Propane Safety & You – Tips for Residential and Commercial Businesses

Safe Handling of Propane

Propane gas can be an affordable and efficient way to heat your home, get hot water, cook and generate electricity. But did you know that improperly handled propane can cost you your home, or even worse, your life?

It’s important that you follow propane safety best practices and use caution when handling tanks, fuel lines, appliances and generators to ensure safety. When handled properly, propane is a very versatile and safe fuel.

Important Propane Safety Tips:

Handle Your Propane Tanks Carefully

• Do not use or store your portable propane tanks in basements or living spaces. Areas should be well-ventilated.
• Properly secure portable propane tanks when transporting and maintain them in an upright position where no or very little movement will occur.
• Do not leave portable propane tanks in cars, trucks, or closed vehicles. Tanks should be removed as soon as possible when returning to your home or place of business.
• Secure temporary tanks when used for building heat, hot water, or cooking and ensure the valve will not be damaged or broken.
• Contact a qualified Granite Propane service retailer to connect tanks to appliances or service your equipment.

Use Propane Gas Appliances With Care

• Never use propane gas BBQ grills inside your home or building. They must remain outside in a well-ventilated area.
• Refrain from using propane stoves or ovens for space heating.
• Do not use portable electric generators indoors – keep them outside of the building.
• Have a qualified Granite Propane service technician connect appliances and perform a leak test on a regular basis.

What Do You Do If You Smell Gas?

• Extinguish all smoking materials and open flames near the area. This includes cigarettes and vapes.
• Remove all people and pets from the area where you suspect the gas leak is occurring.
• Turn off the gas supply valve of your propane tank if it is safe to do so.
• Contact a qualified propane supplier or technician from Granite Propane as soon as you are clear of the leak. If you can’t reach us, call 911.
• Do not return to the area until your propane retailer, emergency responder, or qualified service technician determines it is safe to do so.
• Get your system checked. Before you attempt to use any of your propane appliances, your propane retailer or a qualified service technician must check your entire system to ensure that it is leak-free.

Don’t Run Out of Gas. It can be Hazardous!

Serious safety hazards, including fire or explosion, can result if larger tanks are allowed to run out of gas. If an appliance valve or a gas line is left open when the propane supply runs out, a leak could occur when the system is recharged with propane.

Additionally, Air and moisture could get into an empty or depleted storage tank, which can cause rust build-up inside the tank.

Finally, rust can decrease the concentration of the odor of propane, making it harder to smell. If your propane tank runs out of gas, any pilot lights on your appliances will go out. This can be extremely dangerous if not handled properly.

Check For Leaks Regularly

In many states, a propane retailer or a qualified service technician like one from Granite Propane must perform a leak check of your propane system before turning on the gas.

Set Up Regular Delivery Services

Establish a regular delivery schedule with a propane retailer like Granite Propane. Also, periodically check the fuel gauge on your propane tank. If the fuel level drops below 20%, contact your propane retailer.

Odor Loss:

Odor loss can also diminish propane’s smell. On rare occasions, propane can lose its odor. Several things can cause this including:

• Air, water, or rust in a propane tank or cylinder can reduce propane odor concentration.
• If the propane is leaking underground, its passage through soil may reduce the smell of propane.
• The propane odor may stick to the inside surfaces of gas piping and distribution systems and possibly other materials.
• Since there is a possibility of odor loss or problems with your sense of smell, you should respond immediately to even a faint odor of gas.

If you are concerned that you or others in your home may have difficulty smelling propane, consider buying one or more propane gas detectors.

Consider Installing Propane Gas Detectors

Install gas detectors in your home or business. In some circumstances, you may not smell a propane leak. Propane gas detectors are designed to sound an alarm if they sense the presence of propane. Device operation does not depend on the concentration of odorant in the air, just the propane concentration at the detector.

Consider installing one or more propane gas detectors. This is important if you or others in your home have difficulty smelling propane. Additionally, it can help if appliances are in little-used areas in your home where the smell of propane might not be detected. Propane detectors like Mercaptan detector strips can provide an additional measure of security.

Propane detector quality is important, so be sure the units you buy are listed by Underwriters Laboratories (UL). To be sure propane gas detectors operate properly, install and maintain them as the manufacturer recommends. Even if you install gas detectors, have a qualified service technician from Granite Propane inspect your propane system and propane appliances periodically. You may also consider a carbon monoxide alarm to be extra safe.

If you’re having a propane emergency, call first responders at 911. As always, if you have any questions or concerns about the safety or handling of your propane system, please contact Granite Propane immediately at 775-577-2361 or after hours at 385-264-7221. We’ll have one of our qualified technicians take a look at it as soon as possible.