Transporting tanks in your vehicle...

[crpntr133]

I always point the valve of my tanks towards the cab of my truck. I figure that the valve is probably not going to make it through that much steel. Where as the tank will make it out of the bed of the truck one way or another. I have seen acetolene tanks after the valve was knocked off, not a pretty sight. Just like what river rat said.

In Indiana you have to have a permit to carry above a certain amount. Not sure how much but my LDS has a trailor and they designed the trailor around the limit of tanks that they can haul. My instructor made it a point to tell me about the permit just in case something happened to him on the road.

 

[Rick Inman]

That's it! I'm going into total denial on this subject - I've got enough to worry about. I'm just gonna' toss the things randomly in the back and call it good.

 

[Ontario Diver]

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


-BubbaFetta

They do. You have to hold your commercial auto insurance for over a year before you are allowed to carry compressed gas.

 

[nemisis77]

Does anyone know the laws in the uk for this? i only have the one 12l cylinder.?

 

[OE2X]

Just place the tanks sideways in your car or truck. That way if you have valve shear, then pedestrians and on coming cars take the hit.
In my convertable, I can only put the tanks sideways, but I can put 3 into the trunk. In my truck, my tank rack is built to take the tanks sideways as well.

 

[ArthurGerla]

One day at the swimming pool a small 5 liter tank that had been lying quietly at the other end lost its valve without any apparent cause, though afterwards we suspect the threading must've been damaged. Luckily no one was standing nearby. The valve hit a wooden bench hard but didn't go through. The tank went spinning into the pool where it spent its energy safely. So I'm sceptical about tanks being able to fly a mile after losing a valve. Any empirical research to back that up?

A sobering thought: Of course it needs to fly only a few meters to smash your skull.

 

[jbichsel]

In high school one cold winter day (Montana), I was in wood shop when we suddenly had an unwanted visitor. In metal shop next door, oxygen tanks were being changed out for the oxy-acetalene torch. The new bottle got tipped over, hit a bench and broke off the valve.
The bottle then proceded across the floor, hit one student and broke his ankle very badly, came through the cinder-block wall into our woodshop, hit two tables and broke their legs off, went through the exterior cinder-block wall, hit the front tire of a Mustang II which it snapped completely off and spun the Mustang around about 180 degrees. It finally lodged itself in the snow/ice bank across the parking lot.
Not a good day.

As to wacky laws, I believe Boulder, CO still has a law on the books that it is illegal to have your mule on the second floor of any city building. Probably best if we don't dwell on why since it is Boulder.

 

[Delta_P]

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, ...

Where did you get that number of 11 tanks? All I can find in the TDG regs is a 30 kgs. personal use exemption. One tank is 17 kgs., so that can't be right either.

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.

Same thing in B.C.

 

[Ontario Diver]

Where did you get that number of 11 tanks? All I can find in the TDG regs is a 30 kgs. personal use exemption. One tank is 17 kgs., so that can't be right either.



Same thing in B.C.

OK This gets confusing so hang on....

1.15 Exemption for Personal Use
(1) These Regulations do not apply to dangerous goods in transport on a road vehicle, a railway vehicle or a ship on a domestic voyage, if the dangerous goods
(a) are transported between
(i) a retail outlet and the residence of the purchaser,
(ii) a retail outlet and the purchaser's place of use,
(iii) the residence of the purchaser and a place of use, or
(iv) two residences;
(b) are contained in one or more means of containment each of which has a gross mass less than or equal to 30 kg and is designed, constructed, filled, closed, secured and maintained so that under normal conditions of transport, including handling, there will be no accidental release of dangerous goods that could endanger public safety;
(c) are not for resale or for commercial or industrial use; and
(d) are in a quantity and concentration available to the general public at retail outlets.
Examples of retail outlets are hardware stores, automotive industry stores, pool supply stores and farm co-ops.
(3) Subsection (1) does not apply to
(a) dangerous goods in a quantity greater than 150 kg gross mass that are in transport on a road vehicle, a railway vehicle or a ship on a domestic voyage;


SO 1.15.1(b) sets the Maximum weight of any individual container at 30 kg. The total amount is set in 1.6


1.6 Quantity Limits in Columns 8 and 9 of Schedule 1
(1) If there is a number shown in column 8 or 9 of Schedule 1, that number is a quantity limit and a person must not handle, offer for transport or transport, by the means of transport set out in the heading of that column, a consignment of dangerous goods that exceeds the quantity limit in that column. A consignment of dangerous goods exceeds the quantity limit when the dangerous goods
(a) ...;
(b) ...;
(c) if a gas, including a gas in a liquefied form, are contained in one or more means of containment the total water capacity of which is greater than the number when that number is expressed in litres;


Look up schedule 1 for UN1002

Col. 9 Passenger Carrying Road or Rail Index is 75 So you can carry as many tanks as it takes to hold 75 l of water (no matter what pressure....) An AL80 holds about 678 cu in (From the Luxfer Spec sheet) which works out to just over 11.11 l . So I find I shouldn't listen to the last guy to work this out and do it myself...find out as well that the number is closer to 5 tanks if you are by your self and if there are two people in the car (because of course you are diving with your buddy. it becomes 11.

Clear?

 

[nemisis77]

uh......