Propane tanks - where do you hide yours !

[UK4X4]

My HOA has hapilly informed me that all propane tanks have to be burried-

Now we are at 8500ft 90lbs snow load and frost heave up the yinyang each year the water lines need repairing in the spring

I find this to be the worst place to run subterrainian pipes and propane cylinders


I have yet to bring this point up with them - but wondered about

having a standard propane cyclinder housed within a concrete pit with a timber roof and drainage ie below ground level
but safe.

Also again due to heave I was wondering if there was any issue in running the gas lines in a plastic duct

ie a 1" line in a 4" sewage pipe for example so that they are accesable / protected without a major issue down the road

[MountainDon]

Hmmmm.... 

Propane is heavier than air. If tank(s) or cylinders are placed in a pit there must be a way for any leaks to safely flow away.

Fire fighters do not like hidden propane tanks/cylinders, unless they are buried underground. During our recent "too close for comfort" forest fire experience we had apportunities to talk with some of the fire fighter teams. One of the things the visiting fire fighters commended us for was that we moved the spare cylinders out in the open area north of the cabin. And they liked the fact that the "in use" cylinders were clearly visible at one end of the cabin. One of them commented that they really didn't like cylinders that were locked up in an enclosure, even though they could understand why some folks might to that (to deter theft).


I would think that the placement of gas lines within a larger pipe would not be a problem, as long as at least the lower end was open to permit the free dissipation of any propane leak. I know there is little likelihood of a leak once the piping is installed and tested, but think worst case scenario.

[firefox]

You might want to ask your fire department to reccomend what
they would like to see happen, and if it conflicted with the HOA.

If it did conflict, then maybe you could ask them to first talk to the HOA.

I'd hate to see you spend a lot of money and then the fire department
step in and tell you to rip it out.

Just my 2 cents on this,
Bruce

[davidj]

If you put the tank in a pit and run the gas pipes in a conduit, you've surrounded your propane containers with air.  Just burying them surrounds them with dirt.  So if there's a leak, its a decision between a propane/air mixture and a propane/dirt mixture.  I've got a pretty good idea what a propane/air mixture does.  It's hard to believe that a propane/dirt mixture isn't at least a little less scary.

(If your tank is above ground and leaks then you've also got a propane/air mixture, but there's a seriously large amount of air and it's hard to get enough propane from a leak for things to get exciting).