Transporting tanks in your vehicle...

[NOVIZWHIZ]

Rick, sorry to tell you this, but, while the tank is heading to the back of your truck, where do you think the little valve is going? Sitting in mid air and just hanging there? Not!!!!! It's making it's way through the cab just like a bullet. Valve will move long before the big ole heavy tank.

Chances are that valve is not going to be intact, it'll be more like shrapnel.

STORY: My local dive shop about 20 yrs ago. Walked in, owner is on floor sitting on top of an AL 80. Got a chain wrench on the tank, turning the valve with a big ol' crescent wrench. I asked what was up, he says bent valve (and it was). Couldn't turn the knob, asked me if I'd turn the wrench a couple of times...I ask any air in it - he says no. Not a good looking scenario here, so I leave and come back about 45 min later - shop is cleared of customers, owner is TRYING to drink a cup of coffee but shaking too hard. Got down to about the last 1/2" of valve and that thing let go. Went out the front door (that was open at the time) flipped over and went neck first into a cinder block wall, took out chunk of wall, rocketed back toward the store hit about a 200 yr old live oak and knocked another huge chunk out of it and was last seen heading out into the marsh adj to the shop. I found it about 75 yds away 90% buried in the mud. We found bits and pieces of the valve. Dude had to throw his pants away.

 

[cth6]

Sounds like something for Myth Busters to test -- "How far will a tank fly with the K valve broke off?"

 

[Seabear70]

I'd tend to believe that the tank would just smoosh you rather than actually penetrating, though I have done no tests to confirm this. I always wanted to wrap primacord arround the valves on a sat pack and see just how far that sucker would fly when I took off all of the valves at once.

I was informed yesterday that it is now illegal to carry a high pressure cylinder on your shoulder in this state. The reason for this is apparently someone dropped a bottle and it broke the valve clean off... this proceeded to fly down the street and smash through a car window and kill someone. I cannot guarantee the validity of the law or the reason behind it, but I carried my tanks out as told.

 

[Ontario Diver]

In Canada, Tanks are considered hazardous material and are regulated by Transport Canada. If you carry any tanks for any commercial reason, oh like if you are and instructor or DM and you are taking them to your classes or open water.... you have to have hazardous goods training, carry an up-to-date manifest, have a on-call person reachable by phone who can tell the cops what you are carrying, and your vehicle must be placarded. Maximum fines if you don't? $25,000 for not having the correct training, $25,000 for not being probely marked, and $25,000 per tank.

There are different rules if you are carrying them for personal use. You don't need all of the above but you cannot carry more than 11 tanks, and each tank must be labeled with an approved contents label .... The WHMMIS diamond with a UN1002 on it... Oh and if you carry more than 11 tank, you must follow the commercial rules anyway.

I heard that in Nova Scotia the local Transport Canada enforcement folks pulled over some dive store trucks and vans and read them the riot act.

Not just a good idea.... its the law. http://www.tc.gc.ca/tdg/clear/menu.htm

 

[Quarrior]

Chances are that valve is not going to be intact, it'll be more like shrapnel.

STORY: My local dive shop about 20 yrs ago. Walked in, owner is on floor sitting on top of an AL 80. Got a chain wrench on the tank, turning the valve with a big ol' crescent wrench. I asked what was up, he says bent valve (and it was). Couldn't turn the knob, asked me if I'd turn the wrench a couple of times...I ask any air in it - he says no. Not a good looking scenario here, so I leave and come back about 45 min later - shop is cleared of customers, owner is TRYING to drink a cup of coffee but shaking too hard. Got down to about the last 1/2" of valve and that thing let go. Went out the front door (that was open at the time) flipped over and went neck first into a cinder block wall, took out chunk of wall, rocketed back toward the store hit about a 200 yr old live oak and knocked another huge chunk out of it and was last seen heading out into the marsh adj to the shop. I found it about 75 yds away 90% buried in the mud. We found bits and pieces of the valve. Dude had to throw his pants away.

Wow. Didn't know the valves were fragile enough to disintegrate, I thought they were stronger than that.

Guess I should have added that I carry my tanks with the bottom butted against the front of the truck bed. No room to build momentum, therefore no place to go.

If the valve were placed against the front of the bed and became a projectile, due to it's smaller size it could punch through. It's an area thing. The greater the area of pressure, the more the pressure is dispursed over that area.

Either way you need to tie/strap tanks down if at all possible. I built a wood rack with eye-bolts at each end for a strap. Works great.

 

[Scubaroo]

This has been hashed out a few times. A first hand account I was told and have recounted a few times was of an AL80 laying horizontal across the back seat of a Landrover, hot day, the valve simply "blew" out of the tank, punched through the door of the Landrover like a cannon round, and was never seen again. The tank bashed itself against the other door, but stopped.

Ever used a BB gun? Picture the valve as the BB, the tank as the gun.

But yeah, sounds like a good project for a Monster Garage type show to demonstrate.

 

[jkennedy]

I've seen a lot more propane tanks in cars and that is worse than a little nitrogen.....

 

[Far_X]

I was informed yesterday that it is now illegal to carry a high pressure cylinder on your shoulder in this state.

How many other states are like this? I always carry my cylinder like that as it is the easiest way. No LDS has ever mentioned it to me so I guess it must be okay in NY. Unless anyone knows differently. Indcidentally, where is the best place to find all these weird and wacky laws that are relevent to us?

 

[BubbaFetta]

Can imagine what premiums will be like if auto insurance companies take this in to account?


-BubbaFetta

 

[montyb]

I was a maintenance welder in the iron mines in upper Michigan and every once in a while they would show what happens when a tank valve gets knocked off an oxygen tank. An oxygen tank would travel a mile and go through numerous cinderblock walls before it would stop. I would much rather chance a valve get stuck in the sheet metal in my vehicle rather than a 30 lb tank gets all that boost. Plus I always position them so they arn't behind me - middle of the car.
montyb