Storage of Gas Bottles

[PeteRepeat]

Hi there,

New member here - hopefully I'll be picking your minds on the brewing side of things in the coming months. But for the moment, I'm planning the installation of a kegerator in my outdoor kitchen.

Can anyone tell me if there are any safety issues with storing a 2.6kg CO2 bottle and 2.2L nitrogen canister under a weatherproof bench, alongside a medium-sized LPG bottle for the bbq? The bench is in a shady location, however, the under bench space is enclosed by walls and front cabinetry. There is plenty of ventilation surrounding both the kegerator and bbq, but I have no idea how much additional space is required for gas cylinders.

Cheers.

 

[TheWiggman]

What are your concerns about the cylinders? Carbon dioxide and nitrogen are harmless unless they become an asphyxiant.

 

[DJ_L3ThAL]

Hi there,

New member here - hopefully I'll be picking your minds on the brewing side of things in the coming months. But for the moment, I'm planning the installation of a kegerator in my outdoor kitchen.

Can anyone tell me if there are any safety issues with storing a 2.6kg CO2 bottle and 2.2L nitrogen canister under a weatherproof bench, alongside a medium-sized LPG bottle for the bbq? The bench is in a shady location, however, the under bench space is enclosed by walls and front cabinetry. There is plenty of ventilation surrounding both the kegerator and bbq, but I have no idea how much additional space is required for gas cylinders.

Cheers.

If you are enclosing a flammable gas there is risk of explosion from leak accumulation, larger unignited leaks there is a risk of asphyxiation but one would hope a leak is picked up sooner due to odourant in the gas.

If you are enclosing an "inert" gas like CO2 or Nitrogen, there is a risk of asphyxiation as mentioned from leak accumulation. So prying kids putting heads in cupboards etc would be of concern. It is best practice to ventilate any gas storage cupboard and have that ventilation directed to a safe area. This all comes down to your risk assessment of the installation, setup and usage. Likewise if you are storing the cylinders elsewhere and plumbing lines to somewhere else ie. inside a kegerator, there is a risk of being overcome if a kegerator was to fill with inert gas and someone opened the door and stuck their head in/took a breath.

The best thing to do in all of the scenarios if put your time and effort into ensuring there are no leaks in the system at all. Submerging lines and fittings underwater is the best method for detecting very small leaks (soapy water only detects medium to larger leaks).