Tony, - and anybody else interested,
Yes, these are risks we have to be aware of – and should be told of. But it's a bit scare-mongering to say “the vehicle could explode”. Sensational even. You should say instead, “The effects of any gas leak can be catastrophic.” Much more moderate and just as accurate. The proper answer is – don't carry them in the boot. I know this as “reasonable care.” Or, don't overfill them. It should be easy enough to read the indication at the pump. So many litres and no more! “Reasonable care” again.
Now, we all carry our gas cylnders in lockers vented to the atmosphere and sealed from the van, yes? Overfilling is still a risk but then not quite the scenario you give if any leak vents to the atmosphere.. Also, the risk is again small if an inadvertently overfilled bottle is in use and the level is therefore dropping.
Has an explosion due to overfilling ever happened? If it has, I can't find an instance. Can anybody else? The nearest I can find is an incident in the US where an overfilled cylinder leaked, the gas ignited and a “contributory factor” was that it had been overfilled. The report I read doesn't say whether the bottle had been overfilled by professionals or by people like us. Another contributory factor was that the full cylinder had been stored under a barbecue which was in use at the time. I expect this raised the temperature a bit – and with a flame already there! Both are unsafe practices in my view, together lethal.
We all know, or should know, the risks of gas. I've given the instance of keeping the gas in a locker venting to the atmosphere. We all turn off the fridge when moving the van, yes? Of course we do. We have to because all cylinders have liquid gas which will slosh about while we're driving. If liquid gas enters the regulator, and therefore, the fridge burner, it will expand hugely and cause your van to explode – the gas is already alight. Really we should turn off the gas at the bottle too. The ferry companies insist upon that. After all, liquid gas might get trapped in the wrong side of the regulator just waiting for you to light the fridge or the cooker.. Well, the risk is there but we take care and it must have happened that a van has exploded or burned because somebody drove with the fridge lit, or the bottle turned on, – but I've never heard of it.
It's my opinion that normal, careful-ish people who use the filling, or any gas, equipment in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions can use this equipment safely. In any case, it is offensively presumptious to assume that “we” know best Other people have to be regarded as just as intelligent as we are.
I use the Gaslow system and our van also runs on LPG so I am continually filling tanks. The Health and Safety rules for filling gas containers are at
http://www.hse.gov.uk/cdg/pdf/safusgc.pdf but here is the appropriate quotation:
Filling
Anyone carrying out the filling of gas cylinders should wear appropriate personal protective
equipment. This may include safety shoes, protective overalls, gloves, and ear and eye protection.
Well, I don't wear all that stuff. So there. But I do take reasonable care.
Tom
