3 Things To Consider When Choosing A Location For Your Propane Tank

Propane can be a really handy fuel source since you can use it to power everything from your furnace to your grill. However, the one inconvenient aspect of propane is that you need to keep a tank of the fuel on-site. It's not just delivered constantly to your home like natural gas. When you have a propane tank installed on-site, the most important thing to consider is location. Here are a few factors to keep in mind when choosing a location for your propane tank. 

1. Stay away from any heat source

Propane is a very combustible substance. As such, you do not want to place the tank anywhere near a heat source. Make sure it is located far away from your fire pit or any outdoor wood stove you might have. You might figure you will use the fire pit responsibly and that there is therefore little risk, but you never know what a guest may do at the fire or what could happen at 2am when you've fallen asleep with hot coals still in the pit.

Other heat sources to consider include dryer vents, window air conditioners (they discharge hot air), and range hood vents. Place the tank at least 10 feet from these items.

2. Consider the cost to run lines

The further from your furnace and other appliances the propane tank is, the longer your supply lines will need to be. So, while placing the tank far off in some bushes where you can't see it might be attractive from a landscaping perspective, it could end up costing you a fortune to have those long lines installed. You might be better off putting the tank 25 feet from the house and just building a decorative fence next to it. (25 feet is the minimum distance allowed between a propane tank and a house, according to most building codes.)

3. Avoid wet spots

If there is a really wet spot in your yard, that is not a place where you want to put the tank -- unless you first have a landscaping company do some grading work. The propane company will need to be able to drive right up to the tank to fill it, and you do not want them to sink into the ground when they do so. Wet soil also accelerates the rate of rust formation on the tank.

To learn more about choosing the right location for your propane tank, talk to your propane tank installation company. They can typically take a look at your land and home and make a few recommendations.