# Gas goes POUF! Why? oh why? Help!



## HermanHymer (Dec 5, 2008)

Well I'm not even in France yet and it's gone 'pouf!' :explosivesmile: Not my heart! The gas!!!

Another challenge for my non-scientific, non-mechanical, non-technical artistic soul. In my next life I'm going to be a Camping Car Boffin!!

To the problem >>> 

This afternoon I decided to fire up the SMEV oven, which has NOT been behaving badly recently, and then... NO IGNITION CLICK. I tried a couple of times, then suddenly it went BOOOF. Luckily I don't have much in the way of eyebrows!

So when I recover my equilibrium, I decide to try the ever faithful gas rings. Nutting, nada, zilch. Tested fridge on gas not working. Must be out of gas I thought. Funny, filled up before I left the van last time and I've only been back in it for a week. Wonder if there's a gas leak? It's a Gaslow twin-tub, installed just 5 years and 2 weeks ago. Had it checked last year and the regulator changed when it too went Poouf! in ODB workshop scaring the u-no-wot out of Nuke (our dear Nuke!).

So did a bit of fiddling, read the threads on Gas, decided to take the advice to be sensible and found the number of the neighbouring Caravan and Camping Centre and dropped them an email. I think they must still be laughing - come back in August they said when the pre-holiday madness is over. 

Out with the Gaslow pamphlet, and now I know how to check if there's a gas leak! (When all else fails read the instructions!): I like to share so here it is:

Leak Detector
1. Ensure all gas appliances are turned off.
2. Turn the gas on at the cylinder - low level indicator will show green (if there's gas of course I should think!)
3. Turn OFF the gas at the cylinder.
4. Watch the gauge, if the RED sector appears in the window within the specified time (how long is a piece of string?) there is a leak.

No leak. (Was thinking about the soapy water trick. Thank goodness for the advice I would have used dishwash liquid.) 

Any ideas? Or names of Gas boffins or camping car service centres between Maastricht (S. Holland) towards Luxembourg via Belgium or Germany? Planning to go on to Basel via Mosel. Flexible.

You, and I, know you are a clever, helpful lot so I'm sure there's someone out there who has the answers. PLEEEZ! By the way - you may think this is a blonde comment (but I qualify so I'm gonna say it anyway!) - it has been raining for 2 solid days here. Could that have contributed in any way?

Hoping for a quick, easy and cheap solution. Thanks guys! Love y'all!


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

Assuming you know that there is gas in the bottles, and notwithstanding the ignition incident, it does sound like a regulator problem again.

Peter


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## HermanHymer (Dec 5, 2008)

Do regulators fail so easily? It's only been used about 6 weeks in total? The previous one lasted the best part of 5 years.

Question is - how and where am I going to get this sorted. Bad time of year in Europe to get unplanned MH service! 

Any ideas, anyone?


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## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

> HermanHymer said:
> 
> 
> > Do regulators fail so easily? It's only been used about 6 weeks in total? The previous one lasted the best part of 5 years.
> ...


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

Make sure that the glass lid is completely, fully and totally lifted - there is an interlink which stops the things working unless it is fully up.

Dave


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

Viv:

As the others have said, it shouldn't take too much effort to sort it out, maybe try and find another motorhomer that could confirm the problem?

We carry a spare regulator and have done for some time now, but typically the original has gone on working!

Too bad we are back from France, could have had a quick look at if for you.

Go through the connections as suggested and don't assume anything, check that all is working on the taps etc.

Peter


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Oh Viv

Can't help

But fingers crossed you will sort it

Sandra


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## gaspode (May 9, 2005)

> We carry a spare regulator and have done for some time now, but typically the original has gone on working!


Yes, we carry a spare too, it's the best way of ensuring the one on the van doesn't fail.

Works on the same principle as always packing your wellies, waterproofs and two umbrellas to keep the rain away. Leave any of them at home and it's sure to p*** it down all week. :wink:


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## Sandy_Saunders (Nov 17, 2008)

gaspode said:


> Yes, we carry a spare too, it's the best way of ensuring the one on the van doesn't fail.
> 
> Works on the same principle as always packing your wellies, waterproofs and two umbrellas to keep the rain away. Leave any of them at home and it's sure to p*** it down all week. :wink:


We carry a spare submersible water pump for exactly the same reason, ours failed only two months after buying a new van. Needless to say it has never been used. The theory doesn't always work though, we went to the Pyrenees last year when it was exceedingly wet and even buying an umbrella didn't put a stop to the rain. :-(

We don't carry a regulator yet, maybe we should......

Sandy


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Actually Viv

Now I'm jealous

It's a long time since anything went "POOF"in my life :lol: :lol: 

Now what spare should I carry for that????

Sandra


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## JackieP (Oct 15, 2006)

Hi there,

Our gas fire went pouf when we were in Maastricht. There is an excellent motorhome repair man 5mins from Maastricht called, A2 Campeercentrum. The address and telephone number is

Veilingweg 13, Gronsveld
+31 43 408 3200

He worked wonders on our gas system on our 27 year old Hymer and we would recommend. You can also stay on his forecourt - it's a designated overnight stop. 

Best of luck.


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## andrewball1000 (Oct 16, 2009)

Silly question, is there a safety cut off like Secumotion in your system?


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

> *aldra said; *Actually Viv.......Now I'm jealous.......It's a long time since anything went "POOF"in my life :lol: :lol: .......Now what spare should I carry for that????
> 
> Sandra


As Mandy always said........

http://tinyurl.com/ngxc63m

Dave

The embedded link doesn't seem to work for me - hence the duplicate!


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

Love Dick Emery, he did some great stuff, and Dave Allen is another favourite.

Peter


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## HermanHymer (Dec 5, 2008)

Thank you all for your support and advice, as always. 

Aldra, ja-well-no-fine! Ditto in this one!

The owner of the campsite here phoned a few people and eventually arranged for me to go to a campershop/workshop 25km up the road. When I got there everything worked, didn't it. No problem. Nice young man but that is a bit embarrassing. I didn't push it because I could see he knew nothing about Gaslow/lpg systems.

So back to the campsite - now the fridge won't run on gas, in fact it I can't hear it switching on. I've been too scared to try to light up the gas rings! But the cylinder gauge is now down past the green now, so maybe tomorrow I go fill up. Perhaps it is a slow leak at this stage. 

There is not the whooosh of gas escaping as the first time it went, but there was definitely a slight whiff of gas in the storage compartment. 

Apart from the risk of filling it up and wasting my money, what precautions should I take if in fact there is a small leak?

Thank you again!


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## HermanHymer (Dec 5, 2008)

andrewball1000 said:


> Silly question, is there a safety cut off like Secumotion in your system?


I do know what you mean, Andrew. No I'm afraid not.


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## Christine600 (Jan 20, 2011)

HermanHymer said:


> There is not the whooosh of gas escaping as the first time it went, but there was definitely a slight whiff of gas in the storage compartment.


Perhaps a joint is not 100% tight - or perhaps a bad gasket - is creating a small leak then? Should be easy enough to remedy with a spanner and perhaps a new gasket?


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

My son had the van last weekend

Said the fridge would not work on gas

Returned it minus the BBQ flap closure but that's another story

We switched it on to test, perfect 8O 
Haven't a clue why it didn't work for him

Is your 12 volt system switched on

Ours we discovered has an automatic switch off to prevent the batteries being drained

When you are down this way Viv we will sort out how to get a whoosh in our life :lol:  

Aldra


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## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

My money is on regulator failure.

Mine failed a couple of weeks ago in Germany. The proxy thing (Truma) was only 13 months old. Now replaced with one from a company called Gas It, they claim it's identical to the one sold by Gaslow. Cost was £22.50 delivered AND it came with a five year warranty and NO requirement to fit expensive stainless hoses (unlike Gaslow)

Symptoms were just minimal gas flow, enough to power a single ring and no more. Fitted new regulator, everything back to normal.

Do a Google search, bulkhead mounted regulator failures are VERY common it seems.

P.s. If you can smell gas in your locker something is not right, if you can smell it that's a clear indication of a leak. If it wasn't leaking you wouldn't be able to smell it. Big bowl of soap suds and smear the suds over every single joint. It's not unknown for Gaslow cylinders to leak around the fittings in the top either!!!


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

I still wonder whether the glass lid was fully up - if it is not and is moving slightly the valve will let some gas through but not much and if it is not up far enough then no gas will flow.....

That would explain why it did not work and then did.....

The connections on the Gaslow cylinders to the hose are particularly prone to vibrating loose too - many of us have found a need to check that they are hand tight every now and then..... 

as regards an aroma of gas in the locker, the connections to the gas cylinders themselves can be OVERTIGHTENED and can then weep slightly.

Just a couple of thoughts, probably the two things are NOT linked.....

but are two observations made while you were curious about why it would not work........

Dave


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## HermanHymer (Dec 5, 2008)

Thanks, all. Let's see what happens after I fill up again. Everything ticking over nicely this morning.

I'm on the road to Luxembourg today. I think it will be busy.

Aldra, I brought curry species and stored them in airtight till I get to you. Don't go anywhere end Sept. Like Arnie... I'll be back!!!


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## HermanHymer (Dec 5, 2008)

*New Gaslow Conundrum*

Fridge continues to work on gas even when both cylinders turned offf with the screw tops on the cylinders. I thought at first it was residual gas in the pipe but it just keeps on going. Goes off when I switch off the knob inside the van.

Gas rings don't work under the same conditions but work fine under normal switching.

Am I back to the regulator problem again? Any suggestions? 
Working on leccy for safety.

Puzzled!


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## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

*Re: New Gaslow Conundrum*



> HermanHymer said:
> 
> 
> > Fridge continues to work on gas even when both cylinders turned offf with the screw tops on the cylinders.
> ...


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

There is a pressure in the gas system and even with it turned off it will continue as the volume of gas in the pipes is quite high - presumably it sops eventually?

If not you might have solve the UK's energy crisis for the future.... your MH will be worth a fortune.

Do let us know.....

Dave


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## HermanHymer (Dec 5, 2008)

Hi Everyone

Gas going normally now, thank goodness. Except oven and grill lights up and then goes out after a couple of minutes. But I'm not going to worry about that now. I'll get it checked over when I get back to UK in Sept. Luckily I haven't had to use it with the gas hob and microwave, elec kettle and eating cold food.

I think it was haunted. By whom or what I don't know.


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

Just a thought since the problem appears now to be restricted to effectively one appliance supplied by one feed....

On our MH (OK not the same as yours I admit), the gas supply from the gas locker comes into a small cupboard between the sink and the cooker, in that there is a three way distribution tap for the gas feeds to Cooker / Truma / Fridge we have added an extra tap for the barbecue take of point.

If you can identify a) if you have such a system and b) which tap supplies gas to the cooker, it sounds as if either it is partly turned off - so the pressure will fall as there is a restriction in the supply so not enough gas will be getting through, or there is a partial blockage somewhere in that feed. It could be the safety cut off on the hob so that when the lid is not fully up the supply is cut off, but it is more likely to be in the tap where it separates from the feed.

If the hot water is working then the pressure overall in the system is OK, so it must therefore e in the supply to the cooker / hob......

The Truma is a "high demand" appliance, and needs a good pressure to keep it operating, so *if the hot water is working the regulator must be working properly IMO*.

If you have such a multi-way control, check that all the taps are working properly and are fully open - it sounds as if the one to the cooker is partially closed......

We have done that by pushing things into that cupboard too vigorously.........

Dave


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

HermanHymer said:


> Do regulators fail so easily? It's only been used about 6 weeks in total? The previous one lasted the best part of 5 years.
> 
> Question is - how and where am I going to get this sorted. Bad time of year in Europe to get unplanned MH service!
> 
> Any ideas, anyone?


Regulators are funny things, I'm on my fourth so far, and I only commissioned the van in March this year.

I got a 50 which showed 53mb, and a 37, which showed 43mb, the two other 37 showed 15mb and eventually 37mb, I have two gas sytsems on the van due to creative purchasing. so need two regs.

Oven and grill still act up, as does the Truma.


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## HermanHymer (Dec 5, 2008)

Yes the oven and grill used to be temperamental before Dave (Nuke) did something to it at my last habi check at ODB. Since then it's all been working fine. It's only the oven and grill that don't work which is on one supply switch which has an either/or knob on the front of the oven. Both light up okay then go out after about 30 secs- 1 minute. The hob works fine and is on a separate gas pipe and switch. Must be something blocking the gas feed to the Smev oven/grill. 

Following Dave's (always logical) advice above, (thank you Dave) I got down on my hands and knees and pulled everything out of the cupboard to the left of the oven, but there is only one solid gas pipe in there which seems to be connected from the on/off switch in the drawer above to the water heating. The connections to the other 3 on/off switches (oven/hob and fridge) are not visible and I can't get the cutlery drawer out to check. But the pipes are (metal) hard and the connections are not loose at the front anyway. There is the vent on the outside which could possibly reveal some mysteries but I can't get if off and am afraid of breaking it. In any case what would I do if I did see something amiss??? Not much for sure. Guess I'll just have to leave it for now. 

Thank you Dave and Kev.


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## javea (Jun 8, 2007)

Viv,

Very sensible advice from Dave. On my Hymer there are three seperate taps to isolate the hob, heating and fridge - I would imagine that Hymer use this setup as a standard installation. My cutlery drawer is extracted by simply lifting up the front of the drawer and it then parts from the runner below. On larger drawers there is a small black lever that you lift up to release it.

Mike


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## HermanHymer (Dec 5, 2008)

javea said:


> Viv,
> 
> Very sensible advice from Dave. On my Hymer there are three seperate taps to isolate the hob, heating and fridge - I would imagine that Hymer use this setup as a standard installation. My cutlery drawer is extracted by simply lifting up the front of the drawer and it then parts from the runner below. On larger drawers there is a small black lever that you lift up to release it.
> 
> Mike


Hi Mike, thanks for your suggestions will fiddle around to see if I can get the big drawer out as you suggest. Yes this wee Hymer has an extra isolator - separate ones for the hob and the oven/grill.


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## listerdiesel (Aug 3, 2012)

Our Truma regulator has defied every prediction and has run without a problem since we fitted it in May 2012.

We also fitted a 3-way tap manifold so we could isolate the different sections.










Peter


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

It certainly sounds as if that either/or switch might be the root of the problem, but without dismantling it and testing that is not going to be easy to identify....

It could well be that the hole going through it is only partly lined up with either / or...... in which case the pressure would build up until you ue it and then start to drop, dropping as it is used but with some still just trickling through, until it reaches a level where the flame cannot be supported and so it goes out.....

That would be the first place that I would check - even if it meant visiting a MH dealer/service centre in France - many of them are still working as there is still the demand and needs must.....

If that is a standard part (and I do not know) they may have one in stock and be able to put a new one on - which may identify positively or negatively if that is the cause, if not then that would be one piece in the jigsaw that is not at fault.....

but it certainly gives all the clues for a partial gas feed and if that switch has been problematical before it may well only have been sorted by a judicious amount of luck....... if the knob rotates but the valve underneath does not, then that might be the trouble and it is simply a badly fitted or worn valve which is sticking....

As I say, just a suggestion but you will probably need the services of a Gas-Safe registered equivalent technician to actually identify and sort it.....

Sorry,

Dave


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## HermanHymer (Dec 5, 2008)

*Feedback*

I've just been up to Gaslow in Loughborough.

What a fantastic bloke that Roger is. Sorry Roger, don' know your surname!

He discovered that left hand gas bottle had overfilled, and this overfilling damaged something in the (new) regulator. Accumulated muck had also played a part.

In a short space of time, he replaced the gas bottle, hoses replaced with metal ones and a new regulator.

He then took the trouble to direct me to a nearby LPG supplier to fill the new bottle and invited me to come back so he could check that everything was working after the refill.

The problem with oven, his assistant suggested (and he seemed to be very knowledgeable) was that the heat sensor in the oven had failed causing the gas supply to shut off.

The best part -- cost? Zilch, nada, nothing, zero and a 5-year guarantee on the repair. It doesn't get better than that does it?

Viva Gaslow Viva!


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