Safety of propane tanks?

Alright this is probably just in light of current events, but how safe is it to have a propane tank around the house? My neighbors house just, and I mean like 10 min. ago, went up in flames because of a propane tank valve misfunctioning. Is this one of those yeah it happens, but not enough to justify not having propane, or is it a switch to a charcoal grille (the flavor really is better.)

And just so everyone knows nobody was harmed, and my two little sisters slept through us carrying them out to the car. But man, thats one hell of a wakeup call...

 

I always wonder about that, too. My take on it is this though: There are literally millions of gas grille propane tanks in the country. Every year you hear of one or two news stories where one goes up in flames--house burns, guy grilling gets hurt, etc. That doesn't mean it doesn't suck, because it does, but it doesn't happen that often. The difference here is, this time it was actually your neighbor!
Working with propane tank-fuel fork lifts in warehouses when I was in college, every now and then we'd have to get one outside to let the tank bleed down, because some idiot cross-threaded the valve/hose joint, and it leaked. When it leaked, it would freeze up, and you couldn't disconnect the joint. Then there's raw propane coming out of it. When this happens with a fork lift, it's bad because it's spewing propane, and if an open flame gets near it, it'll burn. With a gas grille, the open flame is only a few inches away.
Your neighbor just went through hell, so I don't want to talk bad about him, and this isn't meant to be mean, but is he the kind of guy that would have trouble hooking up a tank? Or is he the kind of guy that would realize that it's going together cross-threaded, and takes to time to re-do it and figure it out, and make sure it's right, not "good enough, that'll be fine."
-Brad

 

the simple way to test your tank is to get some dish soap and water in a plant spray bottel and spray around the valve if you get any bubbles you have a leak time to replace the tank. Let the tank bleed itself empty away from anything combustable or call your local fire dept but dont call 911 unless it has a major leak.

 

Was the tank indoors!? storing propane indoors is a BIG no no! Every Christmas Eve (today) i remember a huge explosion that happened in our neighborhood about 15 yrs ago on Christmas eve. A van with a floor polishing machine inside it was parked inside a building less than a block from our house. The propane tank on the polisher was leaking and it filled the building with propane. When the propane hit the overhead furnace flame the entire building exploded. one wall was taken down and the overhead doors were blown fifty feet frm the building. The explosion shook my house and rattled all the windows. I still have the pics of the van that they dragged outside, it looked like the van was turned inside out!!! BTW this all happened with 20# tank, the same one that's on your typical grille!. I think it's safe enough to have around the house, just like gasoline, but you wouldn't store that indoors either.

 

It all comes down to common sense. I am not opposed to keeping the tanks in the garage (I have a heater on one), but be smart about it. Don't weld or grind near it, don't keep your tank forever either. If the tank is old and crusty it is more likely to fail. I'm sure we all keep our torch setups in the garage right? It really isn't any different. Sure, shit can malfunction for "no reason" but it usually is caused by neglect or negligence. BTW I am a paid fireman so I have some idea of what I am talking about. Be safe out there.

 

I deliver propane for a living. I know pretty mundane. Anyway, when you are not using your grill SHUT THE TANK VALVE OFF!!!. I'm sure everyone knows that already, but it is well worth the extra 2 seconds that it takes to do it.

If you have a leak the soapy water, as mentioned, will let you know. Also if you smell chicken shit and don't have a chicken in the house, there is a pretty good chance you have a leak.

You also have to remember that propane, like any other liquid, will expand. If it is 30 degrees outside when you have your tank filled and you bring it home and put it in your heated garage, and the relief valve blows, and it finds an ignition source... well you know the rest.

Another thing about grill tanks is that they are really easy to overfill. Especialy if you are bringing it to the local gas station where some clerk, who has little to no training, is filling it. You should check your tank. If it has the old round style shut off on the valve get a new tank. The new ones are triangular in shape. They are "o.p.d." tanks. Overfill protection device. If some dumb ass tries to overfill it, it will check and take no more gas.

I'm sure this is common knowledge for most, but if you didn't know maybe I helped a little.

Sorry to hear about your neighbors loss.

 

Here's the drill; Ask your insurance agent. He'll tell you that propane bbq has to be stored in a metal shed, xxx feet from the house (that's insured) or the insurance is void.

 

Alright, thanks guys, didnt think there was any major problem, luckily since it had been raining the wood on the fence/house was wet and only minimal damage occured. The guy also pulled 4 more propane tanks out of his garage. He was using one of those "blue rhino" tanks where you dont fill them, you return them to the store and they give you a new one that filled for the price of a re-fill. Probably just left the tank on or figured it was standard threaded and turned it all the way on (although I would like to have a little more faith than that).

First thing I did after the family got out was to grab my keys because my car has a 5 gallon Jerrycan in the back and a half full gas tank. Its just too bad that this had to happen during the christmas season. We also had to put down our dog the day before. Although, I feel good about that part, he couldnt walk anymore and was dragging himself till he would bleed, I think it was the best thing.