Gas safety
Gas is a popular fuel for use in the home as well as in the food and hospitality industry. It is cheaper than electricity, provides instant heat and is used extensively in heaters and stoves. However, gas is also highly flammable and must be handled and stored properly.
LPG cylinders and fixed gas supply
Gas is stored as a liquid under pressure and is called ‘liquid petroleum gas’, or LPG. Gas cylinders are safe if handled correctly.
The risks associated with incorrect storage or handling include:
- Leaking gas igniting and exploding
- Radiant heat from a heater setting fire to flammable materials nearby
- Hot surfaces causing serious burns when touched
- Headaches and dizziness if LPG is accidentally inhaled
- Severe cold burns from contact with LPG
- Liquid petroleum gas leaking and flowing along the ground or through drains – this can be ignited at a considerable distance from the leak
- Containers that have held LPG and are presumed “empty” can still be hazardous
Your LPGsupply can be installed either as standalone gas cylinders or as a fixed supply. Go for a fixed gas supply wherever possible. A fixed supply unit offers a safe, affordable and permanent installation and eliminates the potential hazard of storing and handling LPG cylinders on the property. If you are planning on getting a fixed supply, you will need to get an accredited gas service provider to do the work. It is illegal to set this up yourself.
Installing LPG connections
When installing a fixed gas supply or connecting LPG cylinders to your heater or cooking appliance, make sure that:
- only class 1 or 2 copper pipes or other approved gas piping has been used (this is not standard copper piping)
- any copper pipes going through a wall are sleeved
- the flexible gas hose is not more than 2 m long and doesn’t go through any partition (including wood, drywall, cupboard wall, etc.)
- the copper pipe is correctly colour coded and marked
Gas bottles for fixed supply in an outdoor location must be at least:
- 1 m sideways from any opening into a building that is below the level of the container valve (e.g. doors, windows, airbricks etc.)
- 2 m from drains, pits or manholes
- 3 m from any opening or window directly above the containers or 300 mm from the top of the cylinder, valve connection or manifold (whichever is higher) to the window, providing that a non-combustible roof has been installed between the container and opening, and that the roof extends beyond the cylinder leaving a minimum 1,5 m safety distance when measured from the valve and around the roof to the nearest point of the window (the window frames must be steel and the total size of the glazing should not exceed 1 m2, any window glazing must be made of wire woven glass not larger than 450 mm x 450 mm per pane, and the window(s) must not be openable)
- 3m from the property boundary, unless the boundary has a firewall, in which case the cylinders can be next to the firewall (if there are only two containers the boundary distance can be reduced to 1 m)
- 5m away from any electrical source of ignition such as a switchbox, distribution board or motor.
When installing a gas bottle in an indoor location, the gas container must:
- have a maximum size of 9 kg (for a flat) and 19 kg (for a house)
- never be located below ground level
- never be located above or on top of any appliances that are used for cooking or heating
- be located at least 300 mm from a gas stove unless they are protected in an appropriate manner
- be placed in an area with adequate floor-level ventilation
- be placed at least 2 m from a coal stove but may be reduced to 1 m if the area between the container and stove is fitted with a non-combustible insulation guard
- not be manifolded if in a building
- not be stored in a cupboard that holds electrical points
- never be installed in a garage (if a fixed installation).
Do not position or store your gas cylinders or heaters in any of the following ways:
- Any position in which the containers are likely to trip someone up, become damaged or be exposed to weather or conditions which can affect their safety
- Any position that is subject to extremes of temperature (excluding natural elements)
- Near anything that can burn easily
- Next to cellars, drains, hollows, etc., where escaping gas might collect
- Close to light bulbs
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