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Gas question


Seren-y-dwr

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3 minutes ago, Seren-y-dwr said:

Hi all,

 

Can anyone tell me if there is a way (apart from lifting and trying to work out which one is heavier) to tell how much gas is left in a cylinder and if one of them is empty? Pic attached.

Seren y dwr gas.JPG

Yes. Bin the auto changeover. Then, when a gas bottle gets empty, you know about it whilst you still have a full spare.  Sometimes simple is best. :)

 

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5 minutes ago, Seren-y-dwr said:

lol - yes but a bit extreme!

Actually no, it's not extreme, it's very common, simple to implement and is the sure fire way to eradicate what is a common problem amongst those with an auto changeover valve. For most boaters, it's simply unnecessary to have an uninterrupted gas changeover. When bottle 1 runs out, change the regulator to the second bottle, replace the first, now empty, bottle as soon as convenient. Worth a thought. :)

 

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4 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

Actually no, it's not extreme, it's very common, simple to implement and is the sure fire way to eradicate what is a common problem amongst those with an auto changeover valve. For most boaters, it's simply unnecessary to have an uninterrupted gas changeover. When bottle 1 runs out, change the regulator to the second bottle, replace the first, now empty, bottle as soon as convenient. Worth a thought. :)

 

I removed the stooopid auto change over valve fitted to this boat. Makes complete sense.

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I would probably be murdered in my sleep if the gas ran out during the night so that the central heating stopped working and the boat was cold when my other half woke up. That's why I have always had an auto change-over valve. No I don't think they leave much gas in the empty bottle - as long as there is some tiny bit of liquified gas left there will be the pressure to keep the valve the right way. On mine a big indicator triangle changes from white to red when it changes over, so as long as I check it occasionally and buy a new bottle after it has changed over there is no problem.

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1 hour ago, mrsmelly said:

I removed the stooopid auto change over valve fitted to this boat. Makes complete sense.

Ditto -- well said.

 

The only trouble is ... the gas bottle always needs changing over on a cold and wet night. That's still better than finding out on a cold and wet night that you have two empty gas bottles, though! 

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1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

I was given one of these gadgets. Problem was, you can't actually see them when they are deep down in the depths of a typical boat gas locker.

 

2 minutes ago, Murflynn said:

in many situations the level of the gas (liquid actually) can be seen by the level of the condensation on the outside of the cylinder.

The cheap version of the magnetic fuel gauge! Relies on the local cooling of the cylinder wall from the gas evaporating from the liquid surface in the same way as the liquid crystal detector.

 

I find the cylinder empties when making tea when it is dark outside, windy and raining stair rods. For something that you need to do only once every three months with cooking only on gas, I can put up with that.

 

Jen

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2 hours ago, Seren-y-dwr said:

Hi all,

 

Can anyone tell me if there is a way (apart from lifting and trying to work out which one is heavier) to tell how much gas is left in a cylinder and if one of them is empty? Pic attached.

Seren y dwr gas.JPG

The green flags change to red (or at least disappear) when the cylinder in use is empty and the device has switched to the other cylinder. The cylinder in use is pointed to by the protrusion on the white knurled ring (the left cylinder, in this case). When the flag goes red you fit a new cylinder and rotate the white knurled knob so that it is pointing at the other cylinder.

 

A lot of people don’t like these because, if you are extremely incompetent, you can end up with both cylinder empty. However if you have any iota of organisation and discipline, you remember to check the flag every few months (or more frequently if using the gas for heating) and get a new cylinder when you find red. Not exactly rocket science, but seems to be beyond some people!

 

As to the remaining contents of a cylinder in use, weighing it is the only reliable method.

Edited by nicknorman
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2 hours ago, Seren-y-dwr said:

Hi all,

 

Can anyone tell me if there is a way (apart from lifting and trying to work out which one is heavier) to tell how much gas is left in a cylinder and if one of them is empty? Pic attached.

 

I assume it is somewhat similar to ours, in that if the valve is pointing towards a full cylinder it shows green, then if it has changed over so that it is now pointing towards an empty cylinder it shows red. Then when you buy a new cylinder you turn the knob to point at the now half-empty one and it shows green again.

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1 hour ago, nicknorman said:

The green flags change to red (or at least disappear) when the cylinder in use is empty and the device has switched to the other cylinder. The cylinder in use is pointed to by the protrusion on the white knurled ring (the left cylinder, in this case). When the flag goes red you fit a new cylinder and rotate the white knurled knob so that it is pointing at the other cylinder.

 

A lot of people don’t like these because, if you are extremely incompetent, you can end up with both cylinder empty. However if you have any iota of organisation and discipline, you remember to check the flag every few months (or more frequently if using the gas for heating) and get a new cylinder when you find red. Not exactly rocket science, but seems to be beyond some people!

 

As to the remaining contents of a cylinder in use, weighing it is the only reliable method.

Nick you like useless gimmicks of which auto changeover is one, a bow thruster on a tiny 70 foot narrowboat is another, there are many more, each cost money which could be better spent elsewhere, in the pub for one :D

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27 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

Nick you like useless gimmicks of which auto changeover is one, a bow thruster on a tiny 70 foot narrowboat is another, there are many more, each cost money which could be better spent elsewhere, in the pub for one :D

Boat came new with autochangover as standard. Advantage is that the gas never runs out - eg when it is dark, snowing or pouring with rain and blowing a hooley. Therefore not useless. If you are very poor then I suppose you may not be able to afford one. Remind me to gift you a spare candle next time I see you - I am into chariteee.

 

Advising someone to rip it out when they already have one is not helpful.

 

We don’t have a bowthruster.

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We have auto changeover for the gas. We also have a pump-out toilet. We too do not have a bowthruster, wouldn't have one if it was a gift! And it's a cruiser stern, and overall too long for the L&L canal. All these were deliberate choices when we designed the boat, and for us they were all the right choices. Others may differ.

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