Carring a cylinder in an enclosed vechilce

[ptsideshow]

Was up at my LWS yesterday and they had a new notice on the wall. Seems there was a leaking propane cylinder, in a car after the party went and did shopping with the cylinder in the closed hot car. Whether it was a real slow leak or just venting due to cylinder overheating in a closed car. I'm sure it was prompted by a some legal action on the part of the person driving the car! Thought this might be of interest here.

[monckywrench]

Note that there is a heat wave in many parts of the US, and spray can valves can fail too.

I'd not be overly worried about cans bursting, but a can of starting ether or other solvent, or one with LP as propellant could make for quite the fire if it leaks. Disposable LP cylinders can leak too.

I like the "windows open" warning. They know people will still do it.

[ptsideshow]

I would have liked to seen the vent dump during the liquid phase, when the people were in the car after the shopping trip stop and get back in. It had to be timed perfectly. From the sound it is is one of those nuisance lawsuits. Gee they didn't tell me anything, the party is like the scarecrow they don't have a brain Once the legal news publish it and all the legal depts get a heads up. It will be just another PIA that we will deal with!
Like the u tube vid's of the spray paint and other canned items letting go after being placed on the rear window decks in hot weather!

[canoecruiser]

The LWS that is most little-guy-friendly in my area is a GTS-Welco which is part-owned by Praxair. The proprietor absolutely refuses to let anyone stuff cylinders into a car cab or trunk. Can't blame him really. Some ambo-chaser from Dewey Shaftem & Howe will try to make a case if it leaks and asphyxiates the one-year old kid left in the car on a 95 degree day or slides around and busts up the Waterford crystal or makes a fireball when the door switch sparks.

A few years ago an acetylene tank leaked in a Mercedes trunk and totaled the car. BATF, FBI, DHS and the Klingons investigated a "possible" terrorist incident until they found out it was common stupidity.

With fuel gas the threat of death is real based on results. I use my F-150 instead of the ricebox grocery chaser but no one had to convince me it was a good idea. My personal goal for leaving this life is to be shot by a jealous husband when I'm 99 and so far it's going to plan.....

[Tom Hintz]

Lots of places will give yo this warning. All of the dealers around here that sell gas cylinders to the public give that warning and their employees are not allowed to load a cylinder into an enclosed vehicle that includes the passenger compartment.
I guess that I understand this concern as these cylinders do contain plenty of gas to compromise the driver should a leak occur or worse if the vehicle has an accident.

[Blacksmith]

My DD is a Ford Focus coupe but I need to drive my F150 every couple of weeks to keep it in good condition, so picking up/transporting C25 on my lunch hour is just a good excuse. Canoecruiser, I like your plan; reminds me of Roger Moore in The Man with the Golden Gun - 007, "who would put out a contract on me?", M, "Jealous husbands! Outraged chefs! Humiliated tailors! The list is endless!"

[4sfed]

Compressed gasses are one thing, fuel gasses another. This guy was lucky

http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=291529

[monckywrench]

Stupid people don't just hurt themselves, unfortunately. Even inert cylinders can be projectiles in a crash.

Since I haven't figured out a safe way to catch an argon cylinder with the back of my neck, they get secured in the bed of my truck.

[Sandy]

Looks like the typical standard warning that goes with everything. No biggy. A BIC lighter has a warning label. I suppose a pocket knife has a warning label. What doesn't have a warning label? The **** shoulder of the road has a warning label. Curves in the road have warning labels.

[monckywrench]

A BIC lighter has a warning label.

Don't wear a BIC near the family jewels while welding. Hot slag burns through plastic. Zippos are much safer.

They won't go off like the Urban Legend says, but they aren't thick either.

Cool Mythbusters test rig:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtDvXF8ile8

[MAC702]

Of course the answer is to lay some hard and fast "thou shalt not" rules.

Never mind that a customer with his windows down for the drive will have nothing to worry about, and even that is 99.999% unnecessary. Buy a lottery ticket if you worry about stuff like this.

Never mind that a bottle in a car will experience less heat than the ones in the yard of the supplier.

The pictures of exploded cars are neat and all, but more often than not will be used to enforce a rule that has nothing to do with some shade tree weldor grabbing a bottle of gas in his station wagon to get home and get a job done.

[aametalmaster]

What about service trucks and vans? There has to be thousands of porta-torches on the road everyday...Bob

[Roger]

Your right it's very common to have small torch set inside service vans most commonly using Acetylene fuel with O2. The tank set is often unsecured laying on side in pile of stuff. Last line of defence is they might smell leaking Acetylene before fire or explosion. Best way to carry these torch sets is isolated in sealed compartment vented to outside. Nobody I have seen does this. Biggest problem is Acetylene has widest explosive limits 2.5 to 80% acetylene in air and 3 to 93% in oxygen. Also pure O2 leak around hydrocarbons can start fires.

[Sandy]

My keyboard has a health warning on the bottom with a bright red tag attached to the usb cable.

[capt_tom]

Unsecured in the back of a pickup can be just as bad as tanks enclosed in a trunk. In 1983, I has 12 scuba tanks laid down in the back of my old GMC. While pulling away from a stop, I realized that the oncoming traffic was faster that I had thought. I had just stomped the accelerator when I heard the bang of the tanks slamming against each other, and against the tailgate of the truck. The old latch failed, and five tanks hit the pavement. Four of them were rolling on the pavement as we chased them down. The fifth? There was no "explosion" noise, but when it happened, I remember seeing a blur (through the windshield) of something go over the truck into a private park/garden area. If someone found it... well, It had my name on it, and people here knew me. Surely they would have called... or maybe just wondered if it washed up from a hurricane.