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SAFETY INFORMATION FOR USERS OF PROPANE GAS
Propane is a flammable gas which can cause fires and
explosions. In its natural state, propane is odorless and
colorless. You may not know all the following safety
precautions which can protect both you and your
family from an accident. Read them carefully now, then
review them point by point with the members of your
household. Someday when there may not be a minute to
lose, everyone’s safety will depend on knowing exactly
what to do. If, after reading the following information,
you feel you still need more information, please contact
your gas supplier.
PROPANE GAS WARNING ODOR
If a gas leak happens, you should be able to smell the
gas because of the odorant put in the Propane Gas.
That’s your signal to go into immediate action!
•
Do not operate electric switches, light matches, use your
phone. Do not do anything that could ignite the gas.
•
Get everyone out of the building, vehicle, trailer, or area.
Do that IMMEDIATELY.
•
Close all gas tank or cylinder supply valves.
•
Propane Gas is heavier than air and may settle in low
areas such as basements. When you have reason to
suspect a gas leak, keep out of basements and other
low areas. Stay out until firefighters declare them to be
safe.
•
Use your neighbor’s phone and call a trained Propane
Gas service person and the fire department. Even though
you may not continue to smell gas, do not turn on the
gas again. Do not re-enter the building, vehicle, trailer,
or area.
•
Finally,
let the service man and firefighters check for
escaped gas. Have them air out the area before you
return. Properly trained Propane Gas service people
should repair the leak, then check and relight the gas
appliance for you.
NO ODOR DETECTED - ODOR FADE
Some people cannot smell well. Some people cannot
smell the odor of the chemical put into the gas. You
must find out if you can smell the odorant in propane.
Smoking can decrease your ability to smell. Being around an
odor for a time can affect your sensitivity or ability to detect
that odor. Sometimes other odors in the area mask the gas
odor. People may not smell the gas odor or their minds are
on something else. Thinking about smelling a gas odor can
make it easier to smell.
The odorant in Propane Gas is colorless, and it can fade
under some circumstances.
For example, if there is an
underground leak, the movement of the gas through soil can
filter the odorant. Odorants in Propane Gas also are subject
to oxidation. This fading can occur if there is rust inside the
storage tank or in iron gas pipes.
The odorant in escaped gas can adsorb or absorb onto or
into walls, masonry and other materials and fabrics in a room.
That will take some of the odorant out of the gas, reducing
its odor intensity.
Propane Gas may stratify in a closed area, and the odor
intensity could vary at different levels. Since it is heavier than
air, there may be more odor at lower levels. Always be sensitive
to the slightest gas odor. If you detect any odor, treat it as a
serious leak. Immediately go into action as instructed earlier.
SOME POINTS TO REMEMBER
•
Learn to recognize the odor of Propane Gas.
Your
local Propane Gas Dealer can give you a “Scratch and
Sniff” pamphlet. Use it to find out what the propane odor
smells like. If you suspect that your Propane Gas has a
weak or abnormal odor, call your Propane Gas Dealer.
•
If you are not qualified, do not light pilot lights, perform
service, or make adjustments to appliances on the
Propane Gas system. If you are qualified, consciously think
about the odor of Propane Gas prior to and while lighting
pilot lights or performing service or making adjustments.
•
Sometimes a basement or a closed-up house has a musty
smell that can cover up the Propane Gas odor. Do not try
to light pilot lights, perform service, or make adjustments
in an area where the conditions are such that you may not
detect the odor if there has been a leak of Propane Gas.
•
Odor fade, due to oxidation by rust or adsorption on walls
of new cylinders and tanks, is possible. Therefore, people
should be particularly alert and careful when new tanks
or cylinders are placed in service. Odor fade can occur
in new tanks, or reinstalled old tanks, if they are filled
and allowed to set too long before refilling. Cylinders
and tanks which have been out of service for a time
may develop internal rust which will cause odor fade. If
such conditions are suspected to exist, a periodic sniff
test of the gas is advisable.
If you have any question
about the gas odor, call your Propane Gas Dealer.
A periodic sniff test of the Propane Gas is a good
safety measure under any condition.
•
If, at any time, you do not smell the Propane Gas odorant
and you think you should, assume you have a leak. Then
take the same immediate action recommended above for
the occasion when you do detect the odorized Propane Gas.
•
If you experience a complete “gas out,” (the container
is under no vapor pressure), turn the tank valve off
immediately. If the container valve is left on, the container
may draw in some air through openings such as pilot light
orifices. If this occurs, some new internal rusting could
occur. If the valve is left open, then treat the container
as a new tank. Always be sure your container is under
vapor pressure by turning it off at the container before
it goes completely empty or having it r
efilled before it is
completely empty.
