20# propane tank

ajriding wrote:
A friend shot bullets into a full tank and couldnt get it to blow up, it just leaked out the new hole.
Is all just depends.
Nothing is safe

Yes that was possible due to the LEL and UEL of LP gas.

Back in the day, we stumbled upon dozens of abandoned dead 1lb propane cylinders and we used them for target practice--(glass bottles were no-no). Guess how many exploded? Zero.

We all assumed some were not 100% purged..so being young fools that we were, we shot at a few full tanks and guess what happened. Think bottle rockets; the tank propelled away rather fast then sputtered to a stop.

Exploding propane tanks is a Hollywood invention.

The risk of danger is probably greater traveling with the TT propane tanks turned on (which I regularly do, gotta keep our Tillamook Ice Creams frozen...pics of our favs).

A friend shot bullets into a full tank and couldnt get it to blow up, it just leaked out the new hole.
Is all just depends.
Nothing is safe

wanderingbob wrote:
I believe propane tanks have a " pop out" that releases pressure . Many years ago I went around the State of Florida visiting fire depts , I taught courses in " Propane ". We traveled with a very large propane tank on a trailer . We would assemble a crowd of firefighters from several fire depts . We would place a large propane burner under the tank and light her off . The crowd would gasp and back up , waiting for the explosion ! After several minutes the pop off would blow and was usually ignited by the lower flame . The pop off flame lasted a second or two and then all was well again . As far as a twenty pound tank blowing and being thrown many feet away , well the propane may not have any thing to do with it . As said above any sealed container will blow in a fire . As any firefighter who works where there are a lot of boat fires will tell you , one of the scariest things with a yacht fire is all of the **** fire extinguishers blow up and flying thru the air !

What you called a "pop-out" is an over-pressure plug. I too have been through the BLEVE training.
I was at one time a master firefighter, licensed by Indiana.

JRscooby wrote:
In a rear-end collision, it is very unlikely for the tank to explode, but it might become a 40 lb projectile. Might be best to have a tight mount to keep it from moving under normal driving, then a chain/cable to reduce chance of theft and keep it from flying.
IMHO, the most common dangerous why they are carried is in a SUV or Minivan. Any accident or even hard stop can have that 40 lbs flying among the passengers. Plus it is easy to think of the tank warming to the point the relief valve dumps gas into passenger compartment.
There are reasons for regulations requiring vents to any compartment or stored outside.

The exact reasons we bought a pickup truck rather than a Suburban, Yukon, or Expedition. The storage area is a separate, ventilated (even with the topper) space.

In a rear-end collision, it is very unlikely for the tank to explode, but it might become a 40 lb projectile. Might be best to have a tight mount to keep it from moving under normal driving, then a chain/cable to reduce chance of theft and keep it from flying.
IMHO, the most common dangerous why they are carried is in a SUV or Minivan. Any accident or even hard stop can have that 40 lbs flying among the passengers. Plus it is easy to think of the tank warming to the point the relief valve dumps gas into passenger compartment.
There are reasons for regulations requiring vents to any compartment or stored outside.

MNRon wrote:
This thread reminds me of a 'Red Green' skit years ago where he loosely bolted down an empty 20lb propane tank on the rear roof of his class C so it would wobble and bounce around just to keep people from tailgating him :) Red Green was the purveyor of back-woods Canadian logic, kind of like a northern hillbilly...

Red Green was The Man.

He wasn't handsome, but at least he was handy...

MNRon wrote:
This thread reminds me of a 'Red Green' skit years ago where he loosely bolted down an empty 20lb propane tank on the rear roof of his class C so it would wobble and bounce around just to keep people from tailgating him :) Red Green was the purveyor of back-woods Canadian logic, kind of like a northern hillbilly...

A friend from our canoeing and camping group used to hang his 11 pound propane cylinder from the rear of his wooden truck rack he carried his canoe on so it would swing while going down the road. I commented on it and he said it was to keep the tailgators away.

MNRon wrote:
This thread reminds me of a 'Red Green' skit years ago where he loosely bolted down an empty 20lb propane tank on the rear roof of his class C so it would wobble and bounce around just to keep people from tailgating him :) Red Green was the purveyor of back-woods Canadian logic, kind of like a northern hillbilly...

We love that show. I don't' know if they get it nationally ?

Thermoguy wrote:
I carry a 20lb tank for my generator. I have a front storage on my 5th wheel, I put it in there or in the bed of the truck. Haven't had any problems. I do tie it down when in the truck.

I do tie mine down when it is on the bed of my truck. I put it in a milk crate and chain it to one of the loops in the side of the truck. I don't do it because I think it's going to explode. I do it because I don't want it rolling around in the back of the truck making dents. Plus, even in a minor fender bender I wouldn't want it getting launched into the air and landing on a little old lady pushing a shopping cart or something lol.