BY: RACHELLE M. NESSIA
Portable gas stoves are becoming more
and more popular in households across Visayas. This is particularly true for
butane camping stoves which are designed for use during outdoor activities like
camping. Due to its portability, these camping stoves are now becoming a
fixture in many kitchens in the region.
According to the Department of Energy
(DOE), butane camping stoves use butane gas as fuel that is sold in 250-gram
net capacity. The gas is sold in canisters made of tin metal sheet with no
welded joints. Pure butane gas is similar to the gas content that you can find
in disposable lighters.
Using the butane camping stove pose no
threat to one’s safety. However, using butane canisters that are refilled with
LPG make it dangerous.
The Department of Energy (DOE) here has
received reports that used butane canisters are now being refilled with
liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and sold in the market. The cheaper price of
LPG-refilled canisters compared to buying a new one is attracting many butane
gas stove users for economic reasons.
But DOE-7 Regional Dir. Antonio Labios
explained that butane canisters refilled with LPG are in danger of causing an
explosion because LPG does not have the same characteristics with that of
butane.
Butane canisters are not designed and
suited to the gas pressures of LPG. In closed containers, butane gas produces
pressures that are lower than that of LPG, thus the canisters are manufactured
to withstand this minimum pressure. On the other hand, LPG - which is a
combination of butane and propane – has a higher pressure than that of butane,
needing a much stronger type of material to contain it.
Labios added that most of the butane
canisters sold in the market are imported Korea and are manufactured to be sold
for one-time use only.
“These canisters are non-refillable,”
he said.
DOE has also received reports of
individuals resorting to backyard refilling facilities which are now
mushrooming around Cebu province.
“We have yet to pinpoint the exact
location of these illegal activities,” he said. He warned that these activities
do not have business permits from the government nor do they have fire safety
certificates from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).
To keep your homes safe from fire accidents, do not forsake your
family’s safety in exchange for saving a few pesos. Although you can save money
by resorting to refilling your butane canisters with LPG instead of buying
original butane canisters, it also puts your and your family’s lives at risk.
It’s always better to be safe than sorry.