Commonly used in our everyday lives, LPG cylinders are something most of us wouldn’t be able to cook without. But these harmless looking cylinders can actually be dangerous.

Yes, practically every house in India depends on LPG cylinders for their daily meals and one small slip or oversight is all it takes to cause a massive fire.

Available easily in the market, the LPG cylinder can be used further by refueling but that is not the case always. The LPG we use in our homes comes with an expiry date and many are certainly unaware of it.

Using LPG cylinder past its expiry date can result in leakage that can also lead to an explosion. Once the cylinder is past the expiry date, one must stop using it. But most people have no idea how to check the expiry of the bottle. The steps to check the expiry are very simple and basic.

Here is how to check the expiry date of the LPG cylinder:

On one of three side stems of the cylinder, the expiry date is coded alpha numerically which starts with A, B, C or D followed by a two digit number. e.g. D06.

The strip has any of the alphabets from A to D painted on it along with a number. Decoding the expiry date is simple. The alphabet represents the month of expiry while the number indicates the year of expiry. A year is divided into four quarters –

• A – for March (First Qtr) i.e, January to March
• B – for June (Second Qtr) i.e, April to June
• C – for Sept (Third Qtr) i.e, July to September
• D – for December (Fourth Qtr) i.e, October to December

For example, your cylinder has ‘B-13’ painted on the metal strip. The alphabet B represents month June, and 13 indicates the year 2013. So a cylinder having B-13 mentioned on it means it will expire on June 2013.

However, there is a limited grace period of three to four months after the expiry as the cylinder cannot be pulled out immediately out of the circulation. There have been reports that distributors tamper with the expiry date as it is written with paint.

So next time when your delivery boy comes with a refill cylinder, make sure you check the expiry date. Many local LPG re-fillers even conceal the date, usually by pasting some sticker over it. So please be extra careful while checking.

If you get a cylinder post expiry date, please return it back immediately, they are highly prone to leaking or bursting causing serious injuries and can even take life.

The most imminent danger is to your mother, wife, sister… Kindly pass this information on, for creating awareness.

And do check the expiry date and stay safe!