Where is it safe to store 1lb propane cylinders for a Magma grill?

MonacoMike

Well-Known Member
Sep 15, 2009
14,721
Indiana lakes and Lake Michigan
Boat Info
2000 Cruisers 3870
8.2 Mercs
Engines
85 Sea Ray Monaco 197
260hp Alpha 1
Where is it safe to store 1lb propane cylinders for a Magma grill on my boat? I want to carry 3 total?

I want the new padded carrying case that holds 3 tanks, but I plan to store the grill in the bilge.

Thanks in advance, MM
 
anywhere they can vent and the gas can't sink into low lying areas. Propane is heavier than air and putting them in the bilge is asking for trouble.
 
anywhere they can vent and the gas can't sink into low lying areas. Propane is heavier than air and putting them in the bilge is asking for trouble.

Thanks Gary, Is the side compartment with my water hook-up likley sealed, or will gas fall to the bilge from there? Would a small padded cooler under the rear seat be a reasonable plan? MM
 
It's a tough call. I wish I had a small propane locker designed just for a couple of those cylinders. I used to keep them under the seat in my cockpit but one day I went to the boat and the back cover was on and one of the un-used cylinders had decided to spring a leak on the nozzle. The back of the cockpit was filled with bad smelling propane would could have been and interesting explosion. I can't keep them in my transom trunk as there is a hole that plumbing and electrical comes up from the bilge and if they leak in there, it'll go down into my bilge... and I don't have blowers plumbed to take out low-lying fumes... my blowers are plumbed to the top of the engine room...

So I don't have a solution. Someone posted using a big piece of PVC pipe that was sealed... that seemed like the start of a good idea... if the pipe could be mounted and vented overboard, it would be a real propane locker.

I'm not sure how big of a problem it is though. I did read last year about a boat blowing up due to propane but you really don't hear about it as much of a problem... so I don't know. How's that for an answer.
 
It's a tough call. I wish I had a small propane locker designed just for a couple of those cylinders. I used to keep them under the seat in my cockpit but one day I went to the boat and the back cover was on and one of the un-used cylinders had decided to spring a leak on the nozzle. The back of the cockpit was filled with bad smelling propane would could have been and interesting explosion. I can't keep them in my transom trunk as there is a hole that plumbing and electrical comes up from the bilge and if they leak in there, it'll go down into my bilge... and I don't have blowers plumbed to take out low-lying fumes... my blowers are plumbed to the top of the engine room...

So I don't have a solution. Someone posted using a big piece of PVC pipe that was sealed... that seemed like the start of a good idea... if the pipe could be mounted and vented overboard, it would be a real propane locker.

I'm not sure how big of a problem it is though. I did read last year about a boat blowing up due to propane but you really don't hear about it as much of a problem... so I don't know. How's that for an answer.

It's an OK answer but not as useful as a good pig joke. :smt043
 
I just take them on and off the boat--I have a gym style bag that i carry those on fuel for the stove. For extended weekends I keep the bag in the cockpit at night and during the day, I put it in the cabin with the AC on. I don't know if that is right (Keeping it in the cabin) but I feel it is cool in there as opposed to the heat of the day in the cockpit.

When i come back to port, the bag comes home.
 
I keep mine in a storage area under one of the seats in the cockpit. It's vented into the cockpit and the cockpit transom door is always open so any leaked fumes can easily get out.
 
I keep mine under the wet bar. It's drafty enough and it doesn't vent to the engine compartment.
 
I store ours in the transom locker. I use a piece of 4" drain perforated PVC pipe to hold them in place. There is not buildup of pressure and the transom locker is vented at the bottom.
 
I store ours in the transom locker. I use a piece of 4" drain perforated PVC pipe to hold them in place. There is not buildup of pressure and the transom locker is vented at the bottom.

You may want to check your transom locker. Mine has a 4" hole in it lined with PVC pipe that is an access point for the water and electric connections that are in this transom assembly. That hole on mine is not sealed... any gas in that transom, if it is heavier than air, is going down into the engine room just as much as venting out the back of the transom...

I bring this up because I know someone with a 480 DB that put gas cans back in this thing for his jet ski... bad idea.
 
Thanks Gary, will check that out. does make sense.
I'll move them under the sink immediately regardless. No need to be a Darwin award candidate.
 
Instead of moving them under the sink, why don't you productize your PVC idea and create a real "cylinder propane locker" to mount in the transom... with a vent that goes overboard. I'll buy one.
 
I just take them on and off the boat--I have a gym style bag that i carry those on fuel for the stove. For extended weekends I keep the bag in the cockpit at night and during the day, I put it in the cabin with the AC on. I don't know if that is right (Keeping it in the cabin) but I feel it is cool in there as opposed to the heat of the day in the cockpit.

When i come back to port, the bag comes home.

Hi MaddyDean, I would not put an LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas) cylinder in the cabin anymore than I would put it in the bilge. If you have a leak then at best you'll wake up in the night with a thumping headache and at worst your aircon will spark during a thermostat cycle and send you and yours into the wild blue yonder. In NZ the regulations are quite clear that cylinders must be stored and transported in well ventilated areas. On the back of an open truck or trailer, or in a cage outside the house or workplace. Caravans always have them stored on the draw bar and usually the floor of the caravan is vented below the stove to ensure any failure to turn off the cylinder after cooking will not allow dangerous levels of gas to accumulate. These regs ensure the likelyhood of a serious accident can be significantly reduced by simply ensuring the gas/air ratio is kept below volatility. I dont imagine the physical properties of propane in the US are any different and I'd be surprised if there are no regs on this in the US?

Boats are a problem though since many have cooking facilities inside the vessel even though the cylinder may be outside. In this case, because of the heavier than air characteristics, there is no opportunity to vent overboard unlike a caravan. Gas detection (as well as CO detection) is an essential item if the intention is to use gas inside the cabin and storing it in the cabin is just wrong.

A friend of mine who was a lone fishermen had finished icing up the fish for the night in a nearby bay, had a meal and went to his bunk about 1.00am. He woke a few hours later with a bad headache and went to the stern to relieve himself. Unaware of why he had a headache, he rolled a cigarette and struck a match. The blast blew him into the water from where he swam to shore and watched his boat (and his catch) burn to the waterline. We were very lucky we didn't lose a dear friend that night, but the lesson is clear. Keep your cylinders in the fresh air.

Here is a video link of NZ fishing boats crossing one of our notorious bars. It's a story in itself but in the opening scenes look at the top of the wheelhouse and note the LPG cylinder sitting atop.

http://video.theaustralian.com.au/1752081096/Fishermen-caught-in-perilous-waters

As an aside, I think the LPG storage issue on our class of vessels is a much more worthy topic than worrying about a few fumes from a generator sitting on a swim platform.

Whoops ...hope I didn't 'spark' something there!:grin:

Terry
 
I keep mine under the wet bar. It's drafty enough and it doesn't vent to the engine compartment.
If your 280 is like mine, it may look like its closed up, but its not. The aft vertical wall of the area under the sink is just carpeted plywood that is very loosely screwed to the deck. On the aft side of that under the step on the cockpit side, is a 6" hole into the ER. A leaking tank would drain directly into the ER from under the wet bar. I do store the grill under the wet bar, but without a tank.

I store our propane in one of the water tight Plano boat boxes (with the regulator removed) and keep them in the transom locker.

I saw Gary's comment about the access conduits to the transom locker. I'll have to investigate and may have to re-evalute my plan.

Henry
 
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Henry, the transom locker has drains to allow water to flow out which is a good thing. I have never tried it, but I sssume if I sprayed water in there, it wouldn't leak in to the engine room? That is to say, if a cylinder leaked, it would flow outside the boat and not inside the engine room? What's your thoughts?

Terry
 
I bought a few brass caps with rubber gaskets to put on the tanks. If the valve does leak, it won't leak out. I bought them at a camping supply store and they are made specifically for the 1lb tanks.
 
I bought a few brass caps with rubber gaskets to put on the tanks. If the valve does leak, it won't leak out. I bought them at a camping supply store and they are made specifically for the 1lb tanks.

That's probably the best solution yet...
 

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