Using LP Gas
While there is an increase in the use of gas, there is also a rise in the number of victims of gas-related accidents. For instance the death of a female medical specialist employed at the Panadura Base Hospital and an officer of the Army domiciled in Matugama reveal the ignorance of the public on the safe use of gas.
Whenever advice is given in the media its objective is not to take precautions against mishaps but to economize on gas consumption. From whichever source of supply it is ‘Liquefied petroleum’ in the form of cylinder gas. In some countries it is known as natural gas or town gas.
In a gas cylinder meant for domestic use 12.5 kilograms of liquefied petroleum is contained in a concentrated high pressured condition.
When the valve is opened the highly concentrated gas escapes very forcefully. The ordinary gas cooker web use has been manufactured in such a way that only 1/50th of the pressure at which the escaping gas enters the connecting tube does function in the burner. At this point the regulator fixed to the cylinder plays the dominant role. Its function is very important. That is to say it controls highly pressurized gas. There are several parts in a regulator: The rubber diaphragm is the most important. With the lapse of time it tends to get damaged and the escaping gas could reach the burner and cause a fire
The other point is that when using the last bit of gas in the cylinder, they make the grave mistake of overturning the cylinder. When this is done, the fluid moves towards the regulator. Thus the regulator gets loaded with the fluid.
Another important factor is the positioning of the cylinder in the kitchen. The cylinder should not be kept under the table that the cooker rests on. Neither should the cylinder be put in a pantry cupboard where the door closed. The reason is that a valve of the cylinder or the regulator might leak some gas and the concentrated gas might catch fire or even explode. The cylinder should always be in a position or place where the ventilation is good. K.A. Nimal Wijenayaka
Wadduwa