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                         April 12, 2002

Propane cylinders require new safety valve

WASHINGTON (National Fire Protection Association Release) -- A new provision of an existing safety code developed by the National Fire Protection Association, which took effect April 1, requires overfilling prevention devices on propane cylinders weighing between 4 and 40 pounds. These are the cylinders commonly used for appliances like outdoor gas grills.

An OPD is a safety valve that shuts off the flow of gas to a cylinder after 80 percent capacity has been reached. This limits the potential for release of gas when the cylinder is heated, averting a fire hazard or personal injury.

Since 1998, all new propane cylinders with a capacity of 4 to 40 pounds have been equipped with OPDs.

Older cylinder models must now be retrofitted with the device before refilling can occur under the requirement, or the cylinder should be discarded properly and replaced with an OPD-equipped cylinder.

Many filling outlets have the capacity to retrofit or recycle obsolete cylinders. In many parts of the U.S., exchange cylinder racks can be used to swap an empty cylinder without an OPD for a full cylinder equipped with an OPD for a nominal fee, eliminating the need to dispose of the cylinder or to have it retrofitted.

NFPA 58, the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code, a consensus code developed by NFPA which contains the new provision, has been adopted in every U.S. State and is enforceable by the authority having jurisdiction in individual states -- the fire service, building officials, state agencies, or other bodies.

Because adoptions within states are not always to the current editions, there are some states that have not adopted either the 1998 or 2001 edition of the code, which include the OPD requirement.

However, because manufacturers have been producing OPD-equipped cylinders since 1998, these cylinders will eventually replace the non-OPD cylinders even in states where the current NFPA 58 has not been adopted.

"OPDs will protect against overfilling cylinders and decrease the number of possible fires from this source," said NFPA officials. "This requirement will enhance consumer safety."

If your cylinder currently lacks an OPD it will have either a round or star-shaped hand wheel. OPDs have hand wheels that are triangular in shape, but a small number of early production OPD-equipped gas cylinders did not. These are stamped "OPD" on the brass valve body.

Costs to upgrade or replace a cylinder vary. For information on discarding an old cylinder, contact your propane refiller, hazardous waste collection site or local fire department.