Director of Energy Safety, Saj Abdoolakhan said a new type of cylinder valve and appliance connections were now available for users of barbecues and other LPG appliances.
“The safer design will be phased in over the coming months,” Mr Abdoolakhan (pictured with the new valve) said.
“Cylinders with the current valves, known as Type 21 (POL), may continue to be used, but eventually the LCC27 design will be the standard fitting for smaller LPG cylinders and related appliances in Australia,” he said.
Mr Abdoolakhan said the LCC27’s design was expected to significantly reduce cylinder connection fires and injuries during leisure use of LPG.
“It has a check valve that requires a gas-tight connection to be in place before the gas will flow, which reduces the risk of gas escaping if the cylinder valve is opened or disconnected,” he said.
“The appliance connection point has a thermal shut-off function to stop the gas supply if a certain temperature is reached in the event of a fire.”
The Director said users would also be able to easily tighten the appliance connection by hand thanks to a large right-handed thread, while another advantage was that the rubber seals were located inside the gas valve, so they could be checked during the refilling process and replaced as required.
“The new, built-in seal will help to avoid incidents such as a barbecue explosion,” he said.
Mr Abdoolakhan said that, from 1 October, only gas cylinders with LCC27 valves would be available for sale or exchange.
He said owners of cylinders with Type 21 POL valves could continue using them until they were empty or reached their retesting date.
