straycat wrote:

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HI,,
Can someone give me a hand here please,,Have a faint gas smell at the bottles,,
I've put soapy water over all the joiners, but, no bubbles,,      That's where my knowledge stops ,any idear's ???? All help is good..
Cheers,,..,,

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Only limited knowledge on gas, like electricity have a very healthy respect for it and anything else that can kill me.

Could it possibly be a small leak in the pigtails or the gas line itself, other than that get a Gas Plumber in to be on the safe side, cost a few dollars but it beats being dead.

 

make sure you check your flexible hoses they can leak under the brading

G'day  ..

Like all the others I agree that immediate action is appropriate.

Are you sure that it is not 'burnt' gas fumes from your hot water system or even the pilot gone out (if gas).


In the unlikely event that you are in Brisbane give ma a PM & I can arrange expert qualified heip.

Now that you guys have given me something else to stress about, has anyone any experience or comments to make about "portable gas detectors' for caravans.?
Found a 12v gas detector at www.caravansplus.com.au for about $100.
Are these things any good or is a box of matches the way to go.

 

 

Johnw

Hi Cat, There should be no smell of gas around the bottle if there is there is a leak some where, if it has a flexible hose that is the most likely source , use soapy water solution on hose to check. Other source may be regulator a gain use soapy water there should neverbe any gas ventedfrom a regulator, if there is then the diaghpram may be perished. Have also seen gas leak from the cylinder valve just under the handle, again use soapy water. when looking for gas leaks soapy water solution is far more acurate than using portable gas detectors, you will be unlikely to pin point a gas leak with a gas detector especialy out side. Cheers Daryl

Paddy please read my second line in my answer to straycat and you will find I already advised having it checked out!

such an unprovoked attack should really be researched first, (by reading my post properly) something you obviously couldn't be bothered doing

this is exactly why the gas bottle must be either on the outside of the vehicle/caravan or in the case of a Motorhome or campervan it must be in a box excluded from the inside,

cat, if all joints are tight and you have given it a thorough testing and still cant find any supporting evidence and if you are satisfied the leak is indeed real, then take it to a gas fitter or plumber or even a caravan repair center for them to run a sniffer over the whole system

if in any doubt and you feel uncomfortable with it then have them replace all obvious hoses, including flexible, and regulator, it wont cost the earth and will give you peace of mind

how old is your gas bottle, maybe an "o" ring on the tap is a bit dodgy?

just check and recheck all fittings and if it continues find a dunny diver and have him run his sniffer over it!

-- Edited by dave06 on Tuesday 9th of March 2010 04:13:07 PM

cop what, My advice was to have it checked if it's a problem!

Please fellas,
If you smell gas, it's actually "Mercaptan" that you smell. Natural gas as supplied in bottles is Propane and maybe a bit of Butane. Either of them DO NOT SMELL. That's why we add "Mercaptan", a very smelly and nauseating gas to ALERT US that there is a leak.

If you smell GAS, do not hesitate and have it checked out, IMMIDIATLY. If there is any "GASSY" smell anywhere, near or far from the bottle, get it checked out, NO IFS, NO BUTS.
I have worked in the hydro carbon industry for some 29 years. Trust me.
Rubber seals deteriorate, Hoses deteriorate. If your life is worth only a few dollars, than of course don't worry. But speaking for myself, I'd get it checked out and if the connections/hoses are a couple of years old, get them replaced as well.
OHS is one of my credentials.
SAFETY FIRST.

Regards
Frank
Lake Bolace Caravan Park

there you go
Have been informed by other members of Troll Watch, that the quote is correct.

My mistake re the quote

No so about Troll watch

ah so thats the bain, okay I will apoligise for that, no-one is a troll, I left a bit out and I was corrected, I meant a little smell of gas after a bottle changeover is normal, it sort of "sticks" to surfaces

interesting thing to bring up though, I worked for a caravan park quite a few years ago building carports and shedding, I seen the owner walking around the park with a gas detector in his hand checking c/van gas bottles, I was curious so I asked him at smoko what he was doing

he said to me he had been doing some research on van gas bottles and found that roughly 25% leaked, some were bad, some were not so bad but he had conducted this "research" over a 12 month period taking samples about every 3 months

he came up with the finding that most leaks found were around the gas tap that switches the bottle intake from left to right then secondly the regulator then thirdly the gas line entering the bottle was not tight enough

I too was surprised at my big mates findings, the tool I described above, I think is cheap enough for everyone to own, if the leak, seepage whatever is on the outside of the van it can at least be considerably safer than if it were inside unnoticed,

Am I cynical or what?. I wonder if some of our newbies are real or they disgruntled members who recently left this forum and are now back under new names to do more damage. bloody hope not.
Cheers Jack.

I wish we could stick to the subject in hand without suspicion and cynism directed at every newcomer to The Grey Nomads.
It's very off-putting, and gives the impression this is not a friendly forum.
Can we please accept people at face value until they give cause for suspicion and prove otherwise.
Forums are for discussion and during discussion there will be different opinions.
There doesn't have to be 100% agreement. Discussion is healthy, and a great way of comparing notes, experiences and opinions. Then we are all free to make up our own minds and make our own decisions.
Not every newbie is a "troll". Who decides which newbie is a "troll"?
As far as I know this forum is open to all comers, and it's not up to the contributors to decide if who stays or goes.
That huge responsibility lies solely and exclusively in the hands of the web mistress.
Let's not make her job any more difficult.

dave06 wrote:

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you are spot on Jack, got it in one,

Cat I love "fishing" it develops loyalties, improves viewer participation, and ratings, and increases numbers, bottom line it gets far more information out than was being debated before as is shown in this thread, however it tends to upset folks which is not always a bad thing, gives a common "enemy" if you will to unite against

just one thing straycat before you go and get everything replaced, turn off your gas supply and disconnect your tubing, clean out the receiver part of the bottle and wipe the male end of the tubing with a clean dry rag, never use oil or solvents or even water, check for nicks or scuffing, if this is present then replace it

replace the coupling and tighten very firmly, test with a heavy dilution of dishwashing liquid, if the smell is still present then proceed to the next junction and do the same again, continue until the smell is no more, make sure you give your nose a break or it will smell gas everywhere

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Dave 06 "The Fisherman"Dave one important item to suggest to Straycat would be to check and replace all "O" rings on hoses etc.They  cause more problems than you can poke a stick at.Regards.Paddy.