Auto-Sleepers Broadway FB, Handbook

Page: 31 / 130

7-7
CONNECTION OF SERVICES
GAS SAFETY ADVICE
Facts about LPG
• LPG is not poisonous.
• LPG has been given a smell by
manufacturers in order to identify leaks.
• Bi-products of combustion are harmless.
• There is danger if all air and oxygen are
excluded, therefore ventilation holes must
be kept clear at all times.
PRECAUTIONS
a) Never look for a leak with a match.
Always use a soap solution or its
equivalent when testing connections. Do
not operate any electrical apparatus
whatsoever, especially light switches. If
the leak is not obvious, the vehicle should
be evacuated and qualified personnel
consulted.
b) Avoid naked lights when re-fuelling.
c)
LPG is more dense than air.
Consequently any vapour may flow along
the ground and into drains, sinking to the
lowest level of the surroundings and be
ignited at a considerable distance from
the source of leakage. In still air the
vapour will disperse slowly.
MAINTENANCE
To ensure that the LPG tank installation
remains safe the following maintenance must
be carried out by a competent person.
Annually:
• Visual examination of the LPG tank, filling
point, valves, regulators and fittings for:
• Dents and gouges
• Corrosion, particularly under any
mounting strap or bracket
• Condition of the hoses, mounting straps,
brackets and fixing to the vehicle
• Damage to valves and fittings, in
particular the filling connection and cap
• Correct operation of valves, regulator,
over pressure shut-off valve and fittings
All defects shall be rectified by a competent
person
At periods not exceeding 10 years
This period is based on the date of
manufacture (or previous test) marked on the
tank. The tank shall be:
• Removed from the vehicle
• Stripped and subject to a thorough
examination
• Re-painted
• The valves replaced
• Hoses replaced
• Tested after assembly and re-certified by
a competent person
Alternatively, replacing the LPG tank will
satisfy these requirements.
Repair
Note the following important safety warnings:
• Vehicles undergoing repairs involving
welding or the application of heat, to any
part within 1m of the LPG fuel tank,
should have the fuel lines emptied and
the tank removed or shielded from the
source of heat.
• Vehicles with LPG tanks should not be
put through a low bake repainting oven or
similar heating process unless the
temperature is controlled to less than
40
°
C.