Gas bottles in the 4wd

4wdnewbie · Post by **4wdnewbie** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 8:21 pm

Not sure where to ask this (mods, feel free to shift this elsewhere):
I have a small 5kg lpg bottle. During the holidays there may be situations when I will be away from my 4wd (eg, tramping). Considering the heat build up inside the 4wd during hot sunny days is it unsafe to leave the bottle inside? (I'm not sure about lowering the windows an inch)

Any ideas on how to keep the bottle safe (cool?) or is it a no-no keeping the gas bottle inside the vehicle during hot days? (there's no handle on the bottle in such a way that I can chain and padlock the bottle to the underside of the vehicle).
Thanks.
JT

smurf182 · Post by **smurf182** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 8:38 pm

So long as the bottle has been filled correctly there will be unfilled space (ullage) that allows for expansion of the liquid due to heat. You should have no problems leaving it inside the vehicle.

curly12 · Post by **curly12** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 10:03 pm

NEVER LEAVE A GAS BOTTLE INSIDE THE CAR WITHOUT A VENT. :evil:

Rant not quite over.
:evil:

LPG sinks to the bottom of the available air space. Make sure all connections are crimped and if all else fails, call into you local plumber and ask if they would approve them.
:evil:

One 9kg bottle of lpg will destroy a house, let along a car.............

Jerry · Post by **Jerry** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 10:05 pm

Can I leave one in your Nissan :lol:

curly12 · Post by **curly12** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 10:12 pm

And then what the hell will I have to tow you out with?? Because my toymotor is allways broken :roll:

P.S It won't break a nissan...........

IcedJohnno · Post by **IcedJohnno** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 10:31 pm

curly12 wrote:.....call into you local plumber and ask if they would approve them.

One 9kg bottle of lpg will destroy a house, let along a car.............

On the whole I totally agree with you Curly however one small correction :roll:

Call into your local registered Gas Fitter who may possibly be a plumber as well but not likely.

I have done both new product design, gas lab installation and appliance testing in the NZ gas world. The comments from my then boss, the industry leader, is that a lot of Plumbers recently got gas fitting accreditation via their weet-bix packets.
My first hand experience would agree with him.

No offence to plumbers intended, I have worked in that field too.

GET IT checked by a REGISTERED GAS FITTER

Red90 · Post by **Red90** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 12:34 am

I used to run around Africa with up to 3 bottles in the car and never had a problem in the heat. Just make sure the vehicle isn't air tight. My Landrovers never were

rowinz · Post by **rowinz** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 9:11 am

as an LPG engineer, formally, LPG bottles should not be carried in the vehicle cabin.

informally, so long as the bottle is upright, disconnected, not leaking and there is sufficient ullage space at the top (as smurf182 mentioned above), there will be no problem (so long as ambient temp in vehicle stays below 50Â°C, in which case standard ullage won't be big enough).

I'd happily leave a bottle in the car for a while after I had checked it. If you're really worried, use soapy water to check for leaks (valve thread and outlet) and keep in the shade in car (cover over).

If you get back and smell gas then open all doors and windows and let it ventilate for 15-30mins, or until you can't smell it (assuming you can smell normally). Thats hoping the door light switch didn't spark and ignite it.

LPG is heavier than air, so will sink to lower points. Leaving the window cracked is kind pointless, cos the LPG would need to fill the vehicle to the window level before it could escape.

Never leave a bottle in your car connected. 90% of leaks come from the fittings on hoses, etc.

CheersR