Safety with Hothead and bulk!!!...scary rant

[Rockpooljewels]

Okey Dokey....

I am planning a quick move onto bulk fuel for my hothead due to cost of Mapp gas. Have been mooching a little this morning on this subject and came across a rant by some guy relating to it 'being the most dangerous thing he has ever heard of'

link   http://mikeaurelius.wordpress.com/2007/12/30/bulk-tanks-and-the-hot-head-torch/

ok now I know loads of you peeps use this system, is he scaremongering or should I/we be worried. My plan was to have my gas bottle outside of my shed, in a sheltered spot, use quick release connections and a flashback arrestor, BUT I am a big scaredycat and just wanted some reassurance that all of you on bulk for the hothead find it ok?

Thanks in advance,
Mandyx

[Les]

None of us have gone BOOM yet
xxx

[Rockpooljewels]

I know ...lol,
but being dodgy around gas bottles at best of times it freaked me out a little, so I suppose as long as all relevant safety is followed, it's gonna be ok? My fella is laughing his head off, he uses gas everyday, and is used to it...but I got a little nervy when I read that one!!!!

Mandyx

[Carol]

a rant 

As Les has pointed out, all of us who have used bulk propane haven't gone BOOM, take the appropriate safety precautions & you'll be fine   

[julieHB]

Consider how many BBQ gas cylinders are standing around in people's gardens, Mandy. Just make sure to turn the gas off at the bottle after each time you torch.

[Rockpooljewels]

Yep girls...duly noted...
my other half has just returned from the welding place, I now have a huge gas bottle 19 k I think!!! looks massive anyway, and all the bits to hook me up...so I  suppose all my worries have been dispelled by the fact that I can now melt glass..haha

I  dunno what was worse the other day...getting all my gear + mapp gas and having a go..or running out of mapp gas after 3 hours and having to wait for the bulk stuff till today... it's like

          'better to never have lampworked at all..than have lampworked and ran out of gas' 

yay i made me own quote!!!!

Right I am off to check up on Dan see what he's upto out there.....and in future I won't believe everything I read..

Cheers m'dears

Mandyx

[Shirley]

I think we've all read that article at some point. And be scared by it, and then realised that there's far more likelihood of being runover by a bus.

How many lampworkers have we heard of getting blown up by their propane?

I rest my case.

[Mary]

Mike always insists that it is impossible to use a flashback and regulator with a HotHead, which is why he says it's so unsafe. He is talking about running it on full tank pressure, with just a hose between the tank and the torch. As dozens of people are happily using flashbacks and regulators, it's a different situation, don't let him scare you off!

[sea-thistle]

I'm not going to read that link or I'll never get in the shed again!! I am new to lampworking, and i am very nervous of the propane gas cylinder. I have mine outside, It has a plastic dustbin upside down on it which has a channel cut up the side for the hose etc. The lid on top and a packet of cement that has got wet and set, just to keep the plastic from blowing away. No way would I have the propane inside my shed! i know it is dangerous stuff. 

[Rockpooljewels]

I didn't want to scare anyone..oooh no, I will delete the thread if you all want me too....
being new to this means that when you come across something like that you naturally seek reassurance from those in the know and obviously I suppose knowing you all use them with no problems makes it feel ok.

I really did not mean to upset or annoy anyone by putting this in, was just a tad concerned this morning is all, have relaxed now, as I know I have all necessary safety features in place...whew

Hope you all have a great and productive day!

Mandyx

[Mary]

I wouldn't delete this, other people will find it useful I'm sure.

[silverlemon]

I'd like to know where all this comes from (the stuff in the article).

Surely if Cindy Jenkins, the (as far as I know) designer of the hothead is using bulk, AND shows it inside under her bench, it's ok to go bulk.
As for the whole bottle of gas filling up the studio quickly, you'd smell it before it got bad, also wouldn't the studio fill up fast from a leak in a dual fuel line?

I would however be cautious about making it really difficult to get to your propane bottle to turn it off in case of emergency. If you have a scare you need to be able to get to the knob on top very quickly, not be faffing around removing padlocks and covers.

The other thing about all this, is that we should all check our hoses and connections on a regular basis. and maybe replace an old hose after several years to ensure that it doesn't crack.

Most people going bulk will buy a new connector and hose, so why would this crack?
It's more likely to crack after several years use, by which time the majority would have moved to a duel fuel torch.

There's lots of scaremongers out there, and some who maybe are a bit careless, but it's important to read all you can, lots of different opinions and weigh up for yourself what appears to be common sense.  

[Billie]

Jeez!  Most rural homes not on a gas mains supply have a propane tank sitting in a cupboard hooked up to their cookers/hobs in the kitchen so they can cook meals - like us here for example  and as others have said, those of us who have been on bulk fuel with hot heads haven't blown ourselves up so far. 

[Trudi]

I have a spray bottle filled with water and washing up liquid handy so that I can check the joins for leaks!! If there's a leak it will start to bubble!

[Les]

I've kept my propane indoors for 3 years now... I'm still here, LOL