Propane tanks aren't scary, but they demand respect

Most grill accidents are from leaks or bad storage. Fix those two things and you’re fine.

Start with the connection. Before every cookout, do a leak test. Mix dish soap with water, spray it on the hose and the valve. If you see bubbles, you have a leak. Tighten the connection or replace the hose. Don’t use a match to test—that’s a YouTube fail waiting to happen.

Storage is where people mess up. Never store a propane tank indoors—not in your garage, not under the deck, not in the shed. It sits outside, upright, on a flat surface, away from heat sources. Also: don’t transport it on its side. The valve can get damaged, and then you’ve got a slow leak in your trunk.

One more: when you’re done grilling, turn off the tank valve first, then the burner knobs. This burns off residual gas in the line and reduces pressure. Done. Other than that, keep the area clean, don’t grill on a balcony or an enclosed space, and replace any rusty or dented tank.

Propane is reliable. Just don’t be careless with it.