|
What you should know about
LPG Storage Lockers
LPG gas is a highly combustible material that has been the source of many explosions and fires on boats. The American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC), which defines standards used by boat manufacturers and marine surveyors, has created a number of recommendations on proper design and use of LPG storage lockers. If you have an LPG gas system on your boat, you should be aware of these recommendations and check your locker to see if it’s in compliance.
Among the requirements specified by ABYC are the following:
► The storage locker should be located above the waterline and be vapor-tight to the hull interior. It should be lined with a corrosion-resistant material.
► The locker should open only from the top, and the lid should be gasketed and latched. It should be possible to open the lid quickly and conveniently without the use of any tools. The locker should open directly to the outside atmosphere – if it’s inside a cockpit locker it should be as high up and as close to the opening of the locker as possible.
► The locker should be vented by a dedicated line of at least ˝” inside diameter, led outboard through the hull to a point lower than the locker bottom and above the waterline. The vent opening should be at least 20” distance from any other opening into the boat’s interior (such as an intake vent or an opening port).
► The LPG fuel lines leading into the locker should enter at the top, and they should be gasketed to prevent the escape of gas from the locker into the boat’s interior. All lines should join inside the locker, and there should be continuous runs from the locker to each gas appliance. Metal tubing used for fuel lines should be connected with “long nut” flare fittings (vibrations cab cause the “short nut” type used in refrigeration systems to fatigue and fail). Flexible line should have permanently attached end fittings such as a swaged sleeve or a sleeve and threaded insert.
► The cylinder should have an accessible (and operable) shut-off valve, and a visible pressure gauge. It should also have a warning label printed on it, and it should be free of rust and corrosion.
► The cylinder tank should be well secured so that it doesn’t move about within the locker. And there should be nothing else stored in the LPG locker but the gas cylinder itself!
If your existing LPG installation does not comply with these minimal ABYC recommendations, you could be leaving yourself, your family, your guests, your boat and even your dockmates exposed to serious hazards. You wouldn’t take risks with gas in your home – why should your boat be any different?