 What is LP gas? LP gas is Huh, I don't know. I never use the stuff. I don't know long playing gas. Look, I've got to go to a party It's a fuel it burns clean is it dangerous I'm sure I don't know and don't need to know well, I've never had any trouble with it, but I've never used the stuff either It could be you know like gasoline if you didn't know how to use it If you're going to be working with LP gas Then you'd best know what it is and how to work with it because what you don't know can hurt you LP gas liquefied petroleum gas It's one of the most versatile fuels available today Serving folks from country farms to large cities Individual families to big industry LP gas also serves our highway department When handled properly LP gas performs a wide variety of jobs safely and reliably It burns readily with a hot clean flame. It's easily transported and stored But it's these same characteristics that make LP gas dangerous if handled incorrectly Liquefied petroleum gas comes from the ground as a gas but under pressure and at certain temperatures the gas becomes a liquid It's clear and colorless like water Since it has no natural scent a distinct odor is added It is in its liquid state that we haul it store it and refuel with it To keep LP gas in its liquid state. We control its pressure and temperature Special pressure vessels that are designed and built under a national code adopted by the state railroad commission contain the fuel As long as the fuel and containers are treated properly. We avoid dangerous situations There are five main ways to prevent dangerous circumstances One is to allow only trained personnel to fill containers Please stop the tape and consider this question Why could overfilling a container be dangerous? You could compare filling a container with LP gas to filling a balloon with air on a hot day The air expands and if you didn't leave enough expansion space then The same is true with this container Except that the liquid expansion of LP gas is much faster than air and the pressure is much greater and Unlike a balloon pop a container failure could be devastating Containers do have pressure relief valves, but when liquid escapes it freezes up the relief valve Or the valve may be stuck or broken Never assume the valve will work Overfilled cylinders may rupture like this one that sent the metal guard into a pickup cutting through the roof Just missing a four-year-old girl's head in another situation A cylinder that had been filled at eight in the morning got hot by two in the afternoon when the temperature reached 98 degrees The container ruptured and actually rocketed some 94 feet into a children's playground A properly filled cylinder contains about 84% liquid which leaves space for expansion If a cylinder was filled full of liquid each degree of temperature increase would add 1,800 pounds of pressure per square inch on the walls of the container To avoid a container failure the cylinder must not be overfilled You can understand why it's vitally important that only persons trained in filling techniques fill the containers Filled correctly the cylinders will contain and disperse LP gas appropriately Another way to prevent dangerous situations is to detect leaks A leak is a potential danger because the fuel is highly flammable like gasoline or natural gas In a moment stop the tape to consider this scenario This MT-3 discovered a leak in the system if the gas is invisible and the liquid looks like water How did he know there was a leak the distinct odor is one clue that propane is escaping This fog is another sign of leakage When liquid propane leaks it expands rapidly vaporizing it gets very cold when it expands similar to an aerosol spray can The moisture condenses in the air and forms a dense white fog Since LP gas is heavier than air the vapor stay close to the ground if a leak does occur you should report it immediately Being able to detect leaks is an important part of working with LP gas Storing the containers correctly is another way of preventing accidents Cylinders should be stored outside of buildings in fenced areas protected from tampering Stop the tape to consider this Why do you think it's important that containers full or empty be stored outside of buildings? We store cylinders outside of buildings because cylinders located in shops during a fire have been known to rupture causing a great deal of damage In the event of a fire or leak call the fire department if possible keep the container cool But do not try to put the fire out the gas could reignite and result in a flash fire It's important that you report any incident to your equipment supervisor Your report is vital. It could save someone else's life Another key in preventing dangerous situations is to handle cylinders carefully The main things to remember are one do not drop or throw containers Two check the exterior of the cylinder for defects such as a broken condensation ring dense gouges bulges rust or corrosion Three keep the cylinders clean and paint it with reflective paint like white or aluminum Stop the tape now and list reasons why these rules are important in handling the LP gas cylinder If you drop or throw the cylinder you could unknowingly damage its internal parts weakening it The other defects could also weaken the cylinder and undetected could lead to container failure The reflective paint helps keep the container cool If you have any problems with the container report it to your supervisor who should let a licensed dealer handle it You can further prevent problems by using LP gas properly For example, where the protective gear? Propane freezes and causes frostbite so wear protective neoprene gloves Also touch the bottom of the container to ground yourself before closing the vapor relief valve Don't have running engines of fire under the truck or anyone smoking when you start up Transfer LP gas or exchange cylinders And turn the relief valve away from yourself and other people If you learn the basic rules of working with LP gas and you follow them You'll be one of the millions of people using this desirable fuel safely Because you know the answers to the LP gas questions What is LP gas? How do you handle it? Is it dangerous? Where do you store it? Now I know that it comes from the ground as a gas, but under pressure it turns into a liquid That's why we call it liquefied petroleum gas Happy birthday Well, it looks like water But it has an odor so that you can tell when it's leaking and prevent an accident There's several other ways that we can avoid accidents One is to let only qualified personnel fill the containers Another way is to store the containers outside of buildings in a fenced area If there's a fire or a leak we call a fire department So that we don't damage the cylinders we don't throw them or drop them We keep an eye out for any defects on the cylinders and we keep them clean and painted with reflective paint We wear protective gloves and ground ourselves before handling the cylinders We make sure that there's no one smoking nearby the trucks are not running There's no fire under the truck And we also turn the relief valves away from anyone Excellent You now know the basic characteristics and the safety rules of LP gas What you know now can help you it can save your life