Have a question...But I don't want to sound like an idiot...

[Ford Truck Man]

Howdy all, this is my first post on this forum. I have been surfing around learning a lot from each of your posts and appreciate the huge quantity of information available here.

I am in the middle of building a modified teardrop with bunk beds and am having a LOT of fun doing it! I have not found anything in my life that has been more fun or more consuming than designing and building this XLarge Tear.

On to my question....

I have several options for where I am going to put my propane tank. I had this idea to put it into the utility box at the front of the tear, as I have a 1 gallon propane tank and it would fit well. I would indeed vent the box to the ground in hopes that any leaking would fall out the bottom of the box, and i toyed with the idea of having an aluminum divider tig welded into the box to divide the tank from the rest of the box. Here is my dilemma...I was planning on putting my battery and battery tender in the box as well....I'm sure some of you can see where I am going with this... My initial instinct is to be concerned about having the battery and the tank in the box together... I spoke with the gentleman at the bulk propane center locally where I purchased my 1 gal tank and he said it shouldn't be a problem, and he wouldn't have any reservations about doing it himself. Suggesting that it would take a lot more than the presence of a battery or a small spark to cause worry....that leads me to this thread...what would you do???

It would be really cool to put the tank hidden away in the box, but I don't know enough about the science and properties of lp gas to know for absolutely sure.

Thanks in advance for your responses!
Please be gentle...

[Dale M.]

As long as there is no leaking propane, and no sparks in tongue box from battery you are pretty safe....

Hydrogen gas from battery charging is explosive also.... Hydrogen gas is lither then air so it wants to rise up...

Always vent top and bottom of both compartments so you have air flow to dilute the gasses to a non combustion level and you should be good...

Dale

[High Desert]

Variations of your idea have been done by many here. I like the divided ones myself, sometimes you even see two dividers with storage in the center. Like Dale said, vent it well and it ought to be just fine.

Welcome to T&TTT. Post some pics of your build when you have a chance too!

[Shadow Catcher]

I think this comes under the heading of ya you can probably get away with it but why chance it. Having a propane source and a spark source in the same container unless really well vented... valves and fittings leak.
Oh, and the only stupid question is the one you don't ask! We have ALL done it.

[madjack]

I think this comes under the heading of ya you can probably get away with it but why chance it. Having a propane source and a spark source in the same container unless really well vented... valves and fittings leak.
Oh, and the only stupid question is the one you don't ask! We have ALL done it.

...a big +1 on this...look at it as CHEAP INSURANCE and better PEACE OF MIND.........
madjack

p.s. don't worry about feeling like an idiot...we have our share of those around here as well!!!!!!!mj

[Ford Truck Man]

Ok I can see utilizing the idea of cheap insurance...thanks mad jack and all. Here is my next problem...does anyone know where you can get a rack/mount for a 1 Gallon lp tank??

[bobhenry]

Yet another stupid question. If propane falls and hydrogen rises wouldn't it be beneficial to have the LP side on something like expanded metal or even a low vent and have the battery side with a high vent. Then if the compartment was freely shared wouldn't the natural convection of air create a chimney effect to wash fresh air in the low vent and out thru the high vent diluting the concentration of either explosive mix.

[eamarquardt]

Yet another stupid question. If propane falls and hydrogen rises wouldn't it be beneficial to have the LP side on something like expanded metal or even a low vent and have the battery side with a high vent. Then if the compartment was freely shared wouldn't the natural convection of air create a chimney effect to wash fresh air in the low vent and out thru the high vent diluting the concentration of either explosive mix.

In all likelyhood, yes. However, there is the school of thought that venting explosive gasses into an enclosed area is not good form and should be avoided to the extent possible. As has been said: "Cheap insurance".

Cheers,

Gus

[Shadow Catcher]

My read is that he intended to put in the tongue box so exterior to the living compartment, but if you look he decided to actually take our sage advice and mount the tank out side the box. Bob there are battery boxes that have a top vent to the exterior and yes you could set up using a expanded mesh bottom but if you are putting your electricals in the box there is a risk of splashing water. Ya it could all be made to work but the level of complication...

[egjacks]

whether the propane and battery are in the same box or not you should be sure to invest in a battery box with a lid, that way (especially if the battery is in a tool box) nothing can shift in the box and short out the battery, that would potentially drain or harm to your electrical system at best, or create an explosion from hydrogen gas created while charging your battery at worst. either situation should be avoided

[Larwyn]

Safest would probably be to pour a concrete foundation at least several yards away from the sleeping area and enclose the tank in a professionally welded expanded metal cage with high security locks. The cage can be prefabricated and packed along with the rest of the camping gear, a small electric concrete mixer and bags of concrete are available at you local big box store. As long as there is water and electricity available at the campsite this should only add a few hundred pounds to your gear, otherwise you will need to allow for the added weight of a large tank of water and a generator large enough to run the concrete mixer. This way, you will not be gassed in your sleep, you will probably survive if the bottle explodes, and no one will likely sue you when they end up getting injured/killed by a hazardous product that you left laying around for easy taking.

As for the battery, it's probably best to leave it at a relative's home far from any flammable products. Rumor has it that they are spark generators and we all know that a charging battery emits "Hindenburg gas" the battery should be connected to a load resistor which will have the reverse effect, sucking all the hydrogen out of the air as it discharges the battery and removes all the volts and sparks as well.


Actually I do not have a propane tank installed on my TD as I sometimes do not take along any propane appliances. My battery is installed in a vented compartment under the galley counter top.

My 5th wheel travel trailer had the battery and two 30 pound propane tanks installed in the same well ventilated storage compartment which was located directly under the bed. Probably not all that good an idea but it was the factory arrangement and we survived several years without incident or loosing any sleep over it. Even lived full time in the 5'er for about 4 years.