If you want to put things into a real life perspective, here's a comparison that will make you think about it in the cold light of day:
How Combustible Do You Want to Get?
I can probably safely assume that you are quite happy to get into your car or truck and drive to wherever you want to drive to and back again, right? Do you ever stop to think about what you're carrying around with you inside your automobile?
That tank of gas is safely tucked away out of sight so you don't have to even think about it. Because if you did think about it, my guess is that you would probably never set foot within a hundred feet of any car. Why?
Gasoline (petroleum spirit) is not only highly combustible, but it's one of the most volatile fuels in common everyday use. That tank of gas will explode if the vapors come into contact with the merest spark, let alone a naked flame.
That's why there are signs up all around gas stations telling you not to smoke. The spark from a cigarette lighter could potentially ignite the whole place!
So Now How Worried Are You Over Propane?
With that example as our perspective, consider that canister of compressed propane (in liquid form under pressure) that's providing you with cheap and efficient indoor heat. Here is a gaseous substance that comes from the same place as the gasoline in your car, since it's a by-product of refined crude oil.
Yet propane, whether in liquid or gaseous form, is considerable less volatile than gasoline. It's true!
You would literally have to open the valve on the can and hold a lighted flame to the escaping gas to ignite it and even then, all you'd end up with would be a gushing plume of burning gas. To cause the canister to explode, you'd have to get that burning fuel to invert and enter the canister, which is pretty difficult since the pressure in inside it forcing the gas out.
Either way, it's a whole lot tougher to ignite a canister of household propane than it is to ignite a tank of gasoline. Hopefully, there are your safety concerns taken care of.
So if you're cool about driving your car, then you should be totally unconcerned about firing up your little heater to keep you cozy and warm in your home because it is much safer and many times less likely to explode than is your car. How's that for a nice slice of food for thought for the day?
