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LPG Installers Cape Town - Safe Gas Installations

Registered LPG installers create safer gas installations

LPG or Liquid Petroleum Gas is an odorless combination of two liquefiable hydrocarbon gases: Propane & commercial Butane.

LPG is a by-product of crude oil refinement, along with petrol, diesel, oil and other products.

LPG is liquefied gas kept under pressure at approximately 5Bar (500kpa).

80% of the LPG cylinder is filled with liquid while the remainder of the space is filled with the volatile gas vapor.

The pressure in the cylinder keeps the gas in its liquefied form, and releasing the gas through the valve, allows more gas to form in the cylinder.

This continues until the pressure in the cylinder is too low. There will still be LPG vapor left in an 'empty' LPG cylinder.   One should never lay, store. transport or use a gas bottle on its side. this is extremely dangerous as Liquid LPG will be passed through the lines.

LPG is totally safe if handled correctly, but can be extremely dangerous if incorrectly installed or handled incorrectly. Gas leaks from gas lines and gas appliances are a major cause of accidents and fatalities. 

To improve the safety of working with LPG, the manufacturing suppliers add Ethyl Mercaptan, an odourant additive, to simplify the detection of LPG leaks.

What to do if you smell a LPG leak

The first thing to do, when suspecting a gas leak is to turn off the gas at the main isolation valve.

To check for a leak a soapy solution, painted/sprayed onto a suspected area will form bubbles which expand and pop, if there is a leak.

If there are flames present, shutting off the valve will extinguish the flames.

If there is a leak, do not try fix it yourself, but you should call a registered gas installer to repair the source of the problem.

If the leak has caught fire you may be able to handle it yourself with the use of fire extinguishers, make sure they are serviced regularly and easily accessible.

DO NOT extinguish the flames if you cannot get to the main Isolating valve, as this will allow the gas to accumulate and may be re-ignited by accident, causing a fire ball or even an explosion.

Try to disperse any concentration of LPG by proper ventilation by opening windows, doors etc.

DO NOT Use any electrical source such as fans. Do not allow open flames, such as cigarette lighters.

If you see that the situation is out of your control, evacuate the area immediately and contact the emergency services.

The Gas Works repair leaks – Registered Cape Gas Installers

Contact us for all your LPG installations and gas leak concerns.

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