Copper Tube for Propane

[anjou]

Thats one hell of a stutter james.
Do you say everything twice?

[sailvayu]

A couple of years ago I was surveying a boat with a propane stove. I turned the solenoid on and light the stove. The flame seemed a bit low and I as was turning the valve up there was a small explosion. The doors of all the galley cabinets blew open and I lost my eye brows. The boat had copper tube for the propane it looked fine when I inspected it. After that I found there was a short area of tube that had a deck leak dripping on it for years the copper had corroded through at that point.

I say again use good high pressure propane rated rubber hose with proper end fittings.

I no longer will light stoves during a survey.

Fair Winds

[James S]

I...uh....don't know what your talking about anjou

[gjberta]

Did I read refrigerators running on propane in a boat??

[James S]

Yep...and water heaters too.....not my preference!

[gjberta]

Scary!!!!
Do these things have pilot lights?

[mesquaukee]

I have hydraulic steering, the lines are all copper. In one section they are exposed to some salt spray. After 10 years of use in the tropics I replaced them. The wall thickness was less than half of that of new tubing. They were not leaking and are subjected to pressures reaching 1000 PSI.

I also have coppers lines for the propane. Should they look as corroded as in the pics I would replace them. It is easy to do. Why take a chance.

Work hardening it is not a factor to worry about provided that there is some support and the lines are protected from objects slamming into them.

One only has to look at the copper lines on refrigeration equipment, specifically the lines to the compressor which are exposed to intense vibration heat and pressure.

Work hardening only becomes an issue should you wish to bend the tubing, you are using the lines to hang things on or they are subjected to mechanical damage from loose objects.

[gjberta]

Originally Posted by sailvayu

I say again use good high pressure propane rated rubber hose with proper end fittings.

I no longer will light stoves during a survey.

Fair Winds

Right on.
Annealed copper tubing is relatively forgiving and may even be compliant to some industry standards. However when it comes to carrying a gas that is not unlike a bomb and there are options available, then the optimum should always prevail!
The only reason to opt for a rigid and fatigue effected component is to save on cost, and this is not an area where cost saving should be a deciding factor!
Sorry to be so judgmental or so too serious about this, but I have seen a few explosion sites and can not help but be very adamant about exploiting any and all available preventive measures in the name of safety.

[Solitude]

I found this advice..

Supply Hoses
To carry the gas from the regulator to the stove or heater, use LPG supply hose of the correct length. Note that while these hoses are only carrying 0.5 psi, they have a 350 psi working pressure rating, so they are dramatically stronger than they have to be. Each supply hose should run continuously from inside the propane tank enclosure to the appliance: this is not a case where you can chain a bunch of fittings together because you ended up a little short on hose. A Vapor-Tight Straight-Thru fitting should be used where the hose exits your propane locker. Supply hoses connect to the propane appliance using a 3/8” female flare swivel and connect to the solenoid with a 3/8” male NPT adapter.




Can you even get insurance if you run a pilot light propane fridge on a boat?

[dirtydon]

could you use ss tubing? i have used it for brake lines on some cars and bikes where it can be seen(polished) harder to bend and would need to be secured (ss tube doesn't like vibes). brake fuild very nasty stuff. would it pass insur regs? i know it would be costly but just asking for future ref.

[gjberta]

Originally Posted by Solitude

I found this advice..

Supply Hoses
To carry the gas from the regulator to the stove or heater, use LPG supply hose of the correct length. Note that while these hoses are only carrying 0.5 psi, they have a 350 psi working pressure rating, so they are dramatically stronger than they have to be. Each supply hose should run continuously from inside the propane tank enclosure to the appliance: this is not a case where you can chain a bunch of fittings together because you ended up a little short on hose. A Vapor-Tight Straight-Thru fitting should be used where the hose exits your propane locker. Supply hoses connect to the propane appliance using a 3/8” female flare swivel and connect to the solenoid with a 3/8” male NPT adapter.




Can you even get insurance if you run a pilot light propane fridge on a boat?

Pilot lights? Hell no. Totally noncompliant due to an oxygen depletion issue (of the cabin interior).


We found LPG cylinders originating from the boats as far as 300 yards away in this dockfire that had destroyed 32 very nice boats ranging from 40 to 48 feet.

[gjberta]

Originally Posted by dirtydon

could you use ss tubing? i have used it for brake lines on some cars and bikes where it can be seen(polished) harder to bend and would need to be secured (ss tube doesn't like vibes). brake fuild very nasty stuff. would it pass insur regs? i know it would be costly but just asking for future ref.

NO

Why would we not use what is suggested for the purpose by the experts?
When you are working with explosive stuff experimenting is not an option!
(Stainless steel corrodes worse than mild steel in certain conditions, referred to as "crevice corrosion", such as when it is shielded from oxigen, which is what you do when securing it out of harm's way with ties or clips.....)

[sailvayu]

Ok I am sorry but this is sort of a pet peeve of mine when I read some of the comments here. We are talking about boats here. Just because it works in a house, car, rv, airplane. space shuttle, or whatever does not mean it will work in a boat. So many people think that marine stuff is just high priced household stuff. In almost all cases it is not. I used to think that too but after 35 years building and repairing boats I am here to tell you that there is a difference and for good reasons.

Ok done with that rant. Sorry no do not use stainless steel it has problems with pit corrosion and is brittle.

I will Stand by what I have said and maybe just maybe 1 person will listen and replace there copper with the correct hose and not blow up. We are talking about saving what? 20-30 bucks between hose and copper tube. Hose is easier to install and so much safer I fail to understand why so many recommend copper.

Yes copper works in refrigeration, yes it works in steering, but the results of failure there is not a large explosion. Twice I have stood in the middle of a small explosion due to the failure of copper tube I sort of have a strong opinion on this one. I am not going to try for number 3.

I say again use good high pressure propane rated rubber hose with proper end fittings.

Fair Winds

[anjou]

gas tubing must be non ferrous

[steve_hendry]

When I bought my boat at the end of 2002, the propane installation failed the survey for BOATUS insurance on account of having a connection outside the propane locker, on the way to the stove. In addition, the surveyor (Mike Kaufman), recommended all hose for the replacement.