After being forced to return early from a weeks holiday in Wales, as we were on a no hook-up site and the gas stopped flowing even though plenty in bottle, I contacted dealer and was told it was caused by the bulkhead mounted regulator getting blocked. He agreed to change it under warranty (he told me he had a box full of them to return to Truma), but now I am worried that same thing will happen again and therefore it forces us to only use hook-up sites. I also complained to Caravan Club and Calor. Calor have responded saying the problem is the positioning of the regulator on the bulkhead. It needs to be mounted higher than gas bottles so that on cooler nights, when some of the gas in the rubber piping turns back into a liquid it will run back into the gas bottle and not into the regulator. I now believe we need action from manufacturers to force Dealers to do this modification Free of Charge. Any comments from others who have had this problem.
Faulty Gas Regulator
- Thread starter mickc
- Start date
Mick.
We had the same happen about 2 months ago,our regulator is mounted above the outlet of the 4.5kg butane bottle that we was using at the time, we have now change to propane as recommended by our dealer, all the failures that they have had have been using butane. hope this helps
Carlton.
We had the same happen about 2 months ago,our regulator is mounted above the outlet of the 4.5kg butane bottle that we was using at the time, we have now change to propane as recommended by our dealer, all the failures that they have had have been using butane. hope this helps
Carlton.
Hi Carlton,
Don't want to put damper on things but I was using Propane when it happened butthis was a 6Kg bottle. However, I doubt if they really know the true cause. We only bought a new Bailey (with new gas reg) last Nov. after having 5 years with a 10 year old Avondale and never a problem. If only I could go back to old system I could go away without any worries.
Don't want to put damper on things but I was using Propane when it happened butthis was a 6Kg bottle. However, I doubt if they really know the true cause. We only bought a new Bailey (with new gas reg) last Nov. after having 5 years with a 10 year old Avondale and never a problem. If only I could go back to old system I could go away without any worries.
Hi Carlton
I agree with Mick im afraid,Mine failed on propane and so have 3 other friends whilst using propane.
I agree with Mick im afraid,Mine failed on propane and so have 3 other friends whilst using propane.
As we have the new style regulator in our van I've asked 3 dealers what are the chances of this happening to us and they gave three different statistics and three different reasons why it affects customers.
All I know is it's not much fun when it happens to you and so I carry an old style regulator which can be fitted to the van in ten minutes.
MH
All I know is it's not much fun when it happens to you and so I carry an old style regulator which can be fitted to the van in ten minutes.
MH
Hi Guys.
Our unit is fitted to a Bailey 2005 model, we changed over to a 6kg propane bottle when ours failed, the only though that springs to mind if the old style regulator was fitted direct to the bottle and the rubber hose was after it, now it's before it. Perhaps this little location has been totally over looked.
Carlton.
Our unit is fitted to a Bailey 2005 model, we changed over to a 6kg propane bottle when ours failed, the only though that springs to mind if the old style regulator was fitted direct to the bottle and the rubber hose was after it, now it's before it. Perhaps this little location has been totally over looked.
Carlton.
I have just returned from a trip in my 2006 Conqueror which was cut short by the infamous 30mbar regulator on Propane fault. Until this trip I was completely unaware of this problem only found out about it when it was explained to me when I called the dealer for help!
Anyway, whilst the guy was explaining that they don't know who is responsible for the problem blah, blah, blah, he happened to mention oil being in the regulator. Now I don't know anything about gas regulators or systems and why oil should be there in the first place but I do know that oil thickens when cold and as the outside temperatures for the two nights had been around 5oC. and this problem happened first thing in the morning after working perfectly all day, it got me thinking, what if the regulator was warmed up a bit?
I decided to try something, I wrapped a tea towel around the regulator and poured boiling water from a kettle into the towel until it had soaked up all the water and then kept pouring it gradually until the kettle was empty, I left it for half an hour to warm through and tried the appliances again... HEY PRESTO! They all worked again.
In case this was a co-incidence we ran the gas appliances as usual all throughout the day and then at bed time went over to electric only heating. The next morning, would you believe? No gas again!! I didn't have time to try the hot water treatment again as we were leaving site to take the van straight to the dealers to have the regulator sorted.
This article is submitted only as an account of my experience as it happened and should not be taken as advice on what to do. Gas systems can be very dangerous and should be treated very carefully, if you are in any doubt call your dealer, they are the ones qualified to advise you one this subject.
Anyway, whilst the guy was explaining that they don't know who is responsible for the problem blah, blah, blah, he happened to mention oil being in the regulator. Now I don't know anything about gas regulators or systems and why oil should be there in the first place but I do know that oil thickens when cold and as the outside temperatures for the two nights had been around 5oC. and this problem happened first thing in the morning after working perfectly all day, it got me thinking, what if the regulator was warmed up a bit?
I decided to try something, I wrapped a tea towel around the regulator and poured boiling water from a kettle into the towel until it had soaked up all the water and then kept pouring it gradually until the kettle was empty, I left it for half an hour to warm through and tried the appliances again... HEY PRESTO! They all worked again.
In case this was a co-incidence we ran the gas appliances as usual all throughout the day and then at bed time went over to electric only heating. The next morning, would you believe? No gas again!! I didn't have time to try the hot water treatment again as we were leaving site to take the van straight to the dealers to have the regulator sorted.
This article is submitted only as an account of my experience as it happened and should not be taken as advice on what to do. Gas systems can be very dangerous and should be treated very carefully, if you are in any doubt call your dealer, they are the ones qualified to advise you one this subject.
Hi Dave. Like the Idea of the warm towel, but what if your regulator fails in the middle of a heat wave like last summer. This is when our's failed, lets just hope the industry get the heads together and resolve this sooner rather than later.
Carlton
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Carlton
.
hi mick
this happened to us in the summer but luckily we had a hook up.the reg was changed by the dealer under warranty and he said they are a pain but he gave us a little tip if it happens again. if you have an external bbq point(he said it works)buy an old style regulator(only a fiver) and use your gas bbq pipe and connect to external bbq point and draw the gas in instead of out as the pipe is normally mounted under the fixed regulator,then turn off when done.OK NOT THE WAY IT SHOULD BE DONE,but could get you out of a pickle.!!!
this happened to us in the summer but luckily we had a hook up.the reg was changed by the dealer under warranty and he said they are a pain but he gave us a little tip if it happens again. if you have an external bbq point(he said it works)buy an old style regulator(only a fiver) and use your gas bbq pipe and connect to external bbq point and draw the gas in instead of out as the pipe is normally mounted under the fixed regulator,then turn off when done.OK NOT THE WAY IT SHOULD BE DONE,but could get you out of a pickle.!!!
Whilst I am glad that you were able to continue your holiday, I am concerned that the action you took may other cause problems.
A typical caravan is designed to maintain the gas outlet pressure 28,30,37mB above the atmospheric air pressure (dependant on the model). It senses the air pressure via a small hole usually on top of the regulator.
If you allow water to cover the hole, as the regulator operates it will suck some inside the bell housing. Whilst it remains in its liquid state no problem but if enough has entered, when it freezes it restrains the diaphragm from working properly and will not maintain a constant outlet pressure. This can cause over gassing or under gassing, depending on diaphragms position.
The problem is exacerbated, because as the high pressure gas from the bottle enters the regulator it experiences a pressure drop. As the gas expands it actively cools the regulator so any water may freeze even though the ambient temperature is above freezing
That is why the Gas safety regulations require that the regulator is protected from rain or immersion in water.
A typical caravan is designed to maintain the gas outlet pressure 28,30,37mB above the atmospheric air pressure (dependant on the model). It senses the air pressure via a small hole usually on top of the regulator.
If you allow water to cover the hole, as the regulator operates it will suck some inside the bell housing. Whilst it remains in its liquid state no problem but if enough has entered, when it freezes it restrains the diaphragm from working properly and will not maintain a constant outlet pressure. This can cause over gassing or under gassing, depending on diaphragms position.
The problem is exacerbated, because as the high pressure gas from the bottle enters the regulator it experiences a pressure drop. As the gas expands it actively cools the regulator so any water may freeze even though the ambient temperature is above freezing
That is why the Gas safety regulations require that the regulator is protected from rain or immersion in water.
I have also had this same problem, on my 2005 Bailey Pageant, which I run on butane. A friend has also had the same problem on his 2005 Bailey Pageant, which he runs on propane.
Our local Bailey dealer is not interested. I have written to Baileys, and while they were quite happy to pay for replacement regulators, they are not offering a solution to the problem.
I am going to the Cardiff caravan show on Friday 12 Jan, and will complain to all the dealers/reps at the show.
The industry needs to take this issue up, it is a known fault, and at some stage in the not too distant future, will affect everyone who has bought a new van since 2005.
Our local Bailey dealer is not interested. I have written to Baileys, and while they were quite happy to pay for replacement regulators, they are not offering a solution to the problem.
I am going to the Cardiff caravan show on Friday 12 Jan, and will complain to all the dealers/reps at the show.
The industry needs to take this issue up, it is a known fault, and at some stage in the not too distant future, will affect everyone who has bought a new van since 2005.
with all the problems people seem to be having with the new type regulator and the fact that Trauma dosen't seem to be addressing the problem I think I wll revert back to the origonal system and fit an old type regulator. Come back Carver all is forgiven---
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