Underslung gas regulator leak [Resolved]

[Nige_g]

Sorry if this is posted in the wrong section.

I have an underslung LPG tank for hob and oven. I have started smelling gas on the outside of the van when the gas has been switched on from the controller/guage inside the van. When it is turned off there is no smell of gas. I am happy that the leak is not inside. There is absolutely no smell inside the van. The Domestic hob is not subject to the recall and this continues if the isolator switches to the appliances are turned off. The gauge on Wednesday night was showing almost full. On Thursday afternoon it was down to 1/4 tank with only a couple of kettles being boiled in that time.

I took it to a local caravan place today who said that whilst he wouldn't deal with the tank etc he could check the pipework and regulator etc. He has just done that with his leak detector and there is no evidence of leaks in the pipework to or from the tank. The smell seems to be worse towards the rear where the fill point is, but it is difficult to tell exactly.

Looking at the fill point, it looks like this. The (what I assume is the valve) looks like it is off centre where you would imagine that it'd be true vertical. We wondered whether filling it at some point has done something to it. I am going to put some gas in soon to see if that action would put it back or dislodge some grit or whatever.

Anyone else have one of these and could take a look to see if theirs is vertical or has anyone else had similar issues before I find someone who needs to investigate further. I spoke to Propex last week and they gave me a website to look at to find appropriate service centres. Does anyone have any recommendations of a company local to Cheshire/Manchester that may be able to help should the need arise and it is something more serious than the fill point.

 

[Nige_g]

Refilled it, still a smell of gas, albeit not quite as strong. Spoke to a helpful chap at Propex. The position of the valve being off vertical makes no difference. He has had a few similar cases recently where crud has got in with the gas and they have had to replace valves in the tank and in the filling point. A company I have spoken to up here, only deal with installs and not repairs, another one would have a look but not until at least the end of May and I am travelling into Europe for a month beginning of June so that isn't suitable. Propex therefore will squeeze me in next week. It's the other end of the country to me, but I'll just make it into a trip and get my head down in the New Forest somewhere. At least they will have the parts in that it needs and they'll know what they are doing.

 

[WinFreak]

Fingers crossed they can sort it for you!

 

[Mud Digger]

does it not have a cover its really exposed situated there and not looking very clean

just spray the connection with soapy water will show if its leaking on the valve it might just not of sealed properly after disconnecting.

if you get crud in your tank it could block the little gas jets

 

[Bigsidavies]

Sorry if this is posted in the wrong section.

I have an underslung LPG tank for hob and oven. I have started smelling gas on the outside of the van when the gas has been switched on from the controller/guage inside the van. When it is turned off there is no smell of gas. I am happy that the leak is not inside. There is absolutely no smell inside the van. The Domestic hob is not subject to the recall and this continues if the isolator switches to the appliances are turned off. The gauge on Wednesday night was showing almost full. On Thursday afternoon it was down to 1/4 tank with only a couple of kettles being boiled in that time.

I took it to a local caravan place today who said that whilst he wouldn't deal with the tank etc he could check the pipework and regulator etc. He has just done that with his leak detector and there is no evidence of leaks in the pipework to or from the tank. The smell seems to be worse towards the rear where the fill point is, but it is difficult to tell exactly.

Looking at the fill point, it looks like this. The (what I assume is the valve) looks like it is off centre where you would imagine that it'd be true vertical. We wondered whether filling it at some point has done something to it. I am going to put some gas in soon to see if that action would put it back or dislodge some grit or whatever.

Anyone else have one of these and could take a look to see if theirs is vertical or has anyone else had similar issues before I find someone who needs to investigate further. I spoke to Propex last week and they gave me a website to look at to find appropriate service centres. Does anyone have any recommendations of a company local to Cheshire/Manchester that may be able to help should the need arise and it is something more serious than the fill point.

View attachment 151074

So we could smell gas the other week and it wasn’t our imagination. New Forest sounds a good call.

 

[Nige_g]

So we could smell gas the other week and it wasn’t our imagination. New Forest sounds a good call.

Yeah and it got a lot worse when I turned it on again. I was on a site on Wednesday and you could smell the gas as you approached the van. Propex are squeezing me in as ordinarily they are booked up until late June. Problem is I am out in Liverpool on the Wednesday night, then the van needs to be in Hampshire on Thursday morning, so I'll drive down at night and kip somewhere in the New Forest for a few hours.

does it not have a cover its really exposed situated there and not looking very clean

just spray the connection with soapy water will show if its leaking on the valve it might just not of sealed properly after disconnecting.

if you get crud in your tank it could block the little gas jets

Yes it is covered with a cap (just removed to show the valve for the photo) and it is clean although it may not look it. the guy was using a spray can of leak finder stuff, to find it. Nothing showed funnily enough, but the smell gets worse when the cap is removed but not as bad after I put a few litres in today. The guy at propex seemed to understand when I explained it to him and seemed familiar with it, so hopefully that is what the issue is.

 

[Grim Reaper]

If you can smell gas when you turn the gas on (either by manually turning the valve or by operating the switch, Mine is electrically controlled so assume yours is the same?) then the leak is the other side of that valve that you turn on. Not the filler side otherwise you'd smell it all the time, there's no valve on the filler side.
Take the lid off the side cover and you'll see how it's plumbed, I suspect a loose connection on either the valve itself or the regulator (or a fauty regulator if it's under the van too)

In the pictures above (a manual valve version and an electric valve version) the manual valve and electric valve is on the left, the level indicator is the square brass plate and the fill point inlet is on the right in both cases. I suspect a leak anywhere from the left most threaded joint onwards.

 

[Nige_g]

Thanks for that, however I will not be taking it apart to look or fix. Well beyond my skill set. Yes, it is electronically controlled and you can only smell the gas when it is turned on. The guy today said he thought the regulator was OK when he was under the van. The smell is very much evident at the rear and getting down to the fill point really made me think it was from there. I accept what you are saying re this though, and it did make me wonder (but I had no idea how these things work). Either way, the guys at Propex can take a look and fix it. It was only fitted last year so hopefully it'll be a warranty job anyway.
It does seem strange though that the smell is a lot less after I went and put around 5L in. You can smell it when you get close but not like the other day when you could smell it a few metres away from the van.

 

[Grim Reaper]

Any update on the cure?

 

[Nige_g]

I didn't take it in the end, as it was too far for that particular day for me. I will be leaving it with Bodans (I bought the van from them) next week whilst I am away, so they can look at it at their leisure and get any parts needed in the week that they'll have it. I have really struggled to get someone to look at it before the end of May, which was no good as we head off to Spain in it then.

 

[Nige_g]

Any update on the cure?

The caravan place I took it to initially to do a leak/pressure test said that they couldn't find an issue. They said that the regulator was fine, hence us thinking there was something else wrong with it.
Bodans checked it and subsequently replaced the faulty regulator and a piece of pipe. Glad, I paid the guy at the caravan place to tell me the that the faulty regulator wasn't faulty.

 

[Grim Reaper]

Good that they finally found the problem and it was fixable.

 

[Nige_g]

Yeah and FOC too.