Oily deposits in gas regulator

[vansmudge]

We had our Truma gas regulator fail on us when we were recently in France.
Apparently 4% of UK made caravans have experienced this problem.
There are articles discussing the topic on the web, but my own conclusions are as follows:
If the regulator as fitted to the bulk head of the caravan is LOWER IN HEIGHT than the top of the gas cylinder (usually occurring if one uses a 14kg Calor Gas cylinder) then oily deposits could be discharged fron the calor gas and contaminate the regulator. Apparently this, together with the use of a rubber pigtail to connect the cylinder to the regualtor - as against a stainless steel pigtail - might increase the odds of contamination.
I have done two things: increased the height of the regualtor on the bulkhead of the caravan so that it is higher than the top of the gas cylinder, and fitted a stainless steel pigtail to a new Truma regulator.
We must wait to see if the modification works!
One wonders why British Caravan manufacturers fit the regulator onto the bulkhead when nearly all, if not all of continental caravans fit the regulator onto the top of the cylinder.

 

[Damian]

This situation has been ongoing since about 2004.
The fitting of the regulator higher than the cylinder was supposed to have been implemented some time ago and those regulators fitted low should have been modified at the first service.
The use of standard or stainless pigtails makes no difference as even vehicles fitted with totally stainless pipework throughout have experienced the same problem.

The problem is that LPG is an oil by product and coupled with the restrictions placed on Calor amongst other regarding the cleaning of cylinders and burning off the "heavy ends" has meant an increase in deposits in cylinders.

This along with the fact that the GOK regulator is a two stage regulator has not helped.
Even with the old style cylinder mounted regulators, the oily deposit was still there, but being single stage regulators it passed through and was either burnt off by the appliances or collected within the pipework of the van and eventually caused total blockage which also caused damage to the gas valves on appliances.

Why are they fitted ? because the UK follows the directives issued by the EU like a lamb to the slaughter. EN 1949 to be precise.

 

[RobinF]

The regulators for LPG have always had to be above the top of the cylinders for domestic installations and I was very surprised that when they changed to bulkhead mounted in caravans that they we fitted low down for some cylinder sizes, the hose type does not make any differance, I have never had a regulator blockage where the installation has been installed correctly in my 18 years of working with gas.