Wednesday 31 March 2010

LPG Cylinder expiry date

Here is another mail going rounds in the internet. The text of the mail goes like this:

Have u ever heard about LPG cylinder's expiry date.

How to find LPG cylinder's expiry date? Very important information. Do you know that there is an expiry date (physical life) for LPG Cylinders? Here is how we can check the expiry of LPG cylinders:

On one of three side stems of the cylinder, the expiry date is coded alpha numerically as follows A or B or C or D and some two digit number following this e.g. D06. The alphabets stand for quarters -A for March (First Qtr) B for June (Second Qtr) C for Sept (Third Qtr) D for December (Fourth Qtr). The digits stand for the year till it is valid. Hence D06 would mean December qtr of 2006. Share this message with everyone you know, Ur kind cooperation will save life of many people and create awareness among the public. Please do not accept the cylinder if the date has already expired.


Mail Status: False

Correct information:
This is not cylinder's expiry date, these digits stand for the year when the cylinder is due for statutory testing. Details are given below:

On one of three vertical stay plates (side stems) of the LPG cylinder, the date is coded alpha numerically as A or B or C or D and a two-digit number following this e.g. D06. The alphabets stand for quarters - A for Qtr. ending March (First Qtr), B - Qtr. ending June (Second Qtr), C-Qtr. ending Sept (Third Qtr), & D for Qtr. ending December (Fourth Qtr). The digits stand for the year when the cylinder is due for Statutory testing as explained above. Hence D06 would mean that the particular cylinder is to be taken for the next Statutory Testing by December 2006.

In any case, this is not the date of EXPIRY of PHYSICAL LIFE of the CYLINDER .

It is further clarified that, during service, every empty LPG cylinder when it comes from the Distributor to the Bottling Plant for filling, is checked for its condition including the marked date for Statutory Testing due. Cylinders due for testing are segregated and sent for testing. Every cylinder after its filling with LPG is checked for correctness of its weight and soundness, before despatch to the Distributors. Every care is taken to ensure that cylinders which are safe for use are only sent to our Distributors for further distribution. It means if a customer gets a cylinder in June 2006 with marking as B06, it does not indicate that the physical life of the cylinder has expired. It only means that this cylinder is due for Statutory testing by end June 2006.


Source: Indian Oil Corporation website