A cautionary tale..

[alphapets]

Hi All,

Following a recent trip out, I had to swap over gas bottles in the fading light, to continue with our cooking.

Everything seemed alright, except my wife complained of a slight smell near to the sink. I put it down to the sink pipes needing cleaning. 3 days later, just as we were leaving, I found our new 6kg gas bottle empty. On further investigation, I found that the rubber washer on the connector pipe had come off and remained in the old bottle and that I had not seen this and the connection was between metal and metal and therefore not airtight. Luckily we got away lightly and only an empty gas bottle. NB: Ensure you check that the rubber washer stays on the connector!

Cheers

 

[otherclive]

Thank you and I’m glad for your good fortune. You are absolutely correct as it’s all too easy to do things by rote and not to fully concentrate.

 

[bertieboy1]

Hello Alphapets,
This has happened to me as well,although I discovered the leak as soon as I turned on the gas,I always do the soapy bubble test on any new gas bottle connections.(just coat the new joint with soapy water and watch for any soap bubbles getting bigger)

 

[camel]

I bought a new regulator last year and you really have to tighten it right up so just to make sure when I change a gas bottle in the front locker I have a bottle of soapy water what I just spray on just to make sure there are no air bubbles coming from the connection,

 

[Hutch]

This year I had to replace my gas hose due to age, and replaced it with the rubber tipped type with a hand wheel, but I don't really like it, prefer the old metal to metal contact with a spanner.

 

[waffler]

If you lose the rubber bit I have not found anyone who sells spares. It's a new pigtail. Another thing to watch is the nut on the regulator, it can come undone with the twisting of the hose.

 

[ProfJohnL]

...Another thing to watch is the nut on the regulator, it can come undone with the twisting of the hose.

then you have not done it up tight enough!

 

[bertieboy1]

Hello Waffler,
By "rubber bits" I take it you mean the rubber/fibre washer.If you go to a real gas fittings/bottles supplier you can get replacement washers for both butane and propane connections,they only cost pennies.No need for a complete new pigtail.