LPG Cylinder Expiry Date [ A Hoax Mail]

Most of you must have received an e-mail regarding “LPG Cylinder Expiry Date”. For those who didn’t, here is a copy of one such mail:

Have U ever heard about LPG gas cylinder’s expiry date….!!

Do you know that there is an expiry date (physical life) for LPG cylinders? Expired Cylinders are not safe for use and may cause accidents. In this regard, please be cautious at the time of accepting any LPG cylinder from the vendor.

Here is how we can check the expiry of LPG cylinders:

On one of three side stems of the cylinder, the expiry date is coded alpha numerically as follows A or B or C or D and some two digit number following this e.g. D06.

The alphabets stand for quarters -

1. A for March (First Qtr),

2. B for June (Second Qtr),

3. C for Sept (Third Qtr),

4. D for December (Fourth Qtr).

The digits stand for the year till it is valid. Hence D06 would mean December qtr of 2006.

Please Return Back the Cylinder that you get with a Expiry Date, they are prone to Leak and other Hazardous accidents.

The second example with D13 allows the cylinder to be in use until Dec 2013.

Kindly pass this to everyone, and create awareness among the public.

While I totally agree that whoever forwarded you this mail sent it in good faith, the fact is that this is just another hoax mail.

The first part of the mail which speaks about the presence of an alphabet code is absolutely correct. Every cylinder has an alpha numeric code in one of the three stems as shown below.
But this code does not denote the expiry date of the cylinder. Instead it denotes the year and month when the cylinder is due for Statutory testing- in which it is checked for any defects. If a defect is found it is repaired and after getting a certification from BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) the cylinder is again put into circulation. However if an already repaired cylinder is again found to be damaged during subsequent statuary test, the cylinder is scrapped.

Hence if you get a cylinder in June 2010 with marking as B10, it does not indicate that the physical life of the cylinder has expired. It only means that this cylinder is due for next statutory testing by the end of June 2010.

Why should you believe me and not the mail?

You have every right to ask this question. All I have to say is if you are reading an article at GkLinkZone rest assured that it has been duly verified and the information provided is from authenticate sources. As for the present article, I’ll suggest you to refer Indian Oil Corporation’s FAQ section and scroll towards the end of the page. Last two questions there will remove any doubt from your mind. In the last answer, it is clearly stated that:

In any case, this is not the date of EXPIRY of PHYSICAL LIFE of the CYLINDER

Attached is the screen shot from the page I’m referring to.

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Q. What is the procedure for repairing/replacing damaged cylinders? Ans: LPG cylinder found requiring repairs is put to Hot repairs once in its lifetime as per IS code of practice. Each and every Hot repaired cylinder is also certified for use by BIS and is accordingly put into circulation. Any LPG cylinder which has undergone one Hot repair, if it is found damaged subsequently, is scrapped. IOC strictly follows the above and introduces new LPG cylinders as replacement to the cylinders scrapped.

Q.Is it possible to know when a particular cylinder is scheduled for testing? Ans: On one of three vertical stay plates (side stems) of the LPG cylinder, the date is coded alpha numerically as A or B or C or D and a two-digit number following this e.g. D10. The alphabets stand for quarters - A for Qtr. ending March (First Qtr), B - Qtr. ending June (Second Qtr), C-Qtr. ending Sept (Third Qtr), & D for Qtr. ending December (Fourth Qtr). The digits stand for the year when the cylinder is due for Statutory testing as explained above. Hence D10 would mean that the particular cylinder is to be taken for the next Statutory Testing by December 2010. In any case, this is not the date of EXPIRY of PHYSICAL LIFE of the CYLINDER It is further clarified that, during service, every empty LPG cylinder when it comes from the Distributor to the Bottling Plant for filling, is checked for its condition including the marked date for Statutory Testing due. Cylinders due for testing are segregated and sent for testing. Every cylinder after its filling with LPG is checked for correctness of its weight and soundness, before despatch to the Distributors. Every care is taken to ensure that cylinders which are safe for use are only sent to our Distributors for further distribution. It means if a customer gets a cylinder in June 2010 with marking as B10, it does not indicate that the physical life of the cylinder has expired. It only means that this cylinder is due for Statutory testing by end June 2010. Source :

http://www.iocl.com

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