Residential Propane Use: 2 Suggestions

Coming from a house that is powered by electricity, learning to deal with propane requires a bit of a learning curve. Other than asking a propane gas delivery company to make regular deliveries, you may not know anything else about this fuel and safety measures you should undertake. The information in this article lays out some details to focus on.

Placing Tanks in Safe Locations

While you may have one propane tank hooked up to the side of your home, you might have an additional large tank on hand and smaller tanks for your grill or other items. Being unfamiliar with these tanks, you may want to move them all out to the backyard, putting them right in the grass. However, this can be a mistake; the dew that appears on the blades of grass can make tank bottoms wet; over time that could lead to degradation and some rust. Should the rust pread, it could interfere with that "rotten egg" smell of the propane that lets you know that the fuel has leaked out of the tank. Therefore, put the fuel tanks on asphalt padding, concrete padding or crates to keep them dry. You may want to build an canopy to keep them under so that they aren't in direct sun or rain.

It's also vital that you aren't putting those tanks right up against one of your living spaces. If leaking does occur, propane could get into your home and that could be a dangerous situation.

Looking at Tanks Periodically

As long as you don't seem to have any leaking and there don't seem to be other problems, you may completely forget about the tanks storing your propane. However, it's smart to realize that changes in temperature and weather conditions may affect them; you need to check them out every now and then to see if everything is fine. For example, colder months can mean decreasing pressure inside your tanks, which ends up meaning that the propane flows out slower. If that happens, you may notice that some disruption in service inside the house. You may want to keep heating blankets on those tanks to keep them warm. Too much heat in the spring and summer, on the other hand, can raise pressure, which can have a negative affect on the ability of valves to remain closed; check that the valves stay shut.

Propane is a fuel that can heat your water and home well. Just remember the details laid out here; you can both protect your family and avoid a variety of problems.


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