Was staying in suburbia in Melbourne this week in the van in a relatives back yard and was woken by a hissing sound that I thought was the neighbours hose or irrigation system at about 5:00am. I listened for a minute or so thinking about all the different noises you hear in suburbia that you don't normally hear at home in regional areas when I started to realize that the noise wasn't coming from the neighbours. It sounded much closer. It was also about this time that I started to smell the familiar odour of LPG.
I rushed outside to find LPG spewing from the hose on the gas bottle of the van and quickly turned it off. The pigtail from the bottles to the regulator had split. Our van is an "Expander" type with the bed folding out over the drawbar so the bed is directly above the gas bottles. Because the sides of the sleeping area are canvas I was lucky enough to be able to hear the sound of the escaping gas.
When purchasing a replacement hose I spoke with the retailer about what had happened and he advised me that the recommendation is to replace the hose every ten tears. Good advice but mine was only 8 years old. He also suggested that you should check the flexibility of the hose every time you swap a gas bottle and replace the hose if it feels stiff.
Don't even want to think about what might have happened if I didn't wake up or wasn't there to turn off the gas supply when the hose blew.
Robert.
Ozzie_Traveller said
09:26 PM Dec 13, 2017
G'day mate
By the sounds of it, you were very lucky .... and well done with the solution
Safe travelling
Phil
hako said
09:55 PM Dec 13, 2017
Mine failed at 3 years so you had a good run!
Good Luck.
Cupie said
12:06 AM Dec 14, 2017
A lucky escape.
I am back to using the original copper pigtails that came with the van 20 years ago.
I have a set of the modern ones but removed them when chasing a gas problem several years ago. I was told that some deteriorated & let small pieces of material into the gas lines. True? Who knows. Oh yes, my gas problem turned out to be a build up of gunk (gas odorising additive?) in the regulator. Seems that they also should be replaced every 7 yrs or so.
aussietraveller said
09:12 AM Dec 14, 2017
I have had to nreplace regulator twice so far on 2005 model van but luckily we have copper pigtails Thomas 09's post is a good reminder for us all to check our LPG system.
Delta18 said
10:01 AM Dec 14, 2017
thomas01 wrote:
When purchasing a replacement hose I spoke with the retailer about what had happened and he advised me that the recommendation is to replace the hose every ten tears. Good advice but mine was only 8 years old. He also suggested that you should check the flexibility of the hose every time you swap a gas bottle and replace the hose if it feels stiff.
Don't even want to think about what might have happened if I didn't wake up or wasn't there to turn off the gas supply when the hose blew.
Robert.
Would have been more than ten tears had you been deaf or, as you say, away from the van.
dieseltojo said
10:54 AM Dec 15, 2017
Hi thomas 01
I don't get the term "Pig tail" and then "the purchase of a rubber hose replacement hose." Or was it a pig tail that broke, and then replaced with a hose?
You see pig tails refer to a coiled copper connection that if installed, lasts a lifetime if used and undone correctly, where-as a rubber hose, is much more susceptible to a pressure burst.Rubber is cheaper gums up internally and is cheaper hence its use these days. Also probably a bit easier to undo.
Pig tails being made from annealed copper can be cracked over time with (work hardening), flexing and unflexing.
Yep, I have long recommended a spray bottle 75% water and 25% dish washing liquid to spray the gas connections regularly.Total cost around $4-00. That may have been a slow leak for a month prior to blowing.
Aus-Kiwi said
11:11 AM Dec 15, 2017
Being braided you CANNOT check condition of hose under protective steel braid . Ten years is a little too long also !! I had the same thing happen to me . 8 year old !! Thank goodness I was washing the motorhome at the time ! Could see the waves of LPG gas under motorhome . 40* heat too . I bought a longer flex connector . The end is bent too tight when fitting . Copper possibly wonât make much difference!! May be like elect extension leads ? Too much imported cheap rubbish !! With no quality control !!
thomas01 said
02:58 PM Dec 15, 2017
What can I say dieseltojo. I showed the hose to the retailer and told him I needed a knew one and he said "that would be a pigtail". Not being a gas expert myself I said fair enough, that's what I need. Seeing as they only sell gas and barbecue equipment I believed him.
And, just so you are not confused anymore. It was a braid covered hose, replaced with a braid covered hose. The new one is 150mm longer, for the same reason as Aus-Kiwi said.
Tony Bev said
09:51 PM Dec 15, 2017
thomas01 wrote:
What can I say dieseltojo. I showed the hose to the retailer and told him I needed a knew one and he said "that would be a pigtail". Not being a gas expert myself I said fair enough, that's what I need. Seeing as they only sell gas and barbecue equipment I believed him.
And, just so you are not confused anymore. It was a braid covered hose, replaced with a braid covered hose. The new one is 150mm longer, for the same reason as Aus-Kiwi said.
You had a lucky escape Robert (thomas01)
I am wondering if it has something to do with bad bottles of gas, weakening the hoses, as I got mustard coloured stuff out of mine
Some salesmen, and Gas Fitters, call them pigtails
I have braided covered flexible hoses on my gas bottles to regulator
The invoice for my recent gas service says that they checked the pigtails
Was staying in suburbia in Melbourne this week in the van in a relatives back yard and was woken by a hissing sound that I thought was the neighbours hose or irrigation system at about 5:00am. I listened for a minute or so thinking about all the different noises you hear in suburbia that you don't normally hear at home in regional areas when I started to realize that the noise wasn't coming from the neighbours. It sounded much closer. It was also about this time that I started to smell the familiar odour of LPG.
I rushed outside to find LPG spewing from the hose on the gas bottle of the van and quickly turned it off. The pigtail from the bottles to the regulator had split. Our van is an "Expander" type with the bed folding out over the drawbar so the bed is directly above the gas bottles. Because the sides of the sleeping area are canvas I was lucky enough to be able to hear the sound of the escaping gas.
When purchasing a replacement hose I spoke with the retailer about what had happened and he advised me that the recommendation is to replace the hose every ten tears. Good advice but mine was only 8 years old. He also suggested that you should check the flexibility of the hose every time you swap a gas bottle and replace the hose if it feels stiff.
Don't even want to think about what might have happened if I didn't wake up or wasn't there to turn off the gas supply when the hose blew.
Robert.
By the sounds of it, you were very lucky .... and well done with the solution
Safe travelling
Phil
Good Luck.
A lucky escape.
I am back to using the original copper pigtails that came with the van 20 years ago.
I have a set of the modern ones but removed them when chasing a gas problem several years ago. I was told that some deteriorated & let small pieces of material into the gas lines. True? Who knows. Oh yes, my gas problem turned out to be a build up of gunk (gas odorising additive?) in the regulator. Seems that they also should be replaced every 7 yrs or so.
Would have been more than ten tears had you been deaf or, as you say, away from the van.
Hi thomas 01
I don't get the term "Pig tail" and then "the purchase of a rubber hose replacement hose." Or was it a pig tail that broke, and then replaced with a hose?
You see pig tails refer to a coiled copper connection that if installed, lasts a lifetime if used and undone correctly, where-as a rubber hose, is much more susceptible to a pressure burst.Rubber is cheaper gums up internally and is cheaper hence its use these days. Also probably a bit easier to undo.
Pig tails being made from annealed copper can be cracked over time with (work hardening), flexing and unflexing.
Yep, I have long recommended a spray bottle 75% water and 25% dish washing liquid to spray the gas connections regularly.Total cost around $4-00. That may have been a slow leak for a month prior to blowing.
And, just so you are not confused anymore. It was a braid covered hose, replaced with a braid covered hose. The new one is 150mm longer, for the same reason as Aus-Kiwi said.
You had a lucky escape Robert (thomas01)
I am wondering if it has something to do with bad bottles of gas, weakening the hoses, as I got mustard coloured stuff out of mine
Some salesmen, and Gas Fitters, call them pigtails
I have braided covered flexible hoses on my gas bottles to regulator
The invoice for my recent gas service says that they checked the pigtails