Staying Safe While Using Propane

If you use propane within your home, you most likely enjoy having uninterrupted service since deliveries are usually on a set schedule depending on your energy usage habits. Propane is a great resource to use in your home if you take a few precautions to make sure your family is safe around the tank and appliances where it is prevalent. Here are some safety tips to remember when dealing with propane usage.

The Propane Tank

When you have a propane delivery (from companies like Gas Production CO Inc), your driver will hook up a hose to the valve and will dispense the propane from their truck to your tank. The propane tank itself is almost indestructible, giving you the peace of mind that your energy source is safely tucked away until it needs to be used. If the driver mistakenly forgets to shut off the valve, however, you risk having propane leak out of your tank into the air around it.

Since propane is colorless, an odor is added to it before it is dispensed for use. This will alert you if there is potentially hazardous leak in the area. If you smell a rotten egg odor around your tank, open the hood where the mechanisms are located and shut off the vapor servicing valve by turning it to the left. Avoid touching any of the supply lines and call your provider immediately to come do an evaluation of the tank. Do not use any appliances or heat until your tank is cleared for use.

Your Appliances

If you smell a rotten egg odor around your stove, dryer, or furnace, turn off the power supply to the appliance and evacuate the area. Using electricity around a propane leak can cause sparking, which can lead to a fire. Propane is heavier than oxygen, so avoid the basement or lower levels in your home. Call your local fire department to come to your home to check for leakage and get yourself out of the area of the potential leak.

Safety Measures

Ask your propane provider about hooking up a propane leak detection unit to your propane system. This gives an alarm if there is a propane leak, allowing people inside to evacuate promptly. Hook up a carbon monoxide detection unit near your furnace as another precautionary measure. If anyone in the household displays signs of carbon monoxide poisoning, including vomiting, dizziness, headaches or loss of muscle control, have them go to an emergency room for treatment and do not allow anyone to enter the home until after it has been evaluated by a fire department or your propane provider.

Place a marker outdoors near your propane tank so it can be easily found when it is covered by snow in the wintertime. This will help you keep away from the tank when you are snowplowing or shoveling so you do not mistakenly dig up a propane service line while tending to your yard.