Gas bottles, and Risk

[buzzy bee]

Hello

I wonder if anyone could tell me a bit about Gas bottle and levels of risk, in regards to insurance and Fire etc.

I know the Fire brigade dislike cylinders for obvious reasons and will they refuse to enter a building with cylinders inside. If so what type or is this all cylinders, most households have a calor gas bottle of one type or another.

Personally, I have a small butane bottle in a heater, a Propane bottle for a heater, a set of oxygen/propane for burning gear, and then the argon cougar whatever for the mig.

Are these all the same level of risk even though some are inert?

How is best to store them, in the main workshop, in a cage, outside in another shed?

It's easy enough to store the flamible gasses and the oxy in another low risk shed, but it proves a pain to have to move the mig gas as I don't want to leave the mig welder outside in another shed really.

Any advice anyone can give is very welcome.

Cheers

Buzzy

 

[BrokenBiker]

just make sure they are all closed down properly after use and don't do anything stupid like rest the metal you are cutting on top of a bottle of propane.

storing gas bottles needs no more than common sense.

i have a 47kg bottle of propane, a 9L bottle of oxy, a y sized volkzone bottle, a pub bottle half full of co2 and numerous empty butane and propane bottles waiting be cut open. Just store them in the shed/workshop with all the other tooks

 

[rtbcomp]

.......... and numerous empty butane and propane bottles waiting be cut open. Just store them in the shed/workshop with all the other tooks

The chap from the HSE cast a disapproving eye over my collection of wannabe barbecues, he did appreciate that they were outside and there wasn't any flammable materials in the yard, but he asked me to get rid of some.

I would certainly store flammable gasses outside in a sheltered and well ventilated shed. I understand EU rules say you have to have a gap at the bottom of the door of any place you store flammable gas.

A "Compressed Gas" sticker on the garage door might be an idea for sheilding gas, although it might advertise the fact you've got a welder in there waiting to be nicked.

 

[hotrodder]

There'll be several sticky threads at the top of the gas subforum one of which is bound to be about 'elf n safety (storage/transport etc) and have links to other sources. Obviously the official take from say http://www.boconline.co.uk/en/sheq/...fety/storing-cylinders/storing-cylinders.html etc kinda assumes business and multiple cylinders in stock rather than one of each flavour...

Are these all the same level of risk even though some are inert?

Obviously fuel gases and O2 present an extra* risk but all compressed gas cylinders are potential bombs in the case of fire or potential rockets if not secured, for example if a couple of guys in silly hats with a film crew chop the valve off a cylinder you've just knocked over

Acetylene is traditionally the one that makes insurance / The Fire Brigade a bit jittery [/tongue in cheek]... http://www.bcga.co.uk/pages/index.cfm?page_id=33

* or different risk as a leaking argon cylinder can kill with zero warning (as the feeling of suffocation comes from a build up of CO2 not a lack of O2) in the right circumstances like smallish space with poor ventilation

 

[BrokenBiker]

The chap from the HSE cast a disapproving eye over my collection of wannabe barbecues, he did appreciate that they were outside and there wasn't any flammable materials in the yard, but he asked me to get rid of some.

I would certainly store flammable gasses outside in a sheltered and well ventilated shed. I understand EU rules say you have to have a gap at the bottom of the door of any place you store flammable gas.

A "Compressed Gas" sticker on the garage door might be an idea for sheilding gas, although it might advertise the fact you've got a welder in there waiting to be nicked.

i have open downwards pointing vents in the shed, any gas that i have that could escape it all heavier than air except the o2, so it wall all come out the vent to a certain extent, and anything left in the shed should be minimal

 

[steviec_lj]

Used to work with an ex-Fireman. His advice was to keep any cylinders as close to the doors as possible. They will treat the fire should the worst ever happen, but be prepared for a very large exclusion zone, and potentially, if any businesses are located within the area, claims for loss of earnings etc.