Gas smell from fridge

[PaulHull]

Hi all, I've just bought myself my first caravan. It's a 1989 Swift something (corvette I believe). All is great with the exception of the fridge. It doesnt seem to run on 240V (didn't try it on 12v) but runs really well on gas.

I'm just slightly worried about a slight smell of gas that is present in the cupboard next to the fridge while it is operating on gas. Its not a strong smell but enough to cause concern. The rubber pipe out to the gas bottle is a bit perished so I'm hoping that replacing the rubber piping (is that a job for an engineer or something you can do yourself) might stop it.

Or is it perfectly normal for a slight gassy smell?

Any comments would be much appreciated!

Cheers

Paul

 

[rob_jax]

Hi Paul,

Stop using the fridge until you can determine the source of the problem.

A very small amount of stenchant is added to the bottled gas, so the leak will be considerable.

Yes, you can replace the rubber tubing yourself - the jubilee clips (if used) must only lightly *** the rubber tubing - the tubing itself should provide the gas tight seal and the clips are just to stop the tubing becoming detached.

And yes, the rubber tubing should be replaced frequently - thin walled tubing every year, thick wall every three years or so.

And after replacing the flexible tubing, you need to check over the whole gas system for leaks - pay particular attention to any joints in the rigid tubing (a couple of drops of Fairy Liquid in some water will make a solution that will bubble around any leaks).

If you detect a leak in the rigid tubing, get the system professionally repaired (mobile caravan service engineer maybe?), and have them replace the 240 volt mains heater too - cheap and easy replacement job.

And 12 volt operation only works via the cars generator when towing.

Robert

 

[Damian]

Paul,

I am a bit concerned when you say "the rubber pipe out to the gas bottle is a bit perished"

Do you mean that rubber pipe goes directly to the fridge?

Or do you mean th epipe from the gas bottle regulator to the rigid copper pipe which feeds the other gas appliances?

If the former of the two then this is highly dangerous and is not allowed under the gas regulations.

Whatever the situation I would advise getting a suitably competent engineer to check the whole gas system out, try a local mobile service engineer.

With a caravan if this age it may well just be th esupply hose, but could be a loose connection somewhere else, and only a properly carried out leakage test will establish this.

As for the 240 volt side, it is probably the element which has packed up.

Getting a full service would be the sensible route to follow in your own interests and those of your family.

Lastly, there should NOT be any smell of gas anywhere except maybe when changing gas bottles, but certainly not prolonged and not inside the van.

 

[PaulHull]

Thanks guys,

I haven't looked underneath the van at all yet to see where the piping goes (only had it a week and only returned from a great weekend away in it this morning) but the pipe that runs out to the bottle is not in tip top condition - I'm not sure how far back it runs. Basically when I run the fridge on full gas there is no smell but when I turn it down the smell appears which made me think it must be either a loose connection or a leak as i assume the pressure in the pipes will increase as the fridge draws less?

I'm thinking of getting an engineer out to have a good look around it anyway as its quite old (but not in bad nick!) and I'd just like to know that it is safe as I have a ten week old daughter who I can do without gassing (most of the time).

Thanks for the help!

 

[rob_jax]

Hi Paul,

Bottled gas is either Butane or Propane and is actually quite safe to breath - it's not toxic, doesn't smell, and doesn't have any health issues. So you're not going to be gassed by bottled gas in the same way as, say Carbon Monoxide poisoning from a faulty heater. For this health reason, butane and propane are now the preferred propellant gases used in aerosol cans.

But the real danger from bottled gas is that it's very explosive when mixed with air, so a stenchant is added to help identify leaks and prevent a possible explosion.

Flexible Pipe:

This should run from the regulator on the top of the gas bottle to a fixed metal pipe mounted on the back wall of the gas locker. This metal pipe should then run under the caravan, clipped to the under-floor and then up into the under-sink area.

Under the sink should be a manifold (set of taps) to allow gas to flow to the fridge, gas hob and heater - depending on what's fitted in your van.

If any of this metal pipe has been replaced by rubber - then the system should be condemned and new metal tubing fitted.

Hopefully your gas system is as it should be and just needs a bit of TLC, but if not, then a competent person must do the necessary work (legal requirement).

Robert

 

[DeliDave]

possibly the tap needs regreasing/replacing and the gas being heavier than air is filtering down into a cupboard

 

[gary]

I'm wondering that you have a piece of rubber hose connecting your fridge to the copper pipe system of your van? simply put, this is a system that has now been outlawed.

If so, the hose needs replacing with a 'loop' of copper pipe to allow an amount of movement without the worry of the need to check a hidden rubber hose.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Paul,

Others have probably identified the most likely causes. So I wont dwell on that.

I will add a little more to your question regarding the gas pressure though. The LPG systems in caravans utilise a pressure regulator. With your age of caravan this will almost certainly be fitted directly to the gas bottle, with a flexible hose to the metal pipe work in the bottle locker.

Flexible neoprene hose of the correct grade should be used. This is usually over printed with the British Standards designation BS1693 and the date of manufacture. This should be replaced as a matter of course about every 3 years or as soon as any cracks appear in the out layer. Your local caravan dealer should have supplies of this type of hose available.

It is normal for caravans to use either Butane of Propane LPG. The choice of which rather depends on when you intend to caravan. If you are considering winter holidays, it is best to switch to propane, other wise butane will serve well for spring summer and fall holidays.

Depending on which gas you choose, you will need to select the correct pressure regulator. These are differentiated by the coupling and cant be fitted to the wrong gas bottles. Butane needs regulator set to 28mB whilst Propane is set to 37mB.

The regulators are designed to try and maintain a fairly stable gas pressure in the pipe work and whilst the length of pipe will affect the delivery of gas, in general the pressure drop at the appliance when it working at full bore should be minimal compared to the regulator exit pressure. So for that reason the change in the qty of smell around the fridge suggests a leaky valve rather than pipe.

The gas valves fitted to LPG appliances in caravans are not designed to be repacked with grease. Even if they were, the grease is a very special blend, (common greases and natural gas greases will be dissolved and chemically altered when exposed to LPG so they must not be used)

I must advise you that apart from the replacement of the flexible hose on the regulator, all other gas work, including the making and breaking of any gas joint must by law only be carried out by a competent person working to the gas regulations. Failure to comply may render your insurance invalid.