LPG stands for Liquefied Petroleum Gas, of which the two most common gases are Butane and Propane.
It is a clean burning and efficient hydrocarbon gas that is produced as a bi-product of oil refining or natural gas extraction. When compressed in a tank or cylinder it becomes a liquid, which is then released as a gas.

A litre of LPG expands to approximately 270 times its volume as a gas, this means that lots of energy can be stored in a relatively small container. It provides many of the benefits of natural gas with the added benefit of portability.

BOVAS supplies both Propane and Butane. Butane and Propane are both forms of LPG, they boil at different temperatures and work at slightly different pressures.

• Propane: typically used as fuel for home and water heating, cooking and refrigerating food, clothes drying, and powering farm and industrial equipment/manufacturing of products.
• Butane: typically used as fuel for cigarette lighters and portable stoves, a propellant in aerosols, a heating fuel, a refrigerant, and in the manufacture of a wide range of products.

We supply domestic gas bottles:

• BBQ: 3kg, 4kg, 5kg, 6kg, 9kg, 14.5kg and 18kg
• Home: 45kg, 50kg, 90kg and 210kg

We also install large and industrial gas tanks:

• Above-ground tank.
• Below-ground tank.

For more information about installation of large tanks, kindly give us a call today.

The following tips should be considered when handling LPG containers:

• If outdoors, shield your cylinder from direct sunlight.
• If indoors, keep your cylinder away from any source of heat. It is preferable and safer to keep your cylinder outdoors.
• Do not keep other combustible products near your cylinder.
• When transporting your cylinder, ensure to keep it in an upright position.
• Ensure that cooker burners and cylinder regulator are turned off when not in use.
• Avoid twisting your supply hose if you are using a flexible supply between the cylinder and burner.
• Have double controls for your cylinder.
• Do not put on the gas before striking the match or lighter.
• Never use phones near your cylinder or gas burner.
• Never use a cylinder past its due date.

The life span of cylinders may be 10 years or 15 years, check for your country’s standard.
To determine the expiration date of your LPG cylinder, use the following approved formula:
Expiration date = Year of manufacture + Life span of LPG cylinder.

LPG gas cylinder testing must be done every 10 or 15 years by a licensed test station. LPG gas cylinder testing procedure may also include some refurbishment and/or coating with anti-rust paint.

If the Test date was 2015/08 and the requalification date was 2020/08, then the testing interval is 5 years.
The next time to test your cylinder will then be can be determined as follow:
New test month: Requalification date (2020/08) + Testing Interval (5 years) = 2025/08.

The only test that end-users can perform is to test for valves or pipes leaks by using soapy water to check for leaks.
For proper testing, you have to take your cylinder to a qualified testing station where the cylinder is subjected to a high-pressure test.

We perform integrity testing for BBQ gas bottles and Home gas bottles at our gas stations.
For installed industrial and bulk tanks, you can call us for scheduled testing.

Even if your cylinder is new it is possible that during transportation, physical damage might have affected its structural integrity during loading and unloading of the cylinder.

If you are not sure if your cylinder is still safe to use or it has been a long time when it was used last or perhaps you can’t see any visible date marking on the cylinder, take it to a qualified testing station for qualification test.

You can bring your cylinder to us for a token. We will then send it to the appropriate place where it will be recycled. This is to prevent possible use of the cylinder by another person if you discard it yourself.

We supply LPG directly to homes and offices/industries. We require a contract to be signed for commercial supply.

Bulk tanks can be installed at a variety of locations, safety requirements permitting. Before any installation can take place, one of our experts will visit your property to assess your requirements and the suitability of the proposed location. Should a bulk tank not be an appropriate, we can advise you of your cylinder options.

There are various safety requirements based upon the size of the tank to be installed.

• In this case for a 1,000 or 2,000 litre vessel, the tank must be 3 metres from building, boundary, fixed point of ignition and combustible materials.
• The tanker driver needs a line of sight from the tank to the tanker.
• A hedge is permitted on one side of the tank 1 metre away for screening purposes but should not hinder with access or line of sight.

Our representative will be able to advise you as to the best location for the tank.

A suspected gas leak may be indicated by Smell, Frost on The Pipe, Misting of Air around Leakage Point.

• Extinguish all naked flames and ignition sources.
• Turn off all gas appliances.
• Do not switch on or off any electrical equipment.
• Do not operate any electrical appliance or phones near the leak.
• Turn off the gas supply at the tank service valve.
• If the leak is indoors, turn off the gas at the emergency control valve outside the building, open doors and windows to increase ventilation.

In the event of a fire incident, please kindly do the following:

• The emergency services should be called immediately and should be informed that an LPG vessel is in the vicinity of the premises.
• Turn off all gas appliances.
• The gas supply should be turned off, only if practicable.
• All personnel should congregate at your muster point.

Go to our Station Finder page to see the closest station to you or use the Locate our nearest Gas Station” button below