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Just bought a caravan and help is needed

P

paul_5065980

Hi,

I have recently bought a 98 lunar freelander and have a few questions i would like to ask

1) Is it common to have piece of wood running down the centre of the underside of the caravan?

2)When the gas is connected to you expect the system to be silent when all gas appliances are switched off as I hear a hissing sound?
 
Just had a look on my Bailey and I don't have a piece of wood running down the centre. I'm worried now, should I have one?

I wonder if what you can hear is a pilot light burning. Again, I am not aware of any hissing sound on my Bailey.
 
The wood appears to be some sort of centre support but i dont understand why it would be wood when the rest of the chassis is metal. You would think the wood would rot perhaps not hence the question.

I have checked everything in the van and there is no pilot lights, i'm guessing it might be a faulty regulator, is this common
 
I have never seen a piece of wood under a caravan that I have owned. Nor have I experienced 'hissing'. Take your van along to a bonifide caravan engineer and ask him to ascertain that you a) have not bought a caravan that has been in an accident; b) that there are no gas leaks. I would also ask him to check for 'damp' ingress at the same time!
 
Hi Paul

I have a Lunar LX 2000 and mine has a piece of wood running the length looks about three inches deed and an inch thick. Mine appears to be there to hang brackets from for brake cables etc.

Can't help with hissing though. I believe the valves on the bottles can be a bit delicate.
 
paul, If it is gas that is hissing then it should not be difficult to find as if you can hear it it must be more than a seepage through a bad joint and I would have thought you could smell it.
 
Paul, do a 'puff test'. With all gas appliances turned off, open the valve on the gas bottle and then turn it off. The gas pipes will now be pressurised. Wait a period of time - say 30 mins. Now, put your ear close to one of the hob burners and turn it on. If the system is gastight you should now hear the gas coming from the burner and dying away as the pressure drops. If you hear it things should be OK but, for peace of mind it might be best to still have the system checked out. If you har nothing then there is a problem that requires sorting.
 
Thanks for your advice. I bought the caravan from chichester caravans from birmingham and they have done a gas check as part of there delivery service. They then give you a nice brand new regulator for you to fit which i thoughtthey should have done.

I havebought some gas leak detector fluid from B&Q and have checked all the joins in the front locker,i.e rubber pipe to reg and thread into gas bottle. There are no leaks there but the hissing comes from the regulator and there is a constant smell of gas. I'll have to get a new regulator and try it out.

At least another lunar van has the same piece of wood running down the centre, i was worried that piece of wood was some sort of support
 
Hi Paul

I would suggest getting a regulator with a gauge on next time. I have one made by Gaslow. This is ideal for detecting system leaks as you just open the valve, the gauge shows green, and then close it off again. Check it again after say half an hour and if it's still green then you should have a leak free system. This is a similar check to Paul's Puff Check. The gauge also help you preempt a bottle change.

As you have a hiss from the regulator area and can smell gas then you certainly have a problem. It could be other things of course such as the hose connection or the hose itself may be split. Or the thread on the bottle may be damaged. Although the latter should cause a constant hiss, regardless of whether the regulator is open or not.
 
Are you on Propane? I had a similar problem on the third bottle of gas I used on a new van. the output nut was cut generous and the thread on teh bottle alos generous and no matter how much I tightened ga leaked from the joint. A new connector did the trick but I carry some ptfe tape now just in case. My locker always smells of gas and now I'm paranoid about leaks but the bottles seem to lastOK so problem must be cured.
 
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