how dangerous to store propane tank in trunk?

Anyone have any recommendations on where to store a propane tank? I'm getting a front runner roof rack - I assume I could just use ratchet straps to hold it there, but is it actually safer to have it inside the vehicle? thanks much. I assume I could just use ratchet straps to hold it there, but is it actually safer to have it inside the vehicle?

 

Please don't do it. Coming from someone that works with this stuff.

 

Where else can I store? Roof rack?

 

Outside of the vehicle is what I would do. Up top is probably safest. It is not unheard of for one of those tanks, or bottles to leak. Even a slight leak could build up inside to be a very exciting event.

 

Is this from the gas station to your house? Or are we talking this is where the tank will live?

 

Frontrunner makes a propane bottle storage rack. Black Friday discount going on now.

 

Latter.

 

I personally wouldn't want a propane tank permanently inside the cabin of my vehicle. But, look into something like this, as I feel you could mount it on the roof with little interference. (Out of stock, but you get the idea)

https://www.amazon.com/Worthington-...dp/B004FPZABK?btn_ref=srctok-b451f181b5799848

 

As a former burn center researcher... PLEASE do not store inside the cabin. I've seen the aftermath. It aint pretty. Its life changing.

Also look for a 5lb bottle. Most RV shops and even Cabellas carry them. It will last you plsnty long. A lot of overlanders mount theirs to the outside of the truck or on the roof.

https://www.equipt1.com/products/at-overland-10-lb-propane-cylinder-bracket

 

This FJ Cruiser had an acetylene tank in it. It leaked. The owner aired it out, and then started the car.

Turns out the gas reminded between the inner and outer shells of the vehicle. Owner was fine, though slightly singed.

Consider carefully!

 

Indeed.....

 

That tire carrier held up pretty good

 

Long narrow aluminum 6# cylinders are available for weight saving, refurbished recertified for dollar savings.

 

Just purchased the Ignik Growler kit last month. It’s essentially just a 5lb tank, but the case makes it mush easier/safer to transport. It’s DOT-approved to transport inside a vehicle, boat, etc., but the directions specifically mention not to leave it unattended in a sealed vehicle.

 

I will add that the country store where I always got my tanks filled for my permanently parked 5th wheel has a sign that says it's illegal, (at least in NC) to transport a cylinder in an enclosed area of a motor vehicle. Incidentally, I did it every time but it was literally 1/2 mile away. TIFWIW

 

I had just purchased an Ignik Growler and a 2 burner propane gas cooktop in the last week or so. After reading the comments in this thread from people who deal with propane, I went to a couple of places to talk to somebody about it. Both places had signs at the door saying no propane tanks inside the building, whether empty or not. That raised the alarm bells. I talked with a guy who deals with propane at Ace Hardware about whether it was safe to travel for a couple of months with an Ignik Growler inside the vehicle and he said "I wouldn't do it personally". That was enough for me. I don't have a roof rack and I didn't want to go down the road of spending hundreds on some kind of hitch based outside storage unit, which he said would need to be made of strong steel and be ventilated. So I took the Ignik Growler and propane cooktop back to REI for a refund. I've ordered an electric induction cooktop that I should be able to run by plugging it into my Jackery Explorer 1000 Pro.

Thanks for the heads up. I don't care how tiny the odds of a disaster with a propane tank are, once I got that in my head I knew I had to go in a different direction.

 

Meh, youll be fine. Many do it, and even have large ones in a trailer they pull. I say go for it. How the hell else do you get it from here to there. Not to mention, one car i drove, was propane powered for a year. Odd how a fuel cell, is fine, but everyone here, that just uses their rig to get to work or get mcdonalds, has the "youll die in seconds !!!!' posts.

EDIT- i guess those little bbq bottles we all take, every trip out,... dont matter. Weird.

You will be fine,.. just like every RV, and trailer, and every other rig that has propane inside it.

(take a tank, and go shoot it,......... yep, they are built tough as hell, for a reason)

 

Show me the link to this,... So was it a fire, or what? Bet the tank itself wasnt at fault. Link me please.

 

So how else does everyone on the planet, that does, transport it? Not to mention, run their cars on it ? Love to learn.

 

You're welcome to haul them anywhere you want. I find it a little odd that the people who fill them won't let you bring one inside a building. I know the odds are overwhelming against having a problem but the consequences of having a problem are too high.

 

Sounds like carrying a jug of fuel, to and from your fill place to your rig. Odd,...... huh. The one thing is, .. those bottles, are beyond tough. Id rather have someone sitting by me with one of those, than a plastic jug. But, hey, thats me. And the odds, are more than "overwhelming against",... they are almost nil/zero/nadda/doughnut. But............. hey, some think leaving the door of their house, is unsafe. To each their own. Me? I wouldnt sweat a bottle of NG being in the rig, i mean hell, a trailer i have, has 2 ............ havent died yet. Also commuted in a vehicle, ran on nothing but, for years.


EDIT- also, its because to FILL them, there is a tank the size of a zip code,... thats why you are out side,... not in. Its also, why filled tanks, sit RIGHT by the opening to said "place"....... Cheers.

 

Why would that matter, vs a normal tank? Your worry is a leak,.. why wouldnt that have basically zero percent chance of leaking vs a normal tank ? It has the same exact valve on it as all the usual.

EDIT- What is the difference? Im here to learn.

 

I would imagine the risk doesn’t lie in strength of the tank, but rather in the user. The older I get, the more I realize I can make a mistake If the tank has a valve on that can be opened, thats a source of error which is way more probable than a tank failing. Somebody forgetting to disconnect a stove or other appliance is another source of error, because the seal on appliance is way more prone to leak.

I’ve heard acetelyne is ridiculously explosive. In the FJ pic, it wouldn't surprise me if the valve wasnt cinched down tight, or if the valve got bumped open if it didnt have the valve cover on the bottle.

 

Even the advocates for carrying a propane tank in your vehicle warn that you should probably crack a window when you drive and if you leave the vehicle for a few hours (which I do all the time hiking), you should make sure to leave one or more windows cracked. I don't trust myself to remember to do everything right in every situation and I don't trust a tank not to leak. You can't take a propane tank on an airplane, you can't take one inside a building of a gas company, there are federal limits on how many you can take in a vehicle (up to 4, 90 pounds combined) and federal laws on how they must be carried (upright and secured so they won't move), but I'm going to keep one on the inside of my vehicle for 2 months with temperatures that will range from probably the high 20's to the high 80's and might swing 40 degrees in a day (creating condensation which is apparently an issue with half full propane tanks)? No thanks. And I'm not going to spend hundreds of dollars to devise a way to carry one outside of my vehicle where there are alternative solutions. There are 2 people on this thread who say they work with propane and please don't carry a propane tank inside your vehicle, I talked to a guy who works with propane and said he would not carry a propane tank inside his vehicle on an extended trip (even though he's seen people bring in empty propane tanks laying down and scattered all over the bed of a truck without blowing up), and there is a guy who says you can probably fire a bullet into a propane tank and have no consequences. Who to listen to, it's a tough choice.

 

I wasn't ever suggesting mounting a tank inside the cabin. What I was suggesting is mounting a slimmer profile tank to the roof, rather than attempting to mount a standard five gallon tank up there.

Also a slow leak inside wouldn't be my main concern (yes that is bad, but likelyhood of a leak on its own, and it going undetected in my mind is unlikely). A much bigger concern to me is minor accident with a tank rupture inside the vehicle could turn into a major accident.

 

Just reread This thread after watching a YouTube of a guy shooting up a propane tank that has road flares attached to it. Nice.

 

So, now a slow leak doesnt matter, (above). Also, that tank you showed, to buy, is not any stronger, than any other tank you get from wallmart, .. all the same standard.
i just dont see much harm in either. If your talking a minor accident, a tank outside, mounted to a roof rack or something, would be more incline to get weird than one sitting on the floor in the back, or between your legs.
Ya put your eggs and loaf of bread outside the rig? Not to mention,.... again, those tanks, are built like,.... well tanks. But do you mate. I have other issues i worry about.