propane bottles on back bumper?

[obrien creek farm]

Is mounting a couple 5 gallon propane bottles outside on the back bumper a good idea?

 

[Oscar1]

doesn't seem like a good idea to me. Actually I think it's illegal to have them on the back. Your state must have some specific motor home regulations relating to this.

 

[john61ct-SKO]

Not the worst place, big explosive warnings keep people back

Under chassis would be better.

Boxed airtight inside with outside venting from the floor even better but precious space.

In front means **you** drive careful.

Never up top IMO.

 

[Drew Bru]

You could always bring them inside for travel, just unhook them real quick and slip them through the back door...shouldn't take more than a few minutes.

 

[Danjo-SKO]

You can’t put them on the bumper and you can’t carry them inside or on The roof.

Read NFPA 1192

https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/all-codes-and-standards/list-of-codes-and-standards/detail?code=1192

 

[PNW_Steve]

Definitely not on the back bumper.

Personally, I won't carry them in my living space.

I would be looking under the bus for space. There are several good examples in the build threads.

I was under my bus yesterday eyeballing the space just forward of the drive tires.

 

[Phantom5824]

You can’t put them on the bumper and you can’t carry them inside or on The roof.

Read NFPA 1192

https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-stan.../list-of-codes-and-standards/detail?code=1192

Exactly. NFPA 1192 for the win

 

[TheArgobus]

Don't put them on the back bumper, or inside (I have a visual of a propane tank going flying through the cabin...). My solution was to make a hanging compartment, located just aft of the back wheel, but forward of the bumper. Also higher than the axle. The only way to access this compartment is by lifting a hatch located inside underneath the seats. The compartment itself is basically just a cube made with slotted angle, with a plywood base and protected on all sides with extra sheet metal from the ceiling. If it leaks, the gas just goes on the road. It's protected from collisions with other cars and from high bumps. The biggest pain is that anytime we stop and need propane, we have to dig through the storage, open the hatch, and open the valve.

 

[john61ct-SKO]

You can’t put them on the bumper and you can’t carry them inside or on The roof.

Says who and what army?

This is 'Murica, land of the free.

Stuff like NFPA is very rarely mandated, the wholr RV industry is self-regulated

and none of that applies to owner DIY / mods except maybe a few rare jurisdictions.

In which case hardly ever enforced.

Now of course if you **want** to be as safe as possible feel free, but saying "you can't" is just bluster and false.

 

[john61ct-SKO]

The standards set for boats

where airtight bilges make for a **much** more hazardous context.

are excellent guides.

UK / ANZ versions

are different from ABYC stateside

so choose one or the other.

But for a bus my reco above is plenty safe.

Frequent inspection of lines, even pressure testing, minimizing junctions and the use of flex hose etc, just as important as where the bottles are.

 

[Danjo-SKO]

Says who and what army?

This is 'Murica, land of the free.

Stuff like NFPA is very rarely mandated, the wholr RV industry is self-regulated

and none of that applies to owner DIY / mods except maybe a few rare jurisdictions.

In which case hardly ever enforced.

Now of course if you **want** to be as safe as possible feel free, but saying "you can't" is just bluster and false.

Yep, you can do whatever you want.

But I would say whether it’s enforced wherever you are or not, paying attention to the same organization that writes the NEC is wise.

Didn’t mean to make a commandment out of it.

But those codes get written for a reason too. They help people make wise decisions so they don’t make dangerous situations. I feel better doing stuff to code and go out of my way to learn the best way to do things and to me that is to code.

I’d sure hate to be in a space where a OPD valve blows off or one of this cheep rubber hose connectors comes apart or melts.

So, IMO, those that ask questions should read the code.

 

[mmoore6856]

i guess your too young to remember the ford pinto

 

[Danjo-SKO]

i guess your too young to remember the ford pinto

We had one. Put 250000 on that death trap!

 

[PNW_Steve]

We had one. Put 250000 on that death trap!

I drove a wagon. I am amazed that I survived

The RV manufacturing industry builds to standards and are subject to government oversight.

If you are going to build RV's for sale in WA you have to submit the design to Labor and Industries for approval and are subject to random checks to monitor compliance.

 

[farok]

 

[rebapuck]

I've seen them on the back of food trucks.

 

[Ak3Spirit]

The NFPA-70 & NEC are MINIMUM STANDARDS only for SAFETY and are revised on a regular basis. In engineering we also have a standard: you can’t engineer out stupid no matter how many scenarios you envision or test for.

 

[Kaklehr]

What about mounting them to a rear platform?

 

[TheArgobus]

What about mounting them to a rear platform?

I may be misunderstanding what you’re saying, but I think the intent is to have a bumper between the propane tank and the bumper of the California driver who will rear end you because they’re too busy snapchatting.

 

[Kaklehr]

I'm adding a steel platform to the back of my bus to accommodate my scooter. I also plan to mount two LP tanks to the back of the platform - next to the rear wall of my bus. Thoughts?