Can any one advise me, is it okay to lay a 6kg propane bottle on its side wedged behind the front seat of my car whilst towing my caravan.
I bought a new bottle this afternoon and asked the salesman if it was okay, he replied with a definate yes, but I seem to remember somewhere in the depths of my memory, reading that the bottle should be upright.
Personally, I wouldn't lay a full bottle on its side as that would mean that the liquid gas was in contact with the valve. The valve should be at the top, out of the liquid.
It's not illegal but it should be upright and preferably secured and have adequate ventilation.
Don't now how you can ensure ventilation if secured in the boot.
saxo1
Don't think it's actually illegal, but certainly inadvisable. If you can carry gas bottles in a motorhome, why not a car? The only real difference would be that a motorhome would have a special place for them. I don't see why the law would be involved.
There may be no legal requirement saxo1, but it's not a bad idea. Those things are lethal in a car, and I'm sure the fire service would be keen to know it was there, if it wasn't obvious that it was.
they might be concerned about the tank full of petrol as well if the car was on fire.. or are we so used to lugging that about we forget all about it.. :)
and whilst accepting it needs to be upright to use.. why cant it be on its side for transportation.. ??
1/ If a car is on fire the Fire Service expect there to be a petrol or diesel tank to be there, what they don't expect is a Calor bottle that can very easily become a large bomb or rocket! If a camper van is on fire then they expect both to be present.
2/ As has already been stated when on it's side it is possible for the lpg to leak through the valve, as they are not designed to be horizontal. That is why they have special bottles for fork lift trucks.
3/ A gas bottle is supposed to be stored in a bottom ventilated container, which is why caravans and camper vans have specific places for them. Cars are not bottom vented and therefore any gas that does leak will lie on the floor of the car.