On Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:37:55 -0500, "Robert Green"
wrote:

"Jim Elbrecht" wrote in message
.. .
"Robert Green" wrote:

-snip-
Dude, I'm old and grey. Any extra "mission requirements" involve
potential
risk. In particular, why should I bother even taking the tank outside to

Uh-- is your range safety officer wife really letting you bring a 40lb
propane tank into the house?

She agreed to it for limited R&D but now people like you have gone and done
spoilt it fer me! (-: Interesting how two independent channels coincided.
The tank is outside now. We had originally evaluated it as being no more
dangerous, overall, than the 70 year old black iron gas pipe that runs into
and around the house. Apparently in discussing this with some of her Army
buddies, she heard the same thing, but in the context of "does your
insurance policy *really* allow you to store a 40 lb propane tank in the
house?" I really can't say which is reallymore dangerous but in general,
storing
flammables indoor is highly frowned upon.

In her defense, she hadn't seen my front closet storage arrangement until
just recently. That struck her as lunacy and precipitated the tank's
banishment. I really knew better, too, but my buddy insisted it was safe.
Given that he's far further along on memory loss than I am, I *really*
should have known better.

Propane in the house IS more dangerous than natural gas, because
being heavier than air it tends to "pool" in low spots - where you
might not smell the mercapitan.
Natural gas is lighter and mixes with the air, making a leak more
likely to be smelled before there is a combustible concentation
anywhere dangerous.

So, this is an opportunity to make/acquire a set of seasonal rolling carts
for the front porch. Gardening tools for spring and summer, leaf bags and
rakes for the fall, ice scrapers, windshield washer fluid and propane for
the winter.

Anything over a pound is a no-no as far as I know.

I suspect you're right. It's odd no one else noticed it. The plan was to
move it outside as soon as I built a rolling table to conceal it. Now I'll
have to build to measurements - probably a much safer idea. Unless someone
already knows of patio furniture that's built to hide a 40 lb propane tank
(cuts and pastes to Google - not much help. As more and more trash
accumulates on the net, Google seems to be behind in sorting out the
k.) )-:

Anyway, at today's safety review breakfast, three items were agreed upon:

1) Declare the operation is now an outdoors one, 24/7

2) Determine if the unit would work with smaller, 20 lb tanks as less gas =
less overall risk and easier maneuverability. Better to store two 20 lb
tanks in separate locations.

3) Check the insurance policy to make sure that even temorary indoor storage
(i.e. bringing it inside to mount/dismount it from the weighing cart)
doesn't void it.

Thanks for the important sanity check. I assume I'm going to be needing the
more and more. )-:
Bringing it in to weigh it is not "storage". Storage is leaving it
un-monitored.