Locating a gas leak

[Starcoaster]

Springy has decided to be a real shitbag today, and after breaking the glass in his stove door and then shearing off the bolts holding half of it in place, then decided that it would be hilarious if he followed up with a gas leak.

 

The gas locker itself smells of gas when the bottles are connected and turned on, you can actually smell it from outside with the locker lid on if you leave it for long enough with the bottles connected and on, but it does not smell inside of the boat, so I am sure that the issue is within the gas locker itself.

I guess that would mean that it is almost certainly the valve connector thing or the hose that attaches to it in the locker that is the problem?

Question is, as a layman and without any techy equipment or common sense, how can I identify what/where the leak is?

I presume when I have done this, I can just replace the tube or valve, and it won't be prohibitively expensive or the end of the world?

 

I need gas for like, everything, cooking, water heater etc., so while I am keeping the bottle in the "closed" position while not in use, I do have to turn it back on to cook, shower, wash up and boil the kettle, and obviously having a gas leak while doing this is not ideal, so any easy-to-implement, non-technical ideas welcome!

[EmmaB]

Apart from asking your boyfriend, I would try tightening the bottle connector, it's the most common cause of gas locker smells. Give it some welly.

[Taslim]

Washing up liquid & a paint brush.

 

Make a strong solution of w/u & water. Paint it on things & look for bubbles.

 

Edit, or a strong solution even.

Edited October 23, 2013 by Taslim

[Guest]

Apart from asking your boyfriend, I would try tightening the bottle connector, it's the most common cause of gas locker smells. Give it some welly.

No do not over tighten the connector.

 

Use some proper spray on gas leak detector to locate where it is coming from.

[cheshire~rose]

Are you able to borrow a valve from someone else to see if it rules out a faulty valve?

[alan_fincher]

The soapy water suggestion is the best one.

 

About 50% water, 50% washing up liquid. (There's proper stuff you can buy that's better, but this will do).

 

If it is coming out so fast you can easily smell it, when you paint it on the offending part it will bubble like mad. Lots and lots, honestly!

 

Are you on Propane, (red rather than blue Calor cylinders)?

 

Have you changed one over recently?

[haggis]

Obvious places in the gas locker are where the regulator screws onto the gas bottle and all joints where hose/pipes etc connect and along the hoses themselves in case they are persishing. I have a good "nose" for being aware of gas leaks and if I don't have gas detector to hand I use neat washing up liquid and watch for bubbles. Never fails. The cost to fix shouldn't be much but do get it done as gas leaks are not good news :-)

 

haggis

[David Mack]

Might be worth unscrewing the hose connection to check there isn't a bit of dirt on the mating faces.

 

It could also be the gas bottle itself. We had one once that leaked where the whole valve assembly was screwed into bottle. Closing the valve made no difference to the leak. Most of the gas in that bottle drained out through the locker drain. And when we replaced the bottle the problem was solved.

[alan_fincher]

Might be worth unscrewing the hose connection to check there isn't a bit of dirt on the mating faces.

 

It could also be the gas bottle itself. We had one once that leaked where the whole valve assembly was screwed into bottle. Closing the valve made no difference to the leak. Most of the gas in that bottle drained out through the locker drain. And when we replaced the bottle the problem was solved.

Agree with all of that.

 

But I think either would only be really strong possibilities if the cylinder has recently been changed, and then it started.

 

If its been in a long while with no apparent smell of a leak, then I would think either of those are less likely.

[Starcoaster]

I changed the cylinder today, which is obviously confusing matters, but I did think I could smell gas slightly even before that- but it is for sure stronger now, well I think! Comparing a current smell to a prior smell is hard!

I've undone and done up the regulator several times to ensure that it's not just not having put it on right. I'll try the washing up liquid trick tomorrow, and I'm on the orange cylinders not the blue ones.

If on the off chance it is the bottle that is leaking, is there a way I can tell/verify this in order to get the seller to change it? I don't have another full bottle here at present to swap the regulator over to to try that, just the old empty one.

[Guest]

I can't recall the specifics nor find the previous post but the last time I suggested using soapy water to find a lpg leak somebody posted what appeared to be a very valid reason why this is not a good idea, hence my earlier post to use the stuff made for the job.

[Starcoaster]

Ah. I wonder what? Don't worry, I can try it with a lighter or matches if fairy liquid is unsafe.

[Guest]

I changed the cylinder today, which is obviously confusing matters, but I did think I could smell gas slightly even before that- but it is for sure stronger now, well I think! Comparing a current smell to a prior smell is hard!

I've undone and done up the regulator several times to ensure that it's not just not having put it on right. I'll try the washing up liquid trick tomorrow, and I'm on the orange cylinders not the blue ones.

If on the off chance it is the bottle that is leaking, is there a way I can tell/verify this in order to get the seller to change it? I don't have another full bottle here at present to swap the regulator over to to try that, just the old empty one.

Crucial to how well they seal is the cleanliness and condition of the mating surfaces.

 

Have a look for any dirt or grit or imperfections in the mating surfaces of the connectors.

[Starcoaster]

They all seem shiny and new and ok... The regulator looks ok too and is not grubby, while it came with the boat, it doesn't look like its that old.

[Guest]

They all seem shiny and new and ok... The regulator looks ok too and is not grubby, while it came with the boat, it doesn't look like its that old.

Then it's back to using leak detection spray I would say.

[Starcoaster]

Ok. What kind of place would sell that, and is that what it's called? Any idea of rough cost?

[alan_fincher]

If the cylinder has just been changed, then I would say damage to either the POL connector, or the equivalent socket on the cylinder is likely, or, if not, the intrusion of a bit of grit as suggested.

 

They seal at a very high pressure based solely on metal to metal contact, and we have certainly had them leak. (TBH, I'm amazed they don't more often, but probably some people just think "I got through that cylinder of gas a bit quick", but if the same doesn't happen with the next one they give it no further thought).

 

I do have a distant memory of someone commenting on some potential problem using washing up liquid, but in this case, if you have the problem described it will certainly find it, and I can't believe any of the components involved can be easily damaged by the stuff.

 

Apart from anything else, if you don't find any significant leak quickly, maybe £25 worth of gas will be gone, with you getting little calorific value out of it!

[JDR]

I had a problem with a bottle once caused by an almost invisible burr on the smooth mating surface. Took bottle back and it was changed no questions asked.

[Guest]

Ok. What kind of place would sell that, and is that what it's called? Any idea of rough cost?

Screfix sell it, so do other DIY places about three quid three fifty,

 

I wish I could recall why soapy water is not a good idea but I honestly cannot,

 

(where is a good plumber when you realy need one they don't use soapy water AFAIK......)

[system 4-50]

Soapy water if left on will rust some metals, mostly iron I think. Just wash it off after. I would do the check now, not wait until tomorrow. A good torch will be sufficient.

[alan_fincher]

OK,

 

Looking at old threads.....

 

1) Hamsterfan says "you should not be using washing up liquid to test gas pipework as it congeals use Leak Detection Fluid as you may mask a leak unwittingly".

 

Fair enough, maybe, for a small low pressure leak, but if this is a significant leak on the high pressure part of the system, it ain't going to seal it - you are going to see the required bubbles.

 

2) Radiomariner says the special stuff id pH neutral, whereas washing up liquid can cause corrosion.

 

Fair enough again - make sure you flush it off with clean water afterwards.

I'd be looking now with available technology - specialist product not required in this case, I believe, (unless you get no bubbles of course!....)

[Starcoaster]

I can't look now, but the bottle is turned off until tomorrow when I will have it on for the kettle and a shower. I will do it first thing then though. (Ps, no it does not still smell when the bottle is off.)

Edited October 23, 2013 by Starcoaster

[alan_fincher]

(where is a good plumber when you realy need one they don't use soapy water AFAIK......)

 

No, I bet they use the proper stuff.

 

But I bet they also have the right size spanners to tighten or release any nut they come across in the day job, and have blow-lamps with enough power to melt any solder they need to melt.

 

The fact we are not all fully equipped plumbers does not stop us using viable alternatives when we don't have absolutely the best equipment for a job, (and no, you don't want to see my bodged DIY manometer, but it still can adequately measure the low pressure feed to my Morco, none-the-less!...)

[haggis]

That's interesting about soapy water not being a good idea. I must admit to using straight washing up liquid (if I don't have leak detector handy) and on occasion, I have even used it if the leak detector didn't find anything and got a result. I find the leak detector quite "watery" and it quickly runs off where you spray it whereas washing up liquid is nice and thick and hangs around there showing the tell tale bubbles well. I hope someone can tell us why I shouldn't do that and I may mend my ways :-) .

 

haggis

 

I now see wny I shouldn't use washing up liquid but I don't think that will stop me using it!.

I note that the gas bottle has just been changed and I wonder if the smell could have come from the old bottle not being closed properly before it was disconnected. Gas at the bottom of the bottle always smells worse than form a new bottle.

Edited October 23, 2013 by haggis

[alan_fincher]

(Ps, no it does not still smell when the bottle is off.)

Good!

 

50% water, 50% WUL on the connector, plenty of it.

 

Wash it off afterwards, not that I think the brass is going to disintegrate that quickly!

 

Your match suggestion also excellent, but I'd advise getting someone else to do it for you, whilst you carefully coach them with a loud-hailer from one of those WW2 pill boxes you can still find alongside certain canals....

 

EMERGENCY EDIT!

 

I have suddenly realised that your solution to many problems seems to be "WELD THE SHIT OUT OF IT!". Now this is probably often an excellent idea, but in this case, personally, I wouldn't.......

Edited October 23, 2013 by alan_fincher