Propane Safety Tips for Your Home

General Tips
To readily recognize a leak, know what propane smells like. Pamphlets are available with a scratch-and-sniff spot so that your entire family can recognize the smell. Propane leak detectors, similar to carbon monoxide detectors, are also available.

• DO get everyone out of the home and away from nearby areas.

• DO NOT attempt to find the leak.

• DO NOT attempt to repair your appliance or light your pilot light.

• DO NOT turn on or off light switches inside the home.

• DO NOT use a telephone inside the home or in nearby areas.

• DO NOT light matches anywhere inside or near the home.

• DO attempt to shut off the valves at the tank.

• DO call both your propane supplier and the fire department for help from a telephone away from the home and nearby area.

Propane Gas Detectors

Propane gas detectors are available as an extra measure to detect leaks.

Gas detectors are only an aid and are not intended to reduce or eliminate proper safety procedures when a person smells the odor of gas, even when the alarm on the gas detector has not been activated.

It is extremely important to follow manufacturers' instructions when installing a detector.

When selecting a gas detector, you should choose only detectors that are listed with the Underwriters Laboratories (UL).

Be aware of where gas service lines are located, especially when working in your yard.

Water can damage the internal safety mechanism in the gas controls of an appliance. If you suspect that your appliance gas controls may have gotten wet (because of flooding, for example), have one of our trained technicians replace them immediately.

Heating Appliances

All furnaces can collect lint and dirt and should be cleaned regularly. Contact the propane service department on proper cleaning, or follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Water Heaters

Drain your tank periodically (until water runs clean - usually 2 to 3 gallons) to get rid of sediment buildup on the bottom of the tank.

Ranges

Have your unit serviced if the burner flame is not blue. The blue flame indicates complete combustion. A yellow flame means air inlets are clogged or burners need adjustment. Contact the propane service department immediately. Do not cover the oven bottom with foil - it can restrict air circulation.

Never use gas ranges for home heating.

Propane

In its natural state, propane is an odorless and colorless gas that is widely used to fuel appliances for heating, cooking and other uses. While propane is used as a gas for fueling appliances, it is transported and stored as a liquid under high pressure in specially designed containers referred to either as tanks or cylinders. When liquid propane changes into a gas vapor, it expands in volume by about 270 times, meaning that propane is very economical to store and transport as a liquid rather than as a gas vapor. However, this characteristic also means that even a small leak of liquid propane can result in a much larger quantity of propane vapor, which can be especially dangerous in a confined space.

Similar to any other flammable gas or flammable liquid, propane is very safe when stored and handled properly. However, if propane is not properly and safely stored and handled, it can cause property damage, injuries, or even death. For this reason, it is important for the safety of the members of your household that they have a thorough understanding of the properties and characteristics of propane, and the hazards and risks associated with its use.  Contact the propane service department with questions that you have about propane.

Maintaining Your Propane System
The propane system at your home or business should be installed, maintained and repaired only by qualified personnel. 

Contact the propane service department to light or re-light pilot lights on your appliances.

• DO NOT bleed gas lines into enclosed areas.

• DO NOT tamper with gas controls on your appliances.

• DO NOT use appliances that have been flooded or have become wet, since the controls can be damaged or become rusty and malfunction, causing the safety feature built into the controls to permit a dangerous leak of propane.

• DO have wet or flooded appliances and controls serviced immediately.

• DO NOT let your propane system run out of propane. If it happens, turn off the gas valve on the tank or cylinder and call your propane dealer.

• DO have your propane system and all appliances periodically checked by a qualified service technician for proper operation and safety.

Carbon Monoxide

• Not maintaining all of your appliances in good repair can result in potentially fatal carbon monoxide poisoning.

• Improperly vented appliances can cause carbon monoxide poisoning.

• Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning may include one or more of the following: eye irritation, headaches, dizziness, sleepiness or excessive moisture buildup on the inside of windows.

• If you identify any of the above-noted symptoms, ventilate immediately (i.e., open windows and doors) and call a qualified service technician for help. Never use camping equipment or portable heaters that are not designed for recreational vehicles.

• Consider installing one or more carbon monoxide detectors inside of your home or recreational vehicle, which may sound an alarm to warn you of the presence of carbon monoxide.

Small Cylinder Safety

• Use only DOT-approved cylinders that are in good condition.

• When using a new cylinder for the first time, insist that your propane dealer purges the cylinder to remove air and moisture in the tank.

• Propane will expand and contract depending on the temperature.

• Cylinders should only be filled to 80% of capacity.

• Propane is a flammable gas that has been odorized.

• Know the odor of the gas. The odor is for leak detection.

• Leaking propane may cause fires and explosions.

• Before lighting propane gas appliances, check all connections for tightness using a leak detection solution.

• Be sure to read the manufacturer's instructions before operating gas appliances.

• Never use propane from a cylinder without a regulator.

• Do not use matches or lighter to check for leaks.

• Turn off the valves on the cylinder when not using.

• Never store a cylinder indoors or in an enclosed vehicle.

• When transporting a cylinder, make sure that it is secured and in the upright position, so that the valves are in the vapor space.

• Never smoke or have open flames near propane cylinders.

• When filling cylinders attached to your vehicle, be sure that all sources of ignition are shut off; this includes pilot lights and vehicle engines.

• Contact the propane service department for more cylinder safety information.