RALEIGH, N.C. (NCN News) – The state agriculture department is blocking the sale of a specific type of propane system, citing safety standards.
In a release Wednesday, (April 15), the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has issued a stop-sale order for the Ignik TapRack 4 Refillable Propane System. This device failed to meet several safety standards enforced by the department’s Standards Division.
Manufacturers and distributors will have six months to remove these products from retail locations. Online sales shall include a note that these products are not legal in North Carolina.
The device failed to meet the following criteria:
*The 1-pound cylinders do not display the actual tare weight of the container, as required by the National Fire Protection Association’s Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code.
*This device has not been approved by a recognized third-party testing laboratory as required by North Carolina General Statute Chapter 119-58(a)1 though the company claims certification from Underwriters Laboratories (now UL Solutions). UL Solutions denies the applicability of the provided documentation to the TapRack 4 device.
*The instructions provided in the quick start guide, printed on the device label, and provided through the company website are inconsistent and shift between filling the cylinders by the dispenser’s meter, by volume and by weight. None of the provided instructions specify how many cylinders must be attached before filling, nor do they warn that cylinders must be completely empty to avoid overfilling if using the dispenser meter. No guidance exists for refilling partially filled cylinders. Testing confirmed that the cylinders do not fill uniformly and can be overfilled if starting from a partially filled condition.
*Testing conducted by the division found that partially filled cylinders could be refilled past the maximum volume of 85% posing an immediate hazard to the operator and user. North Carolina General Statute Chapter 119-58(a)4 states that it shall be unlawful to “Fill a consumer tank or container in excess of 85 percent (85%) of its water capacity.”
The North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services’ Standards Division is responsible for maintaining minimum general standards of safety for the design, construction, location, installation, and operation of the equipment used in handling, storing, measuring, transporting, distributing and utilizing liquefied petroleum gases.
To do this, the department adopts by reference the most recent version of National Fire Protection Association, document NFPA 58 “Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code” (LP-Gas Code) as the required standards for the storage, handling and installation of liquefied petroleum gas (title 02 North Carolina Administrative Code Chapter 38 Section 0.0701).