Safe Transport/Storage of Aux LP Tanks?

The relief vent is there mainly in case the cylinder (or rather its contents) gets so hot that the headspace is reduced to zero. Liquid propane has a fairly significant coefficient of thermal expansion; and, like basically all liquids, is incompressible for any practical purposes. This means that once the headspace is gone, any additional warming will make it exert tremendous pressure on the container and probably burst it catastrophically.

So long as the valves are not leaking and the temperature is kept reasonable and the tank was properly filled (in particular, was not overfilled), there's little cause for any concern in carrying it inside a vehicle, particularly for relatively short distances. As one who owns a gas grill but no pickup or trailer, I bring the cylinders to and from the store to be refilled in my hatchback. I also get gasoline for the lawn mower can in the same vehicle, and that's a little more likely to be dangerous in my opinion.

Here is what I was thinking of

Cylinder Stabilizer

Get orange plastic POL plugs with o-rings and butterfly thumb twisters. Bungee tanks together. unless you get nailed by an errant U-Boat torpedo that otter be enough...

Propane portable cylinders should NEVER be transported laying down UNLESS EMPTY OR they are HORIZONTAL cylinders

Relief valves open due to overpressure---roughly 300 psi so ODDS are low BUT???

When on their side the relief valve will spew LIQUID Propane vs vapor should relief valve open
Liquid propane is -43.6*F (-42C) and expands 270X. Don't want liquid spewing out of a relief valve for obvious reasons

Transport upright in a 'milk crate' secured in outside area or compartment with open grate floor.
Add an additional one to trailer tongue with proper mounting hardware
Transport on a platform attached to a receiver



IF you currently have TWO 20#------5/gal each....10 gallon total
then you could swap them out for TWO 30#.....7/gal each -----14 gal total

Three 20# would only give you 1 gallon more then TWO 30#s (15 vs 14)
30# cylinders are same diameter just 6" taller then 20#

20 lb tanks fit nicely into plastic milk crates.:)

I carry one in the back seat in the cab. I'm sure I'll be blown up any day now.

I'm not transporting long distance, just from my home to the dealer for a fill up and then back home to put back on the trailer.... but I just lay the tank on it's side. I use a doggie bed and the tank rests right in it, no problem. I just lay it on the back seat (car or truck) and it doesn't move. But there again, it's only like that for about 8 miles one way.

In my previous camper, I build a cradle and keep an extra 20 pound tank I used for our Coleman Camp Stoves in the pass through. Here again, it laid on it's side, but the entire 8 years we had that trailer, it never leaked, it never moved, and unless filling the tank or using it with the stoves, it was stored all the time in this manner.

I once posted a photo of how I did it (several years ago), and got bashed to death for laying it on its side. But I never had any problems transporting this way in the 8 years.

With our current trailer ... we have a built in outside stove that attaches to the trailer propane plumbing, so we don't carry the extra tank any more. In fact we don't even have it any more, or the Coleman Stoves.

Here's the bottom line .... if you are transporting propane tanks and cylinders for pay, then they have to be upright, safeguarded, secured, strapped down. But if you are transporting privately, just use your best common sense! Keep them from moving, and if in an accident, have them secured in a fashion they don't become flying missiles!

I'll probably get ripped to shreds with my response, but that's OK. It's happened before.

Use your common sense. You'll be OK.

Could you mount a platform on the back of your TT to hold it?

Jim

They also make a plastic base for tanks, to be more secure when temporally transporting.

Not the cheapest option but you could just get taller tanks for the tongue.
Kudos to you for wanting to carry them in a safe manner.