Propane storage inside the van. How?

[king_1223]

Hey guys, this is my first post and I am stoked to be overlanding soon as I have purchased a 2006 sprinter and am turning it into a overland van as we speak. I have be playing with the idea to go with all desiel heater and stove as I do not want to hang a propane tank under my van. THEN! I saw this video. Where there women has propane inside her van! I know her van was professionally built so I assume it is up to code. My question is how did she make this safe?

The propane and kitchen are shown at 3:12

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=R43D6xhUpVo

 

[Robert Bills]

There was a recent discussion on transporting propane here: http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/157856-TRANSPORTING-PROPANE-TANKS.

From Post #4 of that thread:

The regulations for transporting propane in a motor vehicle for the United States and Canada are here:
http://www.ehow.com/how_5847451_transport-propane-tanks-car.html

In summary,

Transport propane cylinders upright, on a flat surface, and secured in a manner to prevent tipping.

Propane cylinders must be as far from the driver as possible and must be isolated from the engine and exhaust system.

The total weight of the cylinders, including the propane they contain, cannot exceed 108 pounds (In Canada, the rule is a maximum of 5 cylinders, but each cylinder can weigh as much as 66 pounds

If the cylinders have safety caps to cover the valve opening, those caps must be in place.

Canada requires that the the area where the propane cylinders are stored be ventilated, i.e., with windows open or if in a trunk with the lid open slightly.

General propane safety procedures warn against leaving filled propane tanks inside a hot car because heat will cause a build up of vapor pressure which may cause the OPD to vent propane into your vehicle. One way to handle this is not to transport full tanks. Federally mandated Overflow Prevention Devices will not allow filling beyond 80% capacity which may prevent venting in a hot vehicle in most cases, but I typically use a bit of the propane in each tank before a trip for an additional margin of safety.

 

[rockbender]

I would still go with the diesel fired furnace, and then use a small tank like in the video (or even 1# canisters) for the cooktop. The Espar/Webasto furnaces are really nice, and then you wouldn't have to use much propane at all.

 

[luthj]

Welcome to Van life. There are couple of ways store propane tanks for use inside the van. Before I get into that I suggest you take a look at Espar and Wabasto heaters as they are efficient compact and use fuel from your main tank. Cooking can be accomplish with the portable stove using butane or propane.

In Europe many RVs use portable cylinders inside the vehicle for the primary propane supply. Essentially you need to do what many marine installers do. This is to create an airtight box inside of the vehicle with the a vent through the floor and secure the propane tank and regulator inside this box. This allows any leaks in the tank or regulator to escape outside the van without posing an explosion or suffocation hazard inside the van.

 

[Abitibi]

This is exactly what I did on mine, feel free to take a look here (p. 26):
http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=103768

And I used some of those floor vents to double duty... I ran my compressor lines through it.

Sent from my SGP511 using Tapatalk

 

[KMG]

I would still go with the diesel fired furnace, and then use a small tank like in the video (or even 1# canisters) for the cooktop. The Espar/Webasto furnaces are really nice, and then you wouldn't have to use much propane at all.

X2. Have you considered this system?

http://www.propexheatsource.com/heaters/hs2211-furnace/

Good luck.