LP tank explosion.


 
I used to live not far from there in Addison. Honestly though, as Paul Harvey used to say, There has to be a "rest of the story". Something else had to have been going on beside just a small leak
 
I also used to live just west of there.

The report I read yesterday indicated that there was a significant leak from the grill tank being transported inside the rental box truck. I don't recall what the ignition source was, though. My cynical suspicion is that the tank was actually on a grill, the manifold valves turned off, but the tank valve left on.

I learned relatively young to always turn off tank valves when not in use, ranging from 20 lb. grill tanks to 1,000 gallon pigs. Never part of a disaster, fortunately.
 
Been driving propane tanks around for years. But never bothered to look these up before. Duh.

Upright in the back seat with windows cracked. Recommendation is to wedge it in place by moving the passenger seat back. Makes a lot of sense. Wonder if you could get a seat belt to firmly hold the tank in place.

How to Transport Propane Tanks Safely

When transporting your propane tank from one location to next, keep in mind these safety tips to ensure a smooth relocation for your propane tank.
www.amerigas.com www.amerigas.com
 
Guy was moving. Truck was prolly loaded and maybe something shifted and pressed against the ignitor or caused a spark.
Talk about shrapnel flying everywhere..
 
Here is what happens (or likely can happen and it's a PIA to correct). If you turn the tank off first as you go to reignite, the LP tank will make a sudden "gulp" of LP and can (and DOES as I've seen it happen multiple times) trip the OPV. Cutting gas flow to nearly nothing.
If you turn off the grill FIRST then then tank, unless the line and valves are bad this will not happen as it will not produce that big "gulp" of LP passing through. If it does trip it using that technique it's a sure sign you need to do some troubleshooting. When I ran LP if the grill was an "outside one" (not stored in garage) I never bothered to deal with the tank. When a full tank went on the valve was opened and stayed that way until the tank was replaced. After all. Do you go outside and shut your home's supply off every time a gas using appliance in your home cycles?
 
I always turn them off now, kids bumped a grill once through the cover, smelled after an hour or so but scared me enough to always turn off the tank.
 
After watching that video I'd much rather swear for a couple minutes over a tripped valve, which I've never experienced thus far. And in my feeble mind there is a much greater risk of a grill LP fuel leak than a home supply tank leak :)
 
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If the grill and tank are outside, the ventilation will likely keep you safe regardless of what you do with the valves.

The danger comes from an enclosed space. And also a space that is moving and jostling.

So the point here today is to take some thoughtful care when transporting tanks in vehicles. Which is something we all do in our cars, trucks and SUVs.

And maybe think about that tank in your garage.
 
Not saying "don't turn off the tank" but do it in the correct order, There is absolutely nothing to be gained by turning the tank off first and more to be lost. After all. Even IF there was a leak or a valve got "bumped"..............how much gas do you think you're going to lose? At WORST a little pffft. All turning the grill off first does is maintain balance in the line so next time you operate the grill you don't have to go through the whole reset ritual. Some tanks and regulators are more prone to this. I've seen some, that will go into needing reset every single time, and some where you can do it impunity.
And for the record you're in MUCH more danger of something happening to your kitchen range than your outdoor grill with regard to bumping a valve or such. After all you walk past it every day multiple times per day. Many times brushing across it. I've had to discover more than one might think that one of my stove's knobs have been bumped into an "on" type position. When kids are over we take them off the range. But even without kids I've seen it happen more than few times. I'd MUCH rather have a grill accidentally turned on than my kitchen stove
 
Yea if your gonna move a gasser, disconnect the tank and store that like mentioned above.
My Son moved back from Florida and had 5 LP tanks in a U-Haul. He put them in milk crates and strapped them against the wall.
 
LMichaels said:
Here is what happens (or likely can happen and it's a PIA to correct). If you turn the tank off first as you go to reignite, the LP tank will make a sudden "gulp" of LP and can (and DOES as I've seen it happen multiple times) trip the OPV. Cutting gas flow to nearly nothing.
If you turn off the grill FIRST then then tank, unless the line and valves are bad this will not happen as it will not produce that big "gulp" of LP passing through. If it does trip it using that technique it's a sure sign you need to do some troubleshooting. When I ran LP if the grill was an "outside one" (not stored in garage) I never bothered to deal with the tank. When a full tank went on the valve was opened and stayed that way until the tank was replaced. After all. Do you go outside and shut your home's supply off every time a gas using appliance in your home cycles?
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One of the things that I did learn young was that valves in general should be gently cracked open and not with a hard twist. That applied to pretty much everything, the only exception was quarter turn ball valves. Personally, I've never had an OPV trip when I've done this. These days, about the only time I use a grill tank is when I'm lighting off the firebox in my gravity fed smoker, a 50k BTU venturi burner.

Edit: should add..... house tanks are a rather clear exception to the turn it off when not in use rule. Then again, those really don't have any soft lines that can degrade over time.

The 1,000 gallon tank I referenced earlier.... those were used for corn driers in the fall. When both driers were running, we could drain one in about 18 hours of run time, and there were 3 set in parallel. Those lines were rather large, and buried from the tanks to the driers. Even though there weren't any soft lines there, because there was vehicle traffic over the lines (I don't remember how deep they were buried.)
 
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