_vt
Super Member
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Ductape
Elite Member
Just belt it into the front passenger's seat in the Nanny.......... just be sure to turn off your passenger's side airbag.
Bird
Rest in Peace
Sounds like a good idea to keep the valve clean, but the little caps that come with the bottles sure would not stop a leak. And I recently learned those caps and plugs can be hard to find if you'd like to buy one.
Of course that's the safest thing, but even 100# bottles have frequently been transported horizontally with no problems as long as everything is intact, they don't get damaged, and they're set upright before using them.
How long has it been since you've seen oxygen and acetylene tanks transported horizontally? From 1945 to 1950, my dad drove a flat bed truck selling and delivering welding supplies in south central Oklahoma. All the oxygen and acetylene tanks were stacked like cordwood and held on with chains and chain booms. Of course they had the caps to protect the valves. Tailgate lifts didn't exist, and no two wheel dollies were used, so he had a knack for grabbing the cap on the top and spinning the bottles to "roll" them along. At the truck, he'd grab the top, pull it toward himself at the same time he put his knee into the middle of the bottle and flipped it up onto the truck, bottom first.
He could walk in and out of the shops spinning a bottle in each hand, but said he never got the knack of doing a third bottle in the crook of one elbow like the guys at the National Cylinder Gas plant in Oklahoma City where they unloaded his empties and reloaded the truck with full bottles once a week.
OSHA would have a fit if they saw that today.
Tig
Veteran Member
I know!! Invent a propane tank carrier that fits your hitch receiver. Lots of ventilation back there.
aczlan
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I know!! Invent a propane tank carrier that fits your hitch receiver. Lots of ventilation back there.
Works great until you get rearended and the tank is compromised, then it will turn the accident into a fuel air bomb waiting to happen.
Aaron Z
