Find LPG gas cylinder expiry / test date
Below is a cut and paste from a fwd. email of a friend, I thought the information would be useful for everyone.
Here is some information certainly useful within at least the Indian subcontinent. Are we aware that there is an expiry date for LPG cylinders that are used in India to supply gas used in our household for cooking?
In a typical LPG cylinder, look in the inside surface of one of the three stems at the top for an alpha-numeric inscription (see figure). The alphabet code signifies the quarter of the year (A – first quarter ending in March; B – second quarter ending June; C – third quarter ending Sept; D – fourth quarter ending Dec) and the number following it represents the year.
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For instance, in the example shown above with the number D06, the LPG cylinder life expires by Dec of 2006 (The picture is one of our empty cylinders. Hope they don’t return it to our house again! |
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The second example with D13 allows the cylinder to be in use until Dec 2013. |
Hence the codes ABCD followed by the year only indicates the period before which the vessel or the cylinder has to be tested & inspected to ensure safety. It means if a customer gets a cylinder in June 2006 with marking as B06, it does not indicate that the physical life of the cylinder has expired. It only means that this cylinder is due for Stautory testing by end June 2006.
The LPG inside will never misbehave in its physical or chemical properties (as in the case of a pill or a dairy product)
It is further clarified that, during service, every empty LPG cylinder when it comes from the Distributor to the Bottling Plant for filling, is checked for its condition including the marked date for Statutory Testing due. Cylinders due for testing are segregated and sent for testing.
Every cylinder after its filling with LPG is checked for correctness of its weight and soundness, before despatch to the Distributors. Every care is taken to ensure that cylinders which are safe for use are only sent to our Distributors for further distribution.
LPG is a flammable gas which has the potential to create a hazard. Therefore it is important that the properties and safe handling of LPG are understood and applied in the domestic and commercial/industrial situations.
LPG is stored under pressure. The gas will leak from any joint or connection which is not sealed properly.
LPG is heavier than air. Any significant leak will move downwards and stay on the ground. It will accumulate in any low-lying area such as depressions in the ground, drains or pits.
Since LPG is stored in two phases, liquid and gaseous, there is potential for either a liquid leak or a gas leak.
If the leak is a gas leak it may not be seen (because LPG is colourless), except where the leak is of sufficient size to be seen shimmering in the air.
When a liquid leak occurs, the gas release will be seen as a patch of ice around the area of the leak, or as a jet of white liquid. This white appearance is due to the cooling effect created by the rapid expansion of the LPG liquid into a gas. The condensing atmospheric moisture makes the leak visible.
In concentrated amounts and in uncontrolled conditions, LPG has the potential to create a fire or an explosion.
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In the mail discussed above it is said that the quarter and the year mentioned on gas cylinder talks about expiry date of the cylinder. What is the authetic proof for this? As per Point No. 6 (a)(iv) of Chapter II (General Provisions) of Nofications issued on Gas Cylinders in 21st Sept. 2004 by Ministry of Commerce and Industry (Please refer to http://explosives.nic.in/pdf/Gas%20cylinder%20Rule%202004.pdf) it only says that the Quarter & Year of test shall be given in neck of sholder plate of cylinder in case of LPG.
hey its nice that u r providing alll these info. i came across this website as noise was coming from my LPG gas cylinder…i even searched other websites but yours is a gr8 one…you have given all the info. so clearly and in a detail manner..thnxxxxxx
to whom we can complain regarding expiry dated cylinder, if vendor sale to us?
If vendor sales to you an expired cylinder,don’t take it from him.Check his van for another cylinder with valid exp.date & exchange it.Or you can return it with a written complain mentioning the expiry date of the cylinder and wait for response.Or you can return it and bring another cylinder from the main store yourself.
The above mentioned information regarding the expiry of gas cylinder is absolutely false……….
I have copied the below details from the IOC website:
http://www.iocl.com/Products/LiquefiedPetroleumGasFAQ.aspx
Q.Is it possible to know when a particular cylinder is scheduled for testing?
Ans: On one of three vertical stay plates (side stems) of the LPG cylinder, the date is coded alpha numerically as A or B or C or D and a two-digit number following this e.g. D10. The alphabets stand for quarters – A for Qtr. ending March (First Qtr), B – Qtr. ending June (Second Qtr), C-Qtr. ending Sept (Third Qtr), & D for Qtr. ending December (Fourth Qtr). The digits stand for the year when the cylinder is due for Statutory testing as explained above. Hence D10 would mean that the particular cylinder is to be taken for the next Statutory Testing by December 2010.
In any case, this is not the date of EXPIRY of PHYSICAL LIFE of the CYLINDER
It is further clarified that, during service, every empty LPG cylinder when it comes from the Distributor to the Bottling Plant for filling, is checked for its condition including the marked date for Statutory Testing due. Cylinders due for testing are segregated and sent for testing.
Every cylinder after its filling with LPG is checked for correctness of its weight and soundness, before despatch to the Distributors. Every care is taken to ensure that cylinders which are safe for use are only sent to our Distributors for further distribution. It means if a customer gets a cylinder in June 2010 with marking as B10, it does not indicate that the physical life of the cylinder has expired. It only means that this cylinder is due for Statutory testing by end June 2010.
My house was locked for 1 year. The date on the cylinder is A-11 and it is October 2011 and it is still full. Should I use it or not. What should I do?