With the increasing level of substandard products manufactured day by day in Nigeria, it is very hard to find a genuine, quality, long lasting and durable LPG cooking gas cylinders.
Getting quality LPG cooking gas cylinders is the best you can do for yourself, in terms of safety. LPG expands rapidly when its temperature rises. So, whenever a gas cylinder bottle is refilled, the container feel cold to touch and there is a heavy off-take, water or ice may appear on, around the gas cylinder bottle.
Normally, LPG is stored in liquid form under pressure in a steel container, tank or cylinder bottle. The pressure inside the container is very high, high enough to produce vapour that can easily vaporate. Also, the presence of moisture within the gas cylinder bottle could cause it to rust, which is why during manufacturing of LPG gas cylinder bottles, new cylinders are filled with dry and insert nitrogen gas to prevent both rust and eliminate the presence of moisture. This is why only approved quality cooking gas cylinders designed for LPG should be used, and purchased from authorized distributors only.
The quality of LPG gas cylinders can vary greatly by manufacturers, materials used and date of manufacturing. For example, older bottles tend to last longer than more recent versions. So, it is hard to spot an approved quality cooking gas cylinders from substandard gas cylinder bottles. Some gas cylinders are just refurbished or made from low quality materials.
There are many ways you can recognize and spot an original gas cylinder in local market. Here are few things you should be on the watch for:
1. BRAND
When ordering for your cooking gas cylinders, it is recommended that you go for noticable brands. Brands such as Oando, Amaze, Totalgaz and other genuine names - are brands you should check for when buy LPG gas .
2. SIMPLE DETAILS
Always watch out for more info, simple details on the gas cylinder you which to purchase. An alternative way to check for the originality of any LPG gas cylinder bottles, is to compare the TARE weight and Total weight. These info are mostly stamped on the neck ring of any gas cylinder bottles. TARE weight is the empty weight of the gas cylinder bottle. Along with the gas cylinder bottle dimensions, they can vary greatly by manufacturers. Alternatively, you can confirm that by using a digital scale. Most substandard gas cylinder bottles will give wrong figures on scale reading when compared with the stamped details.
3. MARK OF QUALITY ASSURANCE
When ordering a cooking gas cylinder, make sure it must be of approved quality. In Nigeria, SON (Standard Organization Of Nigeria) approves products for quality assurance. It is recommended that you always obtain SON approved rubber tubes, hose and LPG gas regulators from authorized distributors only.
4. MATERIALS USED
LPG is stored in a high tensile steel container. They can vary greatly by manufacturers. Older bottles are known to last longer and are durable than more recent versions. However, this does not mean you go for a fairly used cooking gas cylinders, as this can lead to unexpected, potentially dangerous situations. You can go for plastic composite gas cylinder bottles or better still, go for a stainless steel gas cylinder bottles.
There are so many other ways to differentiate quality gas cylinder bottles from substandard one's. One way is to check if the gas cylinder has been delivered with the company seal and safety cap intact. For smaller gas cylinder bottles - 3kg, 6kg or 5kg; check whether the sealing O-ring rubber is in placed inside the cylinder valve. And check also if the gas cylinder bottle valve had been changed before.
Do not attempt to use your cooking gas cylinders if the O-ring rubber is missing. Put back the safety cap and contact your distributor for replacement of gas cylinder. If you are not sure about usage, please ask the delivery person for a demonstration.
Tags
LPG Gas Cylinders