Storage Requirements for Forklift Propane Tanks

Your forklift's propane tank provides fuel to the forklift's engine as well as its drivetrain. The tanks are refillable, inexpensive and easily swappable among forklifts. The fuel inside propane tanks is under pressure and highly flammable. When the propane tanks are not in use, follow specific storage requirements to keep the tanks from rusting or becoming wet and the fuel inside the tanks from exploding.

Area

• Store your forklift propane tanks in a well-ventilated area outside, away from flammable and combustible materials as well as away from traffic, including forklifts and other motorized vehicles. Do not store the tanks in a house, garage or other indoor location.

Placement

• Store the tanks upright on a flat concrete or other solid surface away from water. Do not store the propane tanks on their sides, a grassy surface or any area where mud, dirt and other substances can soil the tanks.

Relief Valve

• By placing a propane tank upright, you keep the tank's relief valve in an area where it can receive air and any fuel in the tank can escape into the blank space above the tank. Propane tanks give off small amounts of vapor, so by being upright, the vapors will escape instead of the liquid propane escaping from the tanks.