Gas leak

[BeckyJC]

Hi All,

 

I suspect I may have a gas leak on my boat, and whilst I'm fairly sure the boat is safe right now (gas bottles turned off, Paloma and cooker off, everything off) I need to resolve this ASAP for obvious reasons.

 

My gas bottle ran out last night after only 1.5 weeks' usage. Normally, a bottle seems to be lasting me about 4-6 weeks depending on how much I use. I could definitely smell gas in the gas locker when I went out to investigate but the regulator seemed to be connected properly / done up tightly. I don't own any kind of gas testing equipment (yet!), but am going to try to get / borrow some at lunch time to get to the bottom of this.

 

Apart from not turning the gas back on until I'm 100% sure what happened here and have fixed it, is there anything else that I can do or should be aware of? I did stick my head down into the cabin bilge this morning and couldn't smell any gas there, or anywhere else inside. Not a scientific test I realise, but it's all I have. Can anyone recommend a gas detector / alarm system too?

 

My boat passed the BSC just before Christmas, so whatever the problem is it's something that's happened very recently. Just goes to show, I guess, that it's important to keep a check on these things and not just assume that a recent BSC means that everything is OK.....

 

At this stage, I'm guessing that the problem is somewhere around the hose / connector / regulator in the gas locker, as that's where the smell was. What would be the best / safest way to test this and prove / disprove the theory? I did a search on here and someone suggested fairy liquid, similar to finding a puncture on a bike tyre?

 

Thanks in advance,

Becky

[BlueStringPudding]

It could be a faulty gas cylinder and might not be a leak in your gas system at all / badly connected cylinder. Have you tried connecting a different cyclinder?

[BeckyJC]

It could be a faulty gas cylinder and might not be a leak in your gas system at all / badly connected cylinder. Have you tried connecting a different cyclinder?

Good point... I hadn't actually considered that. It was late last night when I discovered the problem, so haven't had chance to try another cylinder yet. I do have another charged one though. Problem is, how will I prove that that's the problem? i.e. if I connect another cylinder, how will I know that the hose/regulator/whatever isn't leaking? Think I need to aquire either a gauge or a bubble tester from somewhere....

 

If anything else was leaking / faulty I'd be much calmer about the whole affair, but gas is one of those things you just can't take chances with!

[haggis]

In the absence of "proper" gas leak testing stuff, you can use washing up liquid - nice thick stuff. Put a little on a gas joint and watch to see if any little bubbles appear. If they do, you have a leak. For peace of mind, I would follow the gas pipes along and test all the joints.

 

I have noticed that when a gas cylinder is getting low, if you have a leak, the smell is much stronger - probably all the smelly stuff is at the bottom of the cylinder. If your boat had gas tests done and passed just before Xmas, the most liklely culprit is something to do with the gas cylinder itself or the connections between the cylinder and regulator not being properly tightened.

Haggis

[Bones]

Good point... I hadn't actually considered that. It was late last night when I discovered the problem, so haven't had chance to try another cylinder yet. I do have another charged one though. Problem is, how will I prove that that's the problem? i.e. if I connect another cylinder, how will I know that the hose/regulator/whatever isn't leaking? Think I need to aquire either a gauge or a bubble tester from somewhere....

 

If anything else was leaking / faulty I'd be much calmer about the whole affair, but gas is one of those things you just can't take chances with!

 

you won't smell gas! You could also ask the place you take it to to check it?

[denboy]

It could have been a damaged cylinder it does happen ive had 3 in 8 years that have had a damaged thread on the cylinder

[steelaway]

Hi All,

 

I suspect I may have a gas leak on my boat, and whilst I'm fairly sure the boat is safe right now (gas bottles turned off, Paloma and cooker off, everything off) I need to resolve this ASAP for obvious reasons.

 

My gas bottle ran out last night after only 1.5 weeks' usage. Normally, a bottle seems to be lasting me about 4-6 weeks depending on how much I use. I could definitely smell gas in the gas locker when I went out to investigate but the regulator seemed to be connected properly / done up tightly. I don't own any kind of gas testing equipment (yet!), but am going to try to get / borrow some at lunch time to get to the bottom of this.

 

Apart from not turning the gas back on until I'm 100% sure what happened here and have fixed it, is there anything else that I can do or should be aware of? I did stick my head down into the cabin bilge this morning and couldn't smell any gas there, or anywhere else inside. Not a scientific test I realise, but it's all I have. Can anyone recommend a gas detector / alarm system too?

 

My boat passed the BSC just before Christmas, so whatever the problem is it's something that's happened very recently. Just goes to show, I guess, that it's important to keep a check on these things and not just assume that a recent BSC means that everything is OK.....

 

At this stage, I'm guessing that the problem is somewhere around the hose / connector / regulator in the gas locker, as that's where the smell was. What would be the best / safest way to test this and prove / disprove the theory? I did a search on here and someone suggested fairy liquid, similar to finding a puncture on a bike tyre?

 

Thanks in advance,

Becky

 

Hi There

Carefully check the orange hose for cracks, they will deteriate over the years. Changing this latest bottle could be the end of it. Especially at the connection into the boat, when you change the bottle the pressure reg will hang on this end.

 

Alex

[KenK]

Try lifting the bottle to check the weight. We had a similar problem, turned out to be the ball in the end of the connection hose stuck and stopping the gas flow, piece of grit or something jamming it. Gave it a shove with a screwdriver and no more problems.

 

Ken

[BeckyJC]

Hi ThereCarefully check the orange hose for cracks, they will deteriate over the years. Changing this latest bottle could be the end of it. Especially at the connection into the boat, when you change the bottle the pressure reg will hang on this end.Alex

Orange hose? Mine isn't orange, it's a flexible metal-armoured one - is this abnormal? Guess they can all leak though... When I get home tonight I'm going to go out to my gas locker armed with washing up liquid and and a big torch and see what I can find.Would ask my boatyard to take a look, but I'm unlikely to get back there for at least a couple of weeks now. If I can't be 100% certain that I have found and resolved the problem, I'll just leave the gas turned off until then.

Try lifting the bottle to check the weight. We had a similar problem, turned out to be the ball in the end of the connection hose stuck and stopping the gas flow, piece of grit or something jamming it. Gave it a shove with a screwdriver and no more problems.Ken

Did this one last night....definitely felt like an empty bottle to me And it definitely felt full when I put it on just over a week ago, I remember lugging it down the towpath

[blackrose]

Change the bottle for a new one and do the washing up liquid test on each joint as Hagis suggested - starting with the regulator connection to the bottle. I test this connection each time I change bottles. I usually use a bit of washing up liquid mixed with a bit of water in a cup so that it froths up and it's easy to see if more bubbles appear. Some people do it with neat washing up liguid.

 

If you find the leak was inside the boat (rather than the gas locker), you better open all your doors & windows and test the bilges with a gas detector. I think you can use bilge blowers to try to blow the gas outside, but don't use anything that extracts because you don't want to draw gas over a motor that may spark.

 

I'm not sure if that includes wet vacs? Anyone know?

Edited January 30, 2008 by blackrose

[ChrisPy]

IMHO this topic is a good justification for fitting an Alde bubble tester and checking it daily. In such a situation it will give you peace of mind that the gas is not leaking into the cabin area.

Edited January 30, 2008 by chris polley

[Speedwell]

My gas bottle ran out last night after only 1.5 weeks' usage. Normally, a bottle seems to be lasting me about 4-6 weeks depending on how much I use. I could definitely smell gas in the gas locker when I went out to investigate but the regulator seemed to be connected properly / done up tightly.

Becky

Sounds an awful lot of gas to have leaked. I would have expected the boat to absolutely reek of gas. The strong smell just before a bottle runs out has been reported on here before and I have noticed it myself.

Arthur

[Boaty Jo]

I think you can use bilge blowers to try to blow the gas outside, but don't use anything that extracts because you don't want to draw gas over a motor that may spark.

 

Pardon my ignorance but why would a blower prevent gas passing over a motor / spark?

[BeckyJC]

Sounds an awful lot of gas to have leaked. I would have expected the boat to absolutely reek of gas. The strong smell just before a bottle runs out has been reported on here before and I have noticed it myself.

Arthur

It does seem a lot, however there was no smell, and now I'm really not sure whether it's leaking or not even. I put the new bottle on last night, opened the valve on the bottle, then went round and checked all my pipes / appliances as best I could with washing up liquid, but there was no gas smell or sign of a leak anywhere.

 

It COULD have been a faulty bottle or something, but I just don't trust it now. Last night I just turned the bottle straight off as soon as I had done my washing up, and will continue to do the same until I can get it pressure tested properly. Whilst I can't find a leak, I can't be certain where the gas has gone....

[ChrisPy]

Pardon my ignorance but why would a blower prevent gas passing over a motor / spark?

many so-called blowers are mis-named - they are just in line extractor fans. however they are specifically designed to remove gas/air mixtures (usually fitted to petrol driven boats) so they will be safe.

[onthecut]

Hi All,

 

I suspect I may have a gas leak on my boat, and whilst I'm fairly sure the boat is safe right now (gas bottles turned off, Paloma and cooker off, everything off) I need to resolve this ASAP for obvious reasons.

 

My gas bottle ran out last night after only 1.5 weeks' usage. Normally, a bottle seems to be lasting me about 4-6 weeks depending on how much I use. I could definitely smell gas in the gas locker when I went out to investigate but the regulator seemed to be connected properly / done up tightly. I don't own any kind of gas testing equipment (yet!), but am going to try to get / borrow some at lunch time to get to the bottom of this.

 

Apart from not turning the gas back on until I'm 100% sure what happened here and have fixed it, is there anything else that I can do or should be aware of? I did stick my head down into the cabin bilge this morning and couldn't smell any gas there, or anywhere else inside. Not a scientific test I realise, but it's all I have. Can anyone recommend a gas detector / alarm system too?

 

My boat passed the BSC just before Christmas, so whatever the problem is it's something that's happened very recently. Just goes to show, I guess, that it's important to keep a check on these things and not just assume that a recent BSC means that everything is OK.....

 

At this stage, I'm guessing that the problem is somewhere around the hose / connector / regulator in the gas locker, as that's where the smell was. What would be the best / safest way to test this and prove / disprove the theory? I did a search on here and someone suggested fairy liquid, similar to finding a puncture on a bike tyre?

 

Thanks in advance,

Becky

 

Hi Becky.

 

If you are still having doubts, get it checked and sorted professionally ---- this stuff can kill you. Your tester may do it for you, or they will certainly be able to recommend someone. (Nothing like being cheerful on a wet Thursday morning !)

 

Mike.

[BeckyJC]

Hi Becky.

 

If you are still having doubts, get it checked and sorted professionally ---- this stuff can kill you. Your tester may do it for you, or they will certainly be able to recommend someone. (Nothing like being cheerful on a wet Thursday morning !)

 

Mike.

Absolutely - that's my attitude too. Stuff that can kill isn't stuff to be taking chances with. Am going to keep it turned off at the bottle until I can either get back to the boat yard or at least get/borrow a pressure tester and establish more certainly whether there is a leak or not.

 

Thanks for all the advice!

[blackrose]

Pardon my ignorance but why would a blower prevent gas passing over a motor / spark?

I thought it was because it blows fresh air from behind into the bilges instead of sucking bilge air out over the motor?

It does seem a lot, however there was no smell, and now I'm really not sure whether it's leaking or not even. I put the new bottle on last night, opened the valve on the bottle, then went round and checked all my pipes / appliances as best I could with washing up liquid, but there was no gas smell or sign of a leak anywhere.It COULD have been a faulty bottle or something, but I just don't trust it now. Last night I just turned the bottle straight off as soon as I had done my washing up, and will continue to do the same until I can get it pressure tested properly. Whilst I can't find a leak, I can't be certain where the gas has gone....

If the leak was inside the gas locker then the gas has gone overboard. If it was inside the cabin then it's in your bilges so it's a good idea now to buy a gas detector and install it at the lowest point - usually the stern. Maplins used to do a hand held battery operated gas testing pen for about £20 that could be used to test a variety of locations. Not sure if they still stock it. As Chris says - an Alde Bubble Tester is a really good thing to have to reassure you there are no leaks. Edited January 31, 2008 by blackrose

[BeckyJC]

I thought it was because it blows fresh air from behind into the bilges instead of sucking bilge air out over the motor?If the leak was inside the gas locker then the gas has gone overboard. If it was inside the cabin then it's in your bilges so it's a good idea now to buy a gas detector and install it at the lowest point - usually the stern. Maplins used to do a hand held battery operated gas testing pen for about £20 that could be used to test a variety of locations. Not sure if they still stock it. As Chris says - an Alde Bubble Tester is a really good thing to have to reassure you there are no leaks.

I think this seems like the best plan - Alde bubble tester. What size is the connection on a standard Flogas bottle? Need to make sure I order the right one!

[Speedwell]

If it was inside the cabin then it's in your bilges so it's a good idea now to buy a gas detector and install it at the lowest point - usually the stern.

 

Whilst not wishing to promote complacency, it's just scare mongering to suggest propane would sink into the bilges so completely that you wouldn't smell it in the cabin. Propane is only about 1.5 times as dense as air and all gas mixtures become homogeneous in time. Even if the gas were released in the bilges, it would still diffuse diffuse into the cabin space quite quickly (unless the bilges were sealed). Butane is worse, with a density of just over twice that of air.

Arthur

[BeckyJC]

Whilst not wishing to promote complacency, it's just scare mongering to suggest propane would sink into the bilges so completely that you wouldn't smell it in the cabin. Propane is only about 1.5 times as dense as air and all gas mixtures become homogeneous in time. Even if the gas were released in the bilges, it would still diffuse diffuse into the cabin space quite quickly (unless the bilges were sealed). Butane is worse, with a density of just over twice that of air.

Arthur

Anyone got any experience of these smoke-alarm style gas detectors? Contemplating getting one to fit somewhere low down, just as a precaution.

 

http://www.diytools.co.uk/diy/Main/sp-2-51...propane-gas.asp

 

I really do think that IF I have a problem at the moment, it's going to be in the gas locker area, as I can't believe that an entire bottle of gas could have emptied into the cabin over the course of a week without me smelling it! Bubble detector will prove / disprove that theory when I get one though.

[Yoda]

Has someone stolen your full bottle and replaced it with an empty one?

[BeckyJC]

Has someone stolen your full bottle and replaced it with an empty one?

Well, that is technically possible. I'm starting to wonder if it could have been a faulty bottle / screw thread though, as I do remember having a bit of trouble when I connected that bottle - the screw thread didn't "catch" like normal. Once it started to screw in though it seemed fine :s

 

I think the only way to know for sure is to get a bubble tester or similar.

[Kristian]

As the BSS is every 4years, did your exmainer tell you to replace the gas pipes? (pigtales).

The reason is they only have a life of 4years and should have been replaced or the boat sould have failed.

Might be naughty if there over 4years old and the boat passed its BSS, ps they all dated so get in the locker and check the dates!

Kristian.

[larkshall]

Whilst not wishing to promote complacency, it's just scare mongering to suggest propane would sink into the bilges so completely that you wouldn't smell it in the cabin. Propane is only about 1.5 times as dense as air and all gas mixtures become homogeneous in time. Even if the gas were released in the bilges, it would still diffuse diffuse into the cabin space quite quickly (unless the bilges were sealed). Butane is worse, with a density of just over twice that of air.

Arthur

 

 

Best gas detector I know of is a match