Propane regulations

[fred1diver]

Hello everyone
This question is for a good friend of mine.
I don’t know anything about propane on board boats, except it needs to be able to drain overboard.
So my friend’s boat has 2 13pound propane tanks mounted side by side on the port side of the pushpit.
His Bbq is on the starboard side.
With both those in place he does not have much room to use the swim ladder, so we were wondering if just like a home style Bbq he could mount the tanks under the Bbq? Almost 12 inches below, will see if more is possible.

next question is propane hookup, he has only one tank blocked up and changes the regulator when the first tank is empty. We are trying to find a way to get the tanks a little closer together to save space. But he is concerned about rotating the tanks because the regulator and everything else on the line would stick out too much. So is it mandatory to have the regulator mounted directly on the tank or can it be about a feet down the line?
Is there a way to hook both tanks at the same time?
Again I have no knowledge of any of this.
Thank you in advance

 

[Captain Larry-DH]

A couple of important principles:
The propane MUST be directed to only vent overboard in event of a leak. That rule is critical.
Everything between the tank and the regulator is high pressure and more likely to leak. Therefore the regulator is safer mounted directly to the tank or should be on a short hose with regulator and tanks together in an enclosed locker that can only vent overboard lower than the deck level. You can buy connection rigs designed to manage a pair of tanks. You can also buy an external propane locker made of fiberglass. Expensive but maybe best.
A longer hose is generally safe between the regulator and burner control valve. You should also install a pressure gauge so you can detect leaks in that connection. (With tank valves closed and burner valves closed the pressure should stay at a normal level for a long time.)
PS— two 13 pound tanks is a lot of propane. Maybe he cooks out in the wind with an open cover? (My frame of reference - We use 10 pound tanks, and each lasts 4-6 weeks of live-aboard indoor cooking 2-3 meals per day aboard.)
Edit: I carry 2 tanks but don’t have a switchover valve - it only takes a few minutes to manually move the regulator connection from one to the other. They are both in a dedicated locker.