hi,
The powers that be are building 2 science labs and prep room
but without gas.....
There are 2 existing labs in another building down a ramp and uncovered walkway
Can you run year 7-12 science labs without gas?
could we use bottled gas (in outside cage -400kg size?)
What are schools to do if gas is ever to be fazed out?
many thanks carrie
Absolutely you can .
Our last school in NSW had something like a 10,000litre LPG tank .
In fact it was a common feature in all the State schools I remember.
Up here in QLD , we have two lots of two labs . Each group has two 13.5kg bottles and a change-over valve . Pretty much like you would have in a domestic installation to run a gas stove .
IMG_2582.jpeg
As to your first question , no , I can’t see how you can run pracs without a bunsen . One of our teachers is a clean freak and hates soot so he insists on using electric hot plates . But invariably , he never has enough time to boil a beaker of water before the period ends . He has admitted it was a waste of time and gone back to Bunsens .
Not to mention how do you heat a test tube or a crucible of magnesium ribbon without the heat of a bunsen .
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Bigmack these would still need to be plumbed in though, wouldn't they? We also just have gas bottles (the taller ones) to the labs, but there are gas taps installed in the benches. If the school doesn't want to install those then...?? I don't know how you would use regular bunsens without gas plumbing.
Oh dear. That shows great lack of insight regarding the science curriculum. What a shocking waste of money. You can buy portable Bunsen burners, but it'd be cheaper just to plumb the gas in.
I don't have gas in my prep room. I asked them to take it out when they did the recent lab renovations (prep room wasn't included) because I never used it. I didn't have a gas shut off valve or emergency stop or anything so as much as I know the risks are low if I do everything correctly, if something DID go wrong, I would have had to to grab my keys, leave my prep room, unlock a lab (if there was no-one in there) and press the emergency stop button which would take far too long to do!
RosalieL wrote: 18 Jun 2025, 11:06
Bigmack these would still need to be plumbed in though, wouldn't they? We also just have gas bottles (the taller ones) to the labs, but there are gas taps installed in the benches. If the school doesn't want to install those then...?? I don't know how you would use regular bunsens without gas plumbing.
Totally correct Rosalie
I suspect Berrygem's school, being in Victoria has always just had plumbed Natural Gas and as that is no longer being built into new buildings AFAIK as they try to faze out Natural gas. So I'd imagine the architects just figured no gas .
But they probably haven't considered that the rest of the country relies on LPG and it can be just as easily be setup .Just have to use different Bunsen's for LPG .
Definitely needs to be installed during construction .
RosalieL wrote: 18 Jun 2025, 11:06
Bigmack these would still need to be plumbed in though, wouldn't they? We also just have gas bottles (the taller ones) to the labs, but there are gas taps installed in the benches. If the school doesn't want to install those then...?? I don't know how you would use regular bunsens without gas plumbing.
Totally correct Rosalie
I suspect Berrygem's school, being in Victoria has always just had plumbed Natural Gas and as that is no longer being built into new buildings AFAIK as they try to faze out Natural gas. So I'd imagine the architects just figured no gas .
But they probably haven't considered that the rest of the country relies on LPG and it can be just as easily be setup .Just have to use different Bunsen's for LPG .
Definitely needs to be installed during construction .
Thanks for that clarification. I assumed they just meant they didn't want any gas pipes in at all.
In that case, Berrygem, yes, definitely ask if they'll do a gas bottle set up! We have 2 labs and tall gas bottles with a similar set-up to the one pictured above and they last for ages.
Found this . It looks like LPG is excluded from the ban .Hassle the people saying no gas . You have the right to LPG . Teachers need gas in a science lab .
Facts
LPG is exempt from the gas connection ban
Amendment VC250 to Victoria’s Gas Substitution Roadmap states that the new requirements only apply to the use of reticulated natural gas and do not apply to the use of bottled or reticulated LPG. This means new and existing dwellings can still benefit from the cleaner and more efficient LPG.
If a homeowner wishes to switch from natural gas to LPG, it’s often as simple as hiring a licensed gasfitter to connect a Supagas bottle to the house. However, these gases cannot be used in place of each other in domestic appliances, meaning you may need to replace items like your cooktop or heater in the process.
Street offered some simple advice to Victorians planning to build their dream home.
“If you wish to power your home with LPG, this is perfectly permissible,” he said.
“Simply ask your plumber and build team to work the connection into the design and they’ll have it organised.”
Hi all,
Thanks so much for your quick response. The rural vic schools do use LPG tanks as no town gas and you buy different b.b. with different parts, this school has access to town gas but the architect is not currently using it. Was not sure if gas was a complete non-starter as with be fazed out eventually, but who would re-write the pracs we do?
The portable b.b. sound good until you look at the safety side -no emergency off, you are working with kids and would you need to check/lock them away after use, in a flammables?
As LPG gas is not included in the gas connection ban that sounds very positive. Bigmack -how long do the bottles last and who exchanges the bottles?
many thanks berrygem
Since portable Bunsens were mentioned, here's a safety notice we got from the Department a couple of years back here in WA:
Portable Bunsen burners can, and have, caught fire around the base where the gas cartridge is connected. This makes them very difficult to turn off with the gas dial located just above and next to, the connection. Reticulated gas Bunsen burners are able to be turned off away from the flame with a toggle switch.
Classrooms with reticulated gas have an emergency gas shutoff switch and a valve in the event of an emergency
When a Bunsen burner appliance is attached to a gas cartridge they become top heavy and tip over easily.
Reticulated gas Bunsen burners are far more stable and their tubing further stabilizes them
It is very difficult to accurately gauge how long remaining gas in a cartridge will last and therefore if it will be enough for a particular experiment. Cartridges cannot be swapped over for a full cartridge until completely empty
Assembled portable Bunsen burners are prone to developing a leak if dropped and cold burns can result from leaking compressed gas if someone tries to remove the Bunsen burner to a safe location. The compressed gas leaking from a cartridge expands rapidly creating a very unsafe situation where naked flames may already exist. I.e. a science classroom with other Bunsen burners alight.
Teaching staff have indicated that students find portable Bunsen burners more difficult to light and use than reticulated Bunsen burners
Schools using portable Bunsen burners will require taller (non-standard) tripods to heat liquid
In addition, the gas cartridges are classed as Flammable Gas 2 and come with all the storage requirements of Class 2 Dangerous Goods. I definitely think LPG gas tanks with appropriate Bunsens plumbed into the classroom is safer
Berrygem wrote: 19 Jun 2025, 10:22
Bigmack -how long do the bottles last and who exchanges the bottles?
many thanks berrygem
In the 15 months I've been at this school , I have had two bottles run out , one in each pair of labs . So I'd guess about a year on a 13.5kg bottle for two labs .You could get the big 45kg bottles but then you have to pay a gas company for bottle rental and exchange costs . The smaller bottles are easy to deal with .
I just call up the works dept fellas ( caretakers ) and they go get me a new bottle of gas and change it over for me . They are good lads
Ours are probably the 45kg ones mentioned above. Ours lasted a few years (at least 4) in two labs. When one ran out nobody here actually knew what to do because it had been so long since they needed a fill and all the staff had changed! If the "swap n go" style ones will work for you then maybe have 2 set up for easy swap over when one runs out, and a spare so there's no rush to get the old one replaced. Definitely fight for plumbed in gas - especially after seeing Pm706Narrogin's post about the portables!
alternatives to bunsen burners?
