travelling with gas bottles and cartridges

jamie,
If gas bottles or cartridges are inside the vehicle the possibility is always there.
Cheers Dave.

Recent thread 90605 had lots of discussion on this Jamie.

All I can say is that 1 million vehicles will travel just that way over this holiday period , so what do you reckon !

Hi buzzz, If you leave a bottle of LPG in your car and lock it up in the sun it would have to get to 500 deg before (as you say boom). That the ignition point without a spark or flame .http://www.propanecarbs.com/propan4.jpghttp://www.propanecarbs.com/propan10.jpg I have mine in a vented box and it gets hot.
Andy

If the frequency of exploding gas bottles increases, the insurance companies will get involved, and we will all be forced to have "explosion safes" in our vehicles. Just like they do in Telstra, Gas, and power supply companies.
Capt.

Hi Buzzz,

You will find if it gets too hot in the car the relief valve will start to expel gas. This is why also cyls are only filled to 8o% to allow for expansion.

Cheers

I reckon if a gas bottle goes up in yr car the cartridges will be the least of your problems. Both are fine but I try to avoid carrying gas in the car just the same.

Whats the difference with travelling with these containers in them, compared to storing them in your shed when not travelling? I know my shed gets hot. With all the bas bottles, aerosol cans, fuel, etc, its a wonder they don't go bang more often, especially with those people who enter the shed with a lit smoke. How many other people have sheds like this?

It is perfectly safe to carry gas bottles/cartridges in your car UNTIL you have any sort of leak. Leave the car closed for a while with a very small leak and you will blow yourself into the next street when you open the door and the light switch spark ignites the "bomb". I know this for a fact as our immediate neighbour did just that and died instantly.
If you choose to take the risk please don't park near me.

buzzz

Do not store them in direct sunlight.
For peace of mind, just chuck some clothes over them, to act as insulation.

Cheers Bucky

There might be a couple of considerations worth thinking about,

Firstly if you need to carry it inside be aware that as the temperatures rise the gas may vent into the vehicle. Most explosions in vehicles occur because gas has vented from bottle and then been exposed to a spark, which could be created by opening a car door.

The second is that make sure it is secured just in case you are involved in an accident. And bear in mind if involved in an accident it authorities might investigate the carriage of the gas cylinder contrary to regulations...

Cheer’s The Landy

Unless the gas bottles are damaged or overfilled they should be safe from explosion because of pressure buildup as they heat up. Have a look at the front of any van and you will see them in direct sunlight at whatever the ambient temperature is. They will be hot to touch but still safe. The main issue is that as the temperature increases the pressure also increases and you may get slight leaks from the valve. If the bottle is in an enclose space then you get a build up of gas in that space. If the mixture of gas and air is correct (by the way the range where gas burns is quite narrow) then any ignition source will set it off.

So there are a number of conditions that need to be met to generate an explosion. That explains why this rarely happens. But if you carry a bottle in an enclosed space the risk is there and the effects are very destructive. I have only heard of this happening once where I was sure of the source. It was in a trailer and everthing in the trailer was destroyed with minor damage to the trailer.

The gas cartidges may be a different kettle of fish, read the instructions on the outside of the can.

Steve

What about the fella that got blown to pieces by some kind of gas leak in his van the other day, poor bugger !
Bob

I see another person was blown up in Darwin today from presumably gas.
I suppose no matter what the gas, lpg, cannister bottles, wifes hot air, etc. Once it builds up in an enclosed area anything is possible.
Bob

The tragedy of 2 young men being blown to smithereens inside 1 week & the discussions on this forum have prompted me to reconsider how I carry gas containers.
I have recently been carrying butane gas canisters in the box on the back of the ute thinking things were fine because it is in a separate compartment.
Now I think I will get the welder out & knock up a lockable vented box under the tray & go back to carrying gas bottles.
I was reluctant to carry gas bottles in the box because of the volume of gas that could vent. For some reason I thought the smaller butane canisters might be safer. They probably are. But still dangerous.