Submerging a leaking gas cylinder in water will have “no effect” on the leak, a spokesperson for Indonesia’s state energy firm Pertamina told AFP, contradicting social media posts that claimed this stops the gas from spreading into the air. Pertamina tests their cylinders for leaks by dunking them in water, but this would neither prevent gas from dissipating nor lower the risk of an explosion.
“No need to panic, if the gas cylinder starts to leak, grab it and submerge it in a bucket of water so gas will not spread into the air,” reads Indonesian-language text on a SnackVideo clip uploaded on September 17, 2024.
The clip, which was viewed more than 12,000 times, shows an upside-down gas cylinder partially submerged in a bucket as the water bubbles and fizzes around it.
The video circulated after a woman was injured when a liquified petroleum gas (LPG) cylinder exploded in a house in Jakarta in June 2024 (archived link).
Similar clips were shared in Facebook and TikTok posts that also claimed submerging gas tanks in water would stop leaks.
Comments on the posts suggested some users believed the claim.
“Thank you for the information,” one wrote, while another called the advice “very useful”.
But LPG does not dissolve in water and submerging a gas cylinder in water would not mitigate the risk of an explosion, experts told AFP.
‘No effect’
Heppy Wulansari, a corporate secretary at Pertamina Patra Niaga, the sole distributor of LPG cylinders in Indonesia, told AFP that dunking a cylinder in water “has no effect” on a gas leak.
She said Pertamina submerges its LPG cylinders in water to ensure there are no holes or tears before filling them with gas.
A cylinder that is leaking gas, however, should be moved to an open space and kept away from any ignition sources, she said on September 23.
Pertamina offers the same advice on its official website (archived link).
Joko Winanto, head of Gadjah Mada University’s Natural Oil, Gas and Coal Technology laboratory in Yogyarkata, added that the LPG used in gas cylinders cannot dissolve in water.
“Soaking cannot stop the spread of gas… so even if it is soaked in water, it will still spread into the air,” he told AFP on September 26.
“It is very dangerous if there is a source of fire near the bucket, an explosion could occur,” he said.
AFP has debunked other misleading claims that spread in Indonesia about the safety of LPG tanks here and here.
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