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surabi
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Yes, explosions from leaking gas are, I would imagine, more of a threat than gas poisoning.
Whenever I have my gas cylinders switched out, I always check the connections I can get to with soap and water. But the couple of times I smelled
propane in my kitchen, it turned out to be the hose from the stove to the gas connection. Easy enough to change out.
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mtgoat666
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Quote: Originally posted by surabi  | Yes, explosions from leaking gas are, I would imagine, more of a threat than gas poisoning.
Whenever I have my gas cylinders switched out, I always check the connections I can get to with soap and water. But the couple of times I smelled
propane in my kitchen, it turned out to be the hose from the stove to the gas connection. Easy enough to change out. |
Propane is explosive at 2 to 10 percent v/v. Asphyxiation by propane likely takes >10 percent v/v. Are odorizers used in propane in mexico?
Woke!
“...ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America
will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
Prefered gender pronoun: the royal we
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SFandH
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For sure, you can smell a tiny leak. It's a very distinct odor. I have wrestling matches with propane tanks for 6 months every year. The chits heavy.
I also have a very big wrench to tighten down old connectors. A soapy water test is standard operating procedure.
[Edited on 7-17-2023 by SFandH]
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surabi
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Oh yeah, I can smell a propane leak. Those cylinders are sometimes way too old. I got one that was actually leaking from a pinhole in the tank itself.
And my propane delivery guy only uses a pipe wrench, which damages the nut connection, making it impossible for me to switch it over to my small
barbeque tank if I run out. I make him use my correct size wrench when he comes.
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mtgoat666
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| Quote: Originally posted by lencho |
Teflon tape on the threads helps with that. It doesn't seal, but I think it helps exert more pressure on the flare face without having to
torque so hard (also makes it easier to remove).
I've also used tape on the contact face if it's really dinged up, but in that case it's probably better to replace it. |
Dont use tape or sealant on flared fittings or fittings with o rings. If fittings are damaged, then replace them. Using a longer wrench to ‘fix’
damaged fittings is recipe for failure.
If vendor uses improper tools/techniques, then teach them correct way, or find another vendor.
[Edited on 7-18-2023 by mtgoat666]
Woke!
“...ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America
will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
Prefered gender pronoun: the royal we
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surabi
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Yes, my propane delivery guy, the same one who rounds the nuts with his damn pipe wrench, wants to put teflon tape on the flared fitting of the
regulator where it sits in the cylinder opening. My American plumber told me that isn't right, they shouldn't need tape. When I had a leak at that
fitting, I just went and bought a new regulator. They aren't at all expensive.
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surabi
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Yeah, well, I didn't mean that because he's American he must be right, but gas fittings aren't something I had any knowledge about, aside from knowing
how to check for leaks with soapy water, and I had no reason to think he would be telling me something incorrect.
And my experiences in Mexico is that funky repairs are fairly commonplace, which on some levels I appreciate, like my mechanic reattaching my broken
steering linkage with a zip tie, which lasted for 6 years.
But a lot of the time the funky repairs are just due to Mexicans not having money to spare or not wanting to spend it, whereas I would rather just go
buy a new regulator than have one that leaks unless it has teflon tape on it.
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mtgoat666
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| Quote: Originally posted by surabi | Yeah, well, I didn't mean that because he's American he must be right, but gas fittings aren't something I had any knowledge about, aside from knowing
how to check for leaks with soapy water, and I had no reason to think he would be telling me something incorrect.
And my experiences in Mexico is that funky repairs are fairly commonplace, which on some levels I appreciate, like my mechanic reattaching my broken
steering linkage with a zip tie, which lasted for 6 years.
But a lot of the time the funky repairs are just due to Mexicans not having money to spare or not wanting to spend it, whereas I would rather just go
buy a new regulator than have one that leaks unless it has teflon tape on it. |
Usa is not immune from bad work….
You get what you pay for!
Woke!
“...ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America
will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
Prefered gender pronoun: the royal we
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surabi
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Yes, friends and family tell me that shoddy workmanship is getting more prevalent in Canada, too.
And a lot of people don't know anything about how to tell if it's a good job or not until it causes some problem down the line.
What I referred to as my American plumber was actually an electrician by trade, but did all my plumbing and electric on my house here in Mexico. He
lives here and is a good friend of mine. He must have done a good job, because I've never had any plumbing or electrical issues in the 16 years since
the place was built.
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Cliffy
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One only has to watch "Holmes on Homes" to realize the depth of ignorance most people have on home construction.
You chose your position in life today by what YOU did yesterday
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pacificobob
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| Quote: Originally posted by lencho |
Teflon tape on the threads helps with that. It doesn't seal, but I think it helps exert more pressure on the flare face without having to
torque so hard (also makes it easier to remove).
I've also used tape on the contact face if it's really dinged up, but in that case it's probably better to replace it. |
I agree. Teflon used to compensate for a damaged flair surface is indeed a questionable practice.
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monoloco
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| Quote: Originally posted by Paco Facullo | As a retired Plumbing contractor and avid traveler, I have inspected the plumbing in meny Countries. My conclusion is that it is installed to just
"work" without any regard so safety.
When I visited Cuba, my reason for being there was professional research, so I started a website and interviewed workers on construction sites. I also
examined and took photos of as much plumbing as I could. Needless to say, it just has to work..
Mexico is pretty much the same... |
The problem in Mexico is that there is no licensing or standards for
becoming an electrician or a plumber, and here in Baja Sur, there's a double whammy of no inspections. There is so much work here that typically what
happens is that a kid will go to work for a plumber/electrician for a few months or a year, then he'll decide that he knows enough to become a
plumbing contractor and hire his primo or sobrino, and start bidding jobs, then in a few months the sobrino will also become a contractor, rinse and
repeat. It doesn't take long for this to lead to a whole bunch of plumbers/electricians who never learned the basic concepts of their trade, who leave
a trail of shoddy and dangerous work in their wake.
"The future ain't what it used to be"
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RFClark
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Guys,
If there was enough propane in a room to make you ill it would ignite when someone turned on a light. Propane is heaver than air and smells which
attracts lots of flys. In Mexico if you have an exposed leak the flys will find it.
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mtgoat666
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| Quote: Originally posted by RFClark | Guys,
If there was enough propane in a room to make you ill it would ignite when someone turned on a light. Propane is heaver than air and smells which
attracts lots of flys. In Mexico if you have an exposed leak the flys will find it. |
Wrong, clarky. Propane is only combustible at concentrations between 2 and 10 percent (v/v air). Over 10% the propane is too rich to combust. If
people are asleep or have no sense of smell, high concentrations of propane will not be noticed and will asphyxiate.
Woke!
“...ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America
will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
Prefered gender pronoun: the royal we
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surabi
Ultra Nomad
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| Quote: Originally posted by RFClark | Guys,
If there was enough propane in a room to make you ill it would ignite when someone turned on a light. Propane is heaver than air and smells which
attracts lots of flys. In Mexico if you have an exposed leak the flys will find it. |
While I agree that a little leak of some propane gas isn't going to make anyone ill or kill them, flies?
Maybe when you say "Mexico", you just mean your little corner of it. One reason I dislike Todos Santos, where I actually spend time in Baja, is the
proliferation of flies.
I''ve had propane leaks where I live on the mainland, and I can assure you there are no flies around them. In fact, there are very few flies around at
all.
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SFandH
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If you can't smell the smallest of small propane leaks, there is something wrong with your nose.
The nose knows.
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baja-chris
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The Covid nose knows no smell. So they say.
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soulpatch
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CO poisoning is very common in Mexico.
We recently lost a dear friend in QRO, a man we admire deeply and his two beautiful young children to what appears to be CO poisoning, an easily Avoidable death.
They were so excited to be moving into a home with grass for their kids and dog to play on.
Debate all you want upper and lower explosive levels.
You'll never smell or see the CO that will get you.
Propane in Mexico has very strong odorants.
Don't break someone else's heart and soul over a few dollars.
PLEASE, buy an inexpensive insurance policy... CO monitors are a lot cheaper than funerals.
I don't care what you think of me personally or if you want to debate minutiae about other topics.
Don't die needlessly.
We travel nowhere without a few of these for redundancy's sake and every room of our house has at least one CO detector.
This is my experience.
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soulpatch
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As an aside after reading back through some of the commentary is that imperfect combustion as commonly experienced throughout Mexico such as
non-vented propane fireplaces, heating devices, water heaters, etc, will produce CO.
I wouldn't roll the dice on it and I learned the hard and personal way as did my poor wife who did not get nearly as ill as I did since she was much
further from the source.
This, obviously, is highly personal to me but don't count on anything combustible or electrical in Mexico to work as you think.
If you think workmanship is going to take care of you think again.
I have met 2 architects in about a decade's worth of installing solar photovoltaic that actually new what an energy load was on a structure.
I was shocked, to be honest, that they actually knew and were accurate.
It is far more common to have craftsmen here lose interest the second they have money in hand.... it is not longer their problem.
Every single year here in San Miguel de Allende people die due to using unvented propane fire places that look aesthetically pleasing.
My wife had a client in Punta Mita whose entire condo complex ( brand new, best arquitectos, sin duda ) had their workers use plastic piping as water
heater vent tubing.
Worked great until they melted and occluded any venting.
They sent us photos of the melted and burned plastic and the builders repaired them all with, guess, plastic.
They actually had to bring the workmen back and show them how to do the job properly with metal venting.
The workman thought it was all BS...they were astounded at the fact that these P-nche gringos wanted something of proven effectiveness and quality.
The audacity, I know.....
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pacificobob
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This guy sacrificed himself to shut down one of the pumps. It turns out that the electric system was never correctly grounded. The house was built 8
years ago... the lack of grounding went unnoticed until all metal appliances were delivering shocks.
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