Where can I install my propane tank?

[Oregonconversion]

This is something I want to be super carefull about because it can be very dangerous.

Can I install my propane tank next to my inverter and batteries? Or should I have it in a bay with no electronics? (my front most bay)

thanks in advance.

[Singing Land Cruiser]

Code states that propane storage containers must be stored in their own sealed space with a proper drain. Here is what we did;
http://singinglandcruiser.blogspot.com/search/label/Propane%20Compartment
All the Best, M&C

[WVA_NATIVE]

I would not put it anywhere near anything electrical.

WVanative

[jmblake]

I installed mine in the front drivers side bay in a sealed compartment with top and bottom vents to the exterior of the bus. All my electrical is in the middle bay. Just the way I did it. Jason

[NewbeeMC9]

Seems the AC conditioner condenser bay would be a good place since it is already vented.


Singland,  I like yours to,  would it have been possible to mount the tankholder higher and over the holes and make the compartment shallower?  Also do you have vents up high also?

[Tenor]

Here is how mine used to be mounted in the old AC compartment.  The bottle is on some blocks to sit it directly over the original floor vents.



I have since moved things, and it looks like this: (the bottle goes in the front, I took the picture to discuss the genset radiator.)

[Singing Land Cruiser]

Singland,  I like yours to,  would it have been possible to mount the tankholder higher and over the holes and make the compartment shallower?  Also do you have vents up high also?

Hi NB, At the time we were using all parts we striped from the bus and thats how it work. I can see that raising the tanks would save some room. I put in twice the drain capacity needed and checked it with dry ice. The drain worked fine. I am going to add a intake through the baggage door, hate to drill the S/S but several 1/4 inch holes (12-24) should do the trick. M&C

[niles500]

Hey Michael - before you start drilling holes - consider this, cutting thin slots along the underside of your flute lines of the baggage door - won't affect the aesthetics of the coach like the holes will - and the shadow line of the flutes will somewhat hide the slots - HTH

[Iceni John]

I just finished making a small compartment for two 30-lb propane cylinders, just ahead of the left front wheel.   It has ventilation holes along the tops and bottoms of its inside walls, so any leaking propane should flow out the bottom vents straight onto the ground.   I may also put a small louvered grill in the door to help with airflow.   The vent holes are small enough to not let too much road dirt in, plus being in front of the wheel should be a relatively clean location.

I plan on having some type of emergency shut-off valve accessible from outside, plus quick-disconnect straps to securely hold the cylinders in place, plus grounding each cylinder to the bus frame in case of static electricity.

John

[JohnEd]

Mount the bottles against the front bulkhead of the compartment they are in.  Use a high capacity permanent mounted tank.  As well as having it against te bulkhead, put it in the center of the bay.  Side impact will turn you into an inferno.  Running into anything, even at low speed will subject the heavy bottles to huge stresses and if they come adrift you get the inferno thingy again.  Propane is a commodity that has wild price  fluctuations from place to place so being able to stock up is a good thing. I will cook, heat refridge and heat water with propane so carrying even a 100 gallon tank makes perfect sense to me.  55 gallon is the most appropriate for full timeng or boon docking for extended periods.

Something to think about is to have 10 inch diameter tanks feet long stacked and mounted against the front bulkhead.  They are connected in series so you fill the bottom tank to fill all.
Takes up less compartment space for a given volume.

My 2 cents,

John

[4905 doc]

Are you using an rv tank or just bottles?

[BG6]

Can I install my propane tank next to my inverter and batteries? Or should I have it in a bay with no electronics? (my front most bay)

The simple rule with propane tanks is to install them where you are willing to have a fire and no breathable air.

Since there are few places like that on a coach, the next best is to install them where there is nothing ELSE which can cause a spark or fire.

The LAST place that I would put my tanks is in the same space where my batteries are.  A dropped wrench which contacts the positive terminal of either battery and the side of a propane tank will result in an IMMEDIATE EXPLOSION, as the arc blows a hole through the think wall of the tank.

Most of us have put the tanks in the vented bay where the aircon condenser used to sit.  Wherever you put the tanks, you MUST provide DOWNWARD VENTING -- propane is heavier than air and will pool like water.

My last suggestion is that you get a sheet of stainless steel and make a heat shield at the top of the bay, in case you do get ignition.  The real danger is secorndary ignition of the floor (which is the ceiling of all of your bays). 

[jackhartjr]

jmblake, why did you put top and bottom vents there?
I thought the idea was to only have the bottom venting to allow the leaking propane to go down as it is heavier than air?
Just askin'.
This is how I learn.
Jack

[JackConrad]

jmblake, why did you put top and bottom vents there?
I thought the idea was to only have the bottom venting to allow the leaking propane to go down as it is heavier than air?
Just askin'.
This is how I learn.
Jack

Jack,
   It might have changed since my older version of the NFPA 1192 standards was published, but my copy calls for 1 square inch of ventilation per 7 pounds of propane, divided between the top and bottom of the compartment. I think it is to allow fresh air to enter the compartment as the heavier propane exits the bottom.  Jack

[Lin]

We removed the OTR heat and AC coils, and blower that were center coach, forward of the 1st bay and installed a permanent tank that is about 45 gallons.  The area is closed off from the bay by a partially removable partition.  It is open to the old condenser bay which, of course, still has the screen grating door.  We have two portable 7 gallon tanks there also.  One is connected and one is there for standby.  The idea being that we can filled the big tank when convenient and fill the small tanks if it is not.  We have a couple of vent holes through the floor under the large tanks that are covered with steel mesh to stop rodents from coming in.  For right now, we have much more propane than we need, but since our generator is gasoline, the long range plan is to convert it to propane too.

Not to minimize the danger inherent in any flammable gas, but mere impact is probably not enough to ignite a propane tank.  Have you seen the Mythbusters trying to explode one by shooting at it?  They had to use an explosive round to get the tank to blow.

http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/mythbusters-clips-exploding-propane-tank.html