Propane is safe energy. In fact, the National Fire Protection Agency declares gas the safest way to heat your home: safest by a 4 to 1 margin.

Here are the odds a member of the general public will be involved in one of the following incidents:

Individual Risk to Specific Fatal Incidents

• Motor Vehicle Accident: 1 in 4,700
• Air Plane Crash (as a passenger): 1 in 140,000
• Struck by Lightning: 1 in 1,375,000
• Struck by Tornado: 1 in 2,450,000
• Dam Failure/Rupture: 1 in 6,300,000
• Air Plane Crash - (as a person on the ground): 1 in 37,000,000
• Propane Storage or Transportation Incident: 1 in 37,000,000

(*Source. U.S. Department of Energy, LPG Land Transportation and Storage Safety)

Propane comes out of the same well as natural gas and crude oil. These products are called "hydrocarbons" because they contain hydrogen and carbon.

At a fractionation plant or refinery, the substances are "cleaned up", heated, cooled and separated. The chemical formula for propane is C3H8.

Propane is shipped throughout North America by pipelines, trucks and tank cars (rail).

The "Propane Advantage"

The great characteristic of propane is that it can exist as a liquid or a gas.

It is stored and transported as a liquid, but can be used as either a liquid or a gas. A small amount of propane liquid produces a lot of propane gas (called vapour) and that reduces the size of storage containers required. It also enables propane to be stored and transported economically.

Just to look at propane, it would be difficult to tell it from water. Like water, propane can exist as a liquid or a gas.

In its natural state, propane is a clear, odourless, colourless, non-toxic liquid. As it changes from a liquid to a gas, it appears as bubbles.

In its natural state, propane is odourless.

As a safety precaution, an odourant called Ethyl Mercaptan is added so any presence of propane may be easily detected. And while most of us are able to detect even the slightest propane odour, some people are unable to.

Propane is 270 times more compact as a liquid than as a gas. Conversely, propane will expand 270 times if it changes from
a liquid to a gas.

One litre of liquid propane will expand to 270 litres of vapour.

Most of us are able to use our eyes and nose to help detect the presence of propane. For peace-of-mind though, gas detectors are readily available at retail stores.

Leaks are uncommon, but a simple way to check piping, fittings or a tank for a leak is to mix dish soap with water and spray it on the area you are concerned about:

• If bubbles form, you may have a leak and should take immediate action: Turn off the propane supply to that appliance and call Moore Propane immediately.
• If a leak is at fittings at a tank or cylinder: Turn off the propane (using the valve at the tank or cylinder), and call Moore Propane immediately.
• If the tank or cylinder itself appears to be leaking: Call Moore Propane immediately.

Important Note: This is not intended as a comprehensive commentary on leak detection and response. This general information is provided as an overview for information purposes only. Contact Moore Propane for further information or assistance.

Propane is non-toxic. It is non-poisonous. But if you were in a room filled with propane, it may displace sufficient air that you may become light-headed, or unconscious. Extended oxygen shortage may cause asphyxiation.

Propane is non-toxic. It is non-poisonous. But if you were in a room filled with propane, it may displace sufficient air that you may become light-headed, or unconscious. Extended oxygen shortage may cause asphyxiation.

There is a direct relationship between temperature and pressure:

• If the outdoor temperature is 10 degrees, the propane inside a cylinder or tank will also be 10 degrees.
• As the temperature outside the tank increases, so does the temperature inside the tank.
• As the temperature rises, so does the pressure inside the tank.

Propane cylinders and tanks are never filled to 100% capacity. Sufficient space must be left in the container for the liquid to expand. As the temperature of liquid propane increases, it expands and takes up more space inside the tank, forcing the vapour into a smaller, tighter space.

The radiator on a vehicle is a similar example most of us can relate to: on a hot day, or after an extended drive on a hot day, the liquid in a rad expands, forcing vapour into less space and the pressure increases. In extreme cases, the expanding liquid may expand, consume all available vapour space and the rad will bubble over.