# Gas bottles - again



## Maggy Crawford (Sep 18, 2010)

I received no replies to my previous post querying whether gas bottles have to be stored outside a property by regulation. Can anyone confirm definitely please what is the regulation? I was under the impression that the law changed and that a habitation licence would not be granted if they were stored inside.


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

Everyone I've asked has given a different answer but the most common answer I've had is that the large bottles have to be stored outside & undercover & the small bottles may be kept inside.

For what it's worth, I've noticed that the covered area the large bottles are stored in are usually open at the front or have wooden doors which makes sense because it'd allow any blast from an exploding bottle to be directed outwards away from the house.


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## ViaVinho (Jul 29, 2016)

My thinking is that gas bottles that are always "on" (e.g., for the stove and the water heater) are better stored outside in case of a leak causing gas accumulating in the home otherwise. Gas bottles for gas heaters are not always on, but only when the heater is on. Thus the likelihood of a leak is less and these bottles typically reside in the back of the gas heater. Of course, the heaters are used in the house thus the gasbottles are stored along with them in the house.
However, I don't know what the legal situation is and this is what you want to know.


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## Maggy Crawford (Sep 18, 2010)

Thank you to both of you. It makes good sense about "on" and "off.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Presumably, if gas is involved, the gas suppliers have made an inspection before the contract to supply is agreed, so their report should state where the bottles should be stored and what ventilation is required. That's what happens here.


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## Strontium (Sep 16, 2015)

From my official gas handling cert course memory. The gas cylinders contain Butane and/or Propane and both are heavier then air so in a static installation are kept outside in a vented structure, usually open sided or slated, with the cylinders secured to prevent them falling over. The structure is to prevent direct sunlight and the venting to prevent, in case of a leak, a build up of gas concentration to the Lower explosive limit (LEL): The lowest concentration (percentage) of a gas or vapor in air capable of producing a flash of fire. Mobile installations have different rules.


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