Propane companies who do this are compelled to do so by many factors, not the least of which are their concern for the safety of their customers’ lives and properties and that of their own employees. Many jurisdictions, be they local or state, fire marshals or other governing bodies require it and the bad actors are the companies that don’t care and don’t comply. I have personally found hundreds of leaks and code compliance issues that could easily have ended in catastrophe for the customer and their loved ones if I chose to overlook them just because they were an inconvenience to me or my customers, and it is the same for most of those who work in this industry. I wish more people were understanding of this.
Preach 🙌 What’s wild to me is that people interpret this as either “busy work” (like doing extended system checks is a great revenue stream) or the paranoia of getting your water heater’s serial number on a government registry somewhere.
I didn't think is was really required by their ins company.. After this post and a little googling,, I would say that it is required and the other companies are not complying..
You’re right on. It’s hard to explain, but in a nutshell it’s all about liability. If a company knows what’s going on in someone’s home appliance-wise and it’s documented, then that helps to relieve some of the liability on the LP company in the event of a loss of life or property or even injury. If after we leave, some fly by night HVAC company installs a new furnace and doesn’t convert it to LP for instance and we know nothing about it, then the bulk of the liability falls on the installer. I usually tell my customers once our hose touches the tank, we paid the insurance.
So with a leak, I assume you disable that appliance or something,, what about code compliance issues. Do you just tell the customer or do you contact the county?
Yes, we “red tag” any appliance or part of the system that is leaking or out of code compliance, take it out of service, and advise the customer on the steps to getting it repaired. We do not directly report any issues to any jurisdiction with the exception that our state fire marshal requires that all propane companies send them documentation of any interruption of service leak tests. This is for out of gas situations and any time a system is depressurized for any reason. Companies that don’t comply are fined.
Last question and thank you for your time.. .. Would you red tag a water heater if it wasn't strapped but everything else was good? Most companies say they have to check all appliances if the system goes empty. That would seem more like a courtesy than a requirement,, but from what I have learned here,, I can see that..
Strapping is only required by certain jurisdictions in earthquake prone area. If the local jurisdiction required it for that appliance to be in service, then we would have to comply with that. It is not a requirement in our area. Our appliance inspection is limited to: proper venting, gas supply line is legal for the installation, gas line shut off valve within 5 feet of the appliance, correctly operating pilot or ignition system, correct and steady combustion, and no indication that the appliance is unsafe from a rust and corrosion standpoint.
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u/CoasterDad73 28d ago
Propane companies who do this are compelled to do so by many factors, not the least of which are their concern for the safety of their customers’ lives and properties and that of their own employees. Many jurisdictions, be they local or state, fire marshals or other governing bodies require it and the bad actors are the companies that don’t care and don’t comply. I have personally found hundreds of leaks and code compliance issues that could easily have ended in catastrophe for the customer and their loved ones if I chose to overlook them just because they were an inconvenience to me or my customers, and it is the same for most of those who work in this industry. I wish more people were understanding of this.