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We have a manual change over valve switching between 2 bottles.  It has been working fine for the past 14 years.  Today there was no supply from bottle 2, but bottle 1 worked fine.  As I knew bottle 2 wasn't empty. I swapped the gas lines around so that bottle 2 was connected to the bottle 1 side of the change over valve.  It worked.  However bottle 1 connected to the bottle 2 side did not.  So something wrong with the valve.

 

Is there anything I can do other than getting someone with gas permissions to fix it?  Is this a common problem?

 

Thanks

 

 

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10 minutes ago, NBDensie said:

We have a manual change over valve switching between 2 bottles.  It has been working fine for the past 14 years.  Today there was no supply from bottle 2, but bottle 1 worked fine.  As I knew bottle 2 wasn't empty. I swapped the gas lines around so that bottle 2 was connected to the bottle 1 side of the change over valve.  It worked.  However bottle 1 connected to the bottle 2 side did not.  So something wrong with the valve.

 

Is there anything I can do other than getting someone with gas permissions to fix it?  Is this a common problem?

 

Thanks

 

 

Gas regulators should be replaced in accordance with the date printed on them BUT MUST BE REPLACED within 10 years. You have been living on borrowed time.

 

These are standard LPG industry specifications.

 

 

 

This is one area where the BSS could do something useful by including date checks on both gas hoses (to be replaced within 5 years of manufacture) and regulators (to be replaced within 10 years of manufacture)

 

 

 

 

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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Was thinking about changing our regulator (just a single type), but wonder for any regulator are there any indications of the difference between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ ones, or are they all much of a muchness other than cost?

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2 minutes ago, boots said:

Was thinking about changing our regulator (just a single type), but wonder for any regulator are there any indications of the difference between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ ones, or are they all much of a muchness other than cost?

 

Mostly the difference seems to be related to size.

There are different sizes available (differing flow rates) so make sure you get an equivalent to your existing one or you will have problems with poor combustion.

 

The required size is determined by the number and demand of the various gas appliances you have on board, and is based on having everything on 'full' at the same time.

 

 

Screenshot (32).png

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Before our last BSC I changed our regulator as it was 10 years old. 

I bought one of these and did the work myself, I used the proper  yellow gas PTFE tape and leak fluid detector to detect any leaks.

I asked to BSC examiner to recheck my work when he did the BSC exam.

 

GF-184-1593662162.jpg.7252c461cdc97ea9c86fc1e313e02786.jpg

 

From Midland Chandlers.

Not cheap, but what price is safety?

 

 

 

Edited by Ray T
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I don't trust changeover valves, especially automatic ones.  Or the non-return valves in the end of the gas tails.  My regulator is connected through a T to two pipes, one to each cylinder.  When one cylinder runs out, I turn that one off and turn the full one on and replace the empty one asap.  I keep a bit of 4" plastic drain which goes over the cylinder not in use so that the wrong one doesn't get turned on when we come to the boat.

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But if mine runs out during the night, without an automatic changeover valve the Central Heating boiler would go out so the dog and the crew would make my life Hell. Hence I have an auto changeover valve (which I changed this year because it was over 10 years old)

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On 03/11/2020 at 18:58, Keeping Up said:

But if mine runs out during the night, without an automatic changeover valve the Central Heating boiler would go out so the dog and the crew would make my life Hell. Hence I have an auto changeover valve (which I changed this year because it was over 10 years old)

So how do you know you have switched to the second bottle?

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On 02/11/2020 at 21:16, Alan de Enfield said:

Gas regulators should be replaced in accordance with the date printed on them BUT MUST BE REPLACED within 10 years. You have been living on borrowed time.

 

These are standard LPG industry specifications.

 

 

 

This is one area where the BSS could do something useful by including date checks on both gas hoses (to be replaced within 5 years of manufacture) and regulators (to be replaced within 10 years of manufacture)

 

 

 

 

I can't see anywhere in the  BSS where it says a gas regulator must be changed within 10 years ?  

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11 minutes ago, Flyboy said:

I can't see anywhere in the  BSS where it says a gas regulator must be changed within 10 years ?  

 

My point exactly. They don't !

 

BSS is allegedly all about safety and yet they ignore industry guidelines on gas equipment.

 

They would rather we make sure we have stickers on our pump-out tank cap than save gas leaks using old equipment

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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1 hour ago, ditchcrawler said:

Are its on you do every day check list then.

Yes, sort of. It's fairly low on the priority list because it doesn't matter if I miss a few days so as long as I remember at least once a month during the summer or once every 2-3 days during the winter. But I try to remember daily because then I don't have to remember how many days I've forgotten it for.

 

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1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

They would rather we make sure we have stickers on our pump-out tank cap...

To be fair to them, it would be quite unsociable to negligently allow some poor thief attempting to steal your diesel to suck on a syphon tube from the wrong deck fitting...  ;)

 

 

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7 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

To be fair to them, it would be quite unsociable to negligently allow some poor thief attempting to steal your diesel to suck on a syphon tube from the wrong deck fitting...  ;)

 

 

Or some youngster at the boat yard put petrol into your shitter

 

7 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

To be fair to them, it would be quite unsociable to negligently allow some poor thief attempting to steal your diesel to suck on a syphon tube from the wrong deck fitting...  ;)

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

My point exactly. They don't !

 

BSS is allegedly all about safety and yet they ignore industry guidelines on gas equipment.

 

They would rather we make sure we have stickers on our pump-out tank cap than save gas leaks using old equipment

To put it into perspective, how many serious fires/explosion incidents have you heard of that are a result of a failure of a regulator ?  Gas regulators are designed to be fail safe. If the diaphragm splits, the spring closes the valve and no gas gets through. I reckon the BSS bods must know this and don't consider it as a great danger.

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2 hours ago, Flyboy said:

To put it into perspective, how many serious fires/explosion incidents have you heard of that are a result of a failure of a regulator ?  Gas regulators are designed to be fail safe. If the diaphragm splits, the spring closes the valve and no gas gets through. I reckon the BSS bods must know this and don't consider it as a great danger.

Its also effectively outside the boat in the gas locker

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39 minutes ago, Machpoint005 said:

Don't the flexible gas pipes have to be renewed every so often? I dunno how you attach a regulator without one.

 

 

 

 

The BSS doesn't think so, BUT, the gas industry does (5 years from date of manufacture), which is why the manufacturing date is printed on the hose.

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8 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

The BSS doesn't think so, BUT, the gas industry does (5 years from date of manufacture), which is why the manufacturing date is printed on the hose.

Yup. I replaced the orange hose from the low pressure side of my regulator before this year's BSS because of its age l, as I did with all my coolant hoses for the same reason.

 

At the BSS inspection, the examiner, a pragmatic and helpful chap, pointed out that the age wasn't considered in BSS but my brand new hose wasn't high pressure and carried the wrong BS number, so would be a failing item. He helpfully provided me a new length of the right spec free of charge, which I fitted there and then and received a pass. I threw the new gas hose I'd bought in the bin.  Moral of the tale: the BSS doesn't  specify or consider any ageing limitations for your LPG hose, but all orange gas hoses are not born equal.

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21 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

Yup. I replaced the orange hose from the low pressure side of my regulator before this year's BSS because of its age l, as I did with all my coolant hoses for the same reason.

 

At the BSS inspection, the examiner, a pragmatic and helpful chap, pointed out that the age wasn't considered in BSS but my brand new hose wasn't high pressure and carried the wrong BS number, so would be a failing item. He helpfully provided me a new length of the right spec free of charge, which I fitted there and then and received a pass. I threw the new gas hose I'd bought in the bin.  Moral of the tale: the BSS doesn't  specify or consider any ageing limitations for your LPG hose, but all orange gas hoses are not born equal.

I bought my new gas hose from Goole Chandlery  they don't stock much, but what they do have is 'the proper stuff' It has some official printing on it, not a date of manufacture, that is not relevant as the stuff has to be stored safely before sale.

I replaced my flexible hose with single ss clamps there was not enough room for two, as I recal, anyway it passed, but not so the armoured pipe attaching the cooker to the gas supply. 

I paid the helpful Gas Safe examiner to fit the stove correctly, according to manufacturer instructions. I would have thought that a bayonet fitting and armoured hose would be preferable on a boat, but it is not possible to inspect the hose, so that is sensible too. The  Gas Safe BSC examiner would not replace the bayonet armoured hose. He fitted a coil of thick walled copper piping, as per manufacturer's installation instructions.

My salty water boat was up to spec with offshore racing regs, and had a gimballed stove, there was a stop tap , so that it could be turned off after every use, which was always done when at sea.

Edited by LadyG
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On 02/11/2020 at 21:15, Sea Dog said:

Fit a single bottle regulator, change bottles when the first one runs out. Buy a new bottle, so you always have a full spare. Simple, effective, cheap, DIY.

I disagree. A changeover valve is invaluable especially for a liveaboard. Gas always runs out in the middle of cooking and the last thing you want is spending 5 or 10 mins changing it over, potentially in the rain. It literally takes seconds with a manual changeover valve. I wouldn't have an automatic changeover valve either because you don't know when it's switched bottles and can run out if you don't check.

On 03/11/2020 at 18:58, Keeping Up said:

But if mine runs out during the night, without an automatic changeover valve the Central Heating boiler would go out so the dog and the crew would make my life Hell. Hence I have an auto changeover valve (which I changed this year because it was over 10 years old)

Ok so in this case an automatic changeover valve is required - but only because you made a bad choice of central heating boiler! ?

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42 minutes ago, blackrose said:

I disagree. A changeover valve is invaluable especially for a liveaboard. Gas always runs out in the middle of cooking and the last thing you want is spending 5 or 10 mins changing it over, potentially in the rain. It literally takes seconds with a manual changeover valve. 

Belfast's installation doesn't have a changeover valve, just a T piece and two hose tails. I keep the valve on the in-use bottle open, and that on the spare full bottle closed. Takes only a moment to close one valve and open the other when the gas runs out.

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