"DerbyDad03" wrote in message
...
On Jan 28, 8:49 am, "Robert Green" wrote:

stuff snipped

"Is the risk of having lots of propane around more or less than
the risk of someone (especially us!) cracking their heads open on icy
steps?"

That one's pretty easy. I don't think we even need a cite for what I'm
about to proclaim.

First off, a couple of 20 lb tanks (and I mean 20 lbs TARE) is not
what most folks would consider "lots of propane".

Second, compare the number of gas grills, smokers, space heaters and
ice melting torches that require small propane tanks, the number of
houses/trailers/workshops that use a large propane tank as the main
source of fuel and the number of people who have a spare tank hanging
around to the number of people who slip on an icy surface. I'd say the
risk is much higher of a fall than any damage from a propane tank.

You just don't hear headlines like "House destroyed by spare propane
tank stored on deck" or "Occupants overcome by propane fumes" very
often. Yes, it happens, but not very often compared to the number of
tanks out there.

However, we often hear about friends and family who slipped and fell
on ice, usually sustaining minor injuries, but sometimes getting
really hurt. Those incidents don't usually make the headlines, but I
think we can all agree that ice related accidents happen more often
than propane related accidents.

I agree. The ice risk is greater than a stray tracer round hitting and
igniting my tank(s). (-: The controlling factor here is a read of my
insurance policy, which is on the list of things to do while the tank cools
its heels outside. I am sure they have entire teams of people devoted to
finding ways not to pay off claims that a jury or abitrator would find
"reasonable." It would burn me *ouch* to have paid premiums for decades
only to have them bounce a claim.

My wife was concerned that some punk would tamper with it, and in the
strangest twist of fate my neighbor's two year old came running up the walk,
onto the porch and straight for the storage unit with the propane tank. I
was watching the CCTV front door cam out of the corner of my eye and I see
this pair of hands coming up the walk. She was running with her hands over
her head but was so short only her hands showed on camera. It was truly a
Twilight Zone moment. It looked like a kamikaze dwarf attack. I guess that
was a warning from the Intelligent Designer to use a LOCKED cabinet.

Next house - heated steps. Maybe we'll even do it here if the real estate
market doesn't recover soon.

--
Bobby G.