Removing LPG stove.

[on-one]

Hi All, I'm about to replace a two burner LPG stove that's fitted to my boat with a metho stove.

Do I need a gas fitter to remove the old stove?

If I light the stove and then turn the gas off at the bottle will it drain the entire gas line or does turning it off at the bottle stop the gas flow but trap gas in the pipe?

[Noelm]

don't think you will need a gasfitter to remove the stove if you are taking out everything and replacing it with something else, LPG is reasonably safe, so, I guess turn off the bottle and if you are real nervous, you could try to light it untill it burns out, but I guess it is like your BBQ, once you disconnect the hoses the small amount of gas in any pipe work/hoses will very soon just "go away" and unless you are very careless and have a flame or something when you are pulling it all to bits, you should have no drama.

[death_ship]

you need the correct gas to air ratio to burn gas so there will still be a small amont of gas in the pipe, as long as you disconnect the bottle first then remove stove you will be safe, residual gas will be a small quantity, and will mix with the air quickly, not enough for an explosion anyway.

[bungie]

don't think you will need a gasfitter to remove the stove if you are taking out everything and replacing it with something else, LPG is reasonably safe, .


Like &%@ing hell it is, a small .34kg LPG gas bottle, the ones electricians hold in their hand to soft solder wire, has enough power in it to blow your boat to smithereens. Imagine what a 4kg or 9kg will do.


GAS IS DANGEROUS

If you are removing the bottle as well then all is safe if there is no ignition source, so go overboard (sorry for the pun) and turn off your batteries before disconnecting and ensure there is air movement to get the gas out of the hull. LPG is heaver than air and will settle to the bottom of the hull.
If you are leaving the bottle in the Hull as it feeds another fixture, then play safe and get a gas fitter to look at it.


GAS IS DANGEROUS

[on-one]

Bungie, you've pretty much summed up my argument for wanting the lpg off the boat. I've got a gas bottle in a locker at the rear of a self draining cockpit and it's connected to a stove in the cabin by what looks to be copper pipe. My plan is to throw the whole lot in a skip so there'll be nothing left on the boat.

[mik01]

death ship is 100% correct here.
turn off and disconnect the cylinder and if you must, light the stove burning off the lpg in the pipe. presto - you have no issue to contend with.

although, it will dissipate in an environment where there is adequate airflow.
bungie - remember we are talking about a minute amount of lpg in the pipe compared to the overall mass of air it will be released into.

lpg is heavier than o2, however you would need a larger amount than in this instance to cause any real danger. this sounds much like the process of disconnecting you back yard bbq, and dealing with the lpg in the small run of hose.

really not worth getting alarmed over...

[bungie]

Its not the gas between the bottle and the stove I"m talking about, just the comment
LPG is reasonably safe it is VERY dangerous and should be treated with that in mind

[Noelm]

I did not mean to imply that there is NO chance of drama, BUT as he removing everything (including the Bottle) then it will be a reasonably easy and safe thing to do, by your thinking you will need a Licenced gasfitter to get your BBQ Bottle filled and replaced, remember he is NOT rebuilding the system or playing with a mains supply!

[Crestcutter]

You wont need a fitter , just turn the gas off at the bottle , light the stove too drain excess gas from system lines.Disconnect bottle and remove stove. Just make sure Battieries and sorts are disconnected and pilot lights are out before you start.

I have had 2, 9 kilo bottles let go at point blank whilst i was working for a house boat company . The fire started from an idiot dragging a fuel line into the boat to fill up and the fumes of course from the fuel line found the pilot light on the gas fridge that the idiot forgot to shut down when the boat arrived back from hire.

The only thing that saved me was that the brass valves let go and the gas just shot flames out of the bottles like an f 1 11 doing a fuel dump.It was enough to set my boat alight wich was trying to pull the houseboat off the dock before more boats caught fire.They lost 5 boats that morning due to fuel vapours. It is dangerous stuff to be around but for what you want to do it's not necessary to get a fitter in.

[on-one]

Thanks All.

My main concern was that there'd be gas trapped in the line wasn't sure if I lit the stove and closed the tap at the bottle whether it burns all the gas out or creates a vacuum so no more gas can get through but it'd still be traped in the line.

And thanks for the warnings but I'm already terrified of gas, when I was about 10 I learnt from experience that cigarette lighters are not toys and human flesh is white just like pork when it's cooked.

[PinHead]

turn the bottle off..make sure there are no naked flames around and bleed off any excess gas in the lines..it will soon dissipate..the bit in the lines is nothing to worry about.

[Dirtysanchez]

As crestcutter says, LPG bottles are designed to relieve the pressure and avoid what could be a massive explosion.. And as stated, it is very dangerous stuff

I've had a BBQ go up because some knob didn't tighten the thread from the cylinder (vie reg) to the BBQ, and we lit the BBQ and in a few minutes we were engulfed by flames due to the build up of gas from the loose thread. A few people had to dive into the pool and some hair was lost (mine)

And another time some motorcycling enthusiast friends of mine overloaded another BBQ of mine with bacon after a big new years eve, the whole thing went up, I just managed to get the cylinder off (nasty burns to the hand) and over into the yard below the deck before it let go, as Crestcutter says, they make nice poor mans after burners, but very brown underpants stuff :(

If you do as most say here, turn off the cylinder, take it off and relieve the gasses from the line (even with a flame) you will be quite safe to pull it all apart

Just think / be careful, maybe even have a fire extinguisher handy

[mik01]

Thanks All.

My main concern was that there'd be gas trapped in the line wasn't sure if I lit the stove and closed the tap at the bottle whether it burns all the gas out or creates a vacuum so no more gas can get through but it'd still be traped in the line.

And thanks for the warnings but I'm already terrified of gas, when I was about 10 I learnt from experience that cigarette lighters are not toys and human flesh is white just like pork when it's cooked.

mate - death ship is a gas fitter and I have worked in lpg for years. I suspect some of the other guys here have some expert knowledge also.
honestly - it's not a big deal and the gas you are talking about is miniscule - as long as you have some airflow into the cabin and you light the stove (if you want) to burn off any residue. (after disconnecting the cylinder).

having handled lpg and seen and experienced flash fires, you are wise to respect it, however don't fear it. under the correct conditions and with common sense and maintained equipment I reckon its far safer than any liquid fuel that can be spilt easily. just my opinion.. but don't stress out about it - its fine

[tunaticer]

Just think safe and be safe and don't use the angle grinder to cut the pipes up, that could be a no-no.

Jack.