Carrying on from my first post i have noticed that when the gas ring is on and i put a second and third rings on the pressure goes down on all the gas rings to barly a flicker i have had the regulater checked and all seems fine any advise PLEASE
Strongly recommend you get a qualified person in to check the gas supply as soon as possible.
There must be pressure there because we only use gas because we do a lot of rallying so dont use EHU and the fridge hot water and heating all work fine o ly issue is with the cooker
I was referring to the supply to the hob and cooker. Get a qualified person to do a gas check as safety of your family is paramount.
Damian
Moderator
From your description it strongly indicates that the regulator is faulty.
If you have the Truma (GOK) bulkhead regulator then the symptoms you describe are classic signs that it is blocked with residue and must be changed, as well as the pigtail from the gas cylinder to the regulator.
But cant understand that ?? If the reg was faulty would't it affect the runing of the heating ,hot water and fridge ?? Not just the cooker but i have found that the gas takes ages to reach the cooker
Damian
Moderator
It is a bit confusing I agree but the way forward that I would go if I were working on your van is to try a new regulator just to either confirm or not that it was the cause of the problem, if the problem still persisted then I would be looking at a blockage of the pipe from the gas manifold to the cooker or any other issue causing a reduction in pressure. If the regulator proved to not be the cause then the original one would be replaced.
How old is the van? where is the regulator situated? below the gas cylinder height, level with the top of the cylinder or above?
How has the person working on your van decided that the pressure is OK? If he has used the approved pressure pump to test, then that only confirms gas tightness after the regulator as the regulator is isolated with the yellow lever on the regulator.
How old is the van? where is the regulator situated? below the gas cylinder height, level with the top of the cylinder or above?
How has the person working on your van decided that the pressure is OK? If he has used the approved pressure pump to test, then that only confirms gas tightness after the regulator as the regulator is isolated with the yellow lever on the regulator.
The van is a sterling elite seacher 2006 the reg is in the front locker on the back above the two gas bottles i have and yes the caravan engineer i use tested it with a gas pressure gauge screwed into the reg
Damian
Moderator
Thanks for that info.
First of all as the regulator appears to be 15 years old (unless it has been changed previously) then it is well over time for replacement, in fact it is half way towards a second replacement as they are only meant to be used for a maximum of 10 years.
The pressure test the was carried out was just a tightness test and as I said previously the regulator was isolated as they must never be subjected to back pressure, which means that the pressure test only confirms that you have no gas leaks, but it does not mean that the pipe to the cooker is free of obstruction.
First of all as the regulator appears to be 15 years old (unless it has been changed previously) then it is well over time for replacement, in fact it is half way towards a second replacement as they are only meant to be used for a maximum of 10 years.
The pressure test the was carried out was just a tightness test and as I said previously the regulator was isolated as they must never be subjected to back pressure, which means that the pressure test only confirms that you have no gas leaks, but it does not mean that the pipe to the cooker is free of obstruction.
Ok i get it i will get a new reg asap but how can i test that there is no blockage and is it a DIY fix ??
Damian
Moderator
It is not a diy fix unless you are very familiar with gas and the need to be 100% certain that you are able to do it.
It would mean disconnecting various pipework and checking for oily residue and possibly replacing some pipework, which I must stress is best left to a qualified engineer.
As for the regulator , it would be my advice to go for a Clesse single stage regulator and as the GOK unit they come in two different pipe sizes, 8mm and 10mm, you need the right one for your van pipework.
Hi Damien I’ve only just read your mention about the only way to test the hob cut off is to close the lid with the rings lit, I can think of two possible ways to do it that doesn’t require a ring to be lit, first is to light a ring so that the thermocouple gets hot enough to keep gas flowing turn ring off and back on and the thermocouple will be easily hot enough to keep the gas running and listen for the gas, second way is to undo the two grub screws that keep the lid in place which is dead easy then slide the glass lid out, light the rings and close the hinges which must then close the valve that shuts off the gas, I’m not stupid enough to close the lid on burning rings to see if they stay alight, surely testing the safety valve is worth checking rather than not just hoping it works.
BP
BP
Damian
Moderator
Hi Bryan, I fully understand your points and of course I never suggested that you would be silly enough to try a lit flame shut off , however my view of the auto shut off is that it is a bit of a gimmick and just something else to go wrong at the most inconvenient time.
It must be very obvious when a cooker ring is alight in such a small space as a caravan, and it must also be very obvious when there is unburnt gas escaping just by the smell, unless of course one has lost the sense of smell.
The idea you put forward of the hot flame sensor being enough to trigger the cut out may work but it probably will not and removing the glass lid is also possible but is it worth the time and trouble ?
Whilst I agree that care must be taken when dealing with gas , sometimes this can become a bit of an obsession and causes people to worry about too many "what if's".
It must be very obvious when a cooker ring is alight in such a small space as a caravan, and it must also be very obvious when there is unburnt gas escaping just by the smell, unless of course one has lost the sense of smell.
The idea you put forward of the hot flame sensor being enough to trigger the cut out may work but it probably will not and removing the glass lid is also possible but is it worth the time and trouble ?
Whilst I agree that care must be taken when dealing with gas , sometimes this can become a bit of an obsession and causes people to worry about too many "what if's".
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Hi Damien I know what you mean about is it worth it and to be honest I probably won’t test it, I remove the lid periodically to clean round the hinges as splashes from cooking can get in crevices so her indoors likes it cleaned, maybe one of those occasions I’ll try it, for safety we wouldn’t even put the lid down if the grill or the hobs were still hot let alone on. Not sure which Clive you mention is, I’m Bryan lol
Damian
Moderator
Possibly if you are worried about the glass lid and the electric hot plate the best idea would be to pull the fuse. It should control only that item, although possibly it varies from make to make.
Our experience of the hob is that it is so slow it is almost useless.
Our experience of the hob is that it is so slow it is almost useless.
We are both a bit absent minded and increasingly suffering from old age forgetfulness. Nevertheless, we have never attempted to shut the lid onto a hot hob.
We simply eat the food while it cools, and close it when cleaning up. I imagine we have safety cut outs fitted, and I see no sense that if a manufacturer fits one to the gas, not fitting one to the electric side.
I might do tests when we meet up with the caravan, (and if I remember)! But only out of interest.
John
We simply eat the food while it cools, and close it when cleaning up. I imagine we have safety cut outs fitted, and I see no sense that if a manufacturer fits one to the gas, not fitting one to the electric side.
I might do tests when we meet up with the caravan, (and if I remember)! But only out of interest.
John
So far we haven"t cook anything on our cooker so the lid is always down we like using the microwave but we have just brought a omelette pan so i will be trying it out .
But i will never put a lid down onto a hot hob .
But i will never put a lid down onto a hot hob .
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