Thought I'd share this with you. On a recent trip we had no gas in the van, therefore no fridge, no hot water, no stove, unhappy SWMBO. Tried the following:
1. Swap bottles
2. Checked operation of change over valve.
Still no success. Determined regulator was blocked ( 10 years of faithful service). It was a Friday afternoon out of town and nothing close by over the weekend, so no chance of purchasing a replacement. Was suggested I remove the regulator and place in boiling water for 10 minutes. This melted out a substantial amount of oily, waxy matter.
Replaced regulator, stove lit faster than ever, same same fridge and hot water. Happy SWMBO! All still working, I now have a new regulator which I'll install before next trip.
The regulator sits just below the top of the bottles.
Now I'll slip on my flak jacket and wait for the incoming.
Cheers
Hurls
JeffRae said
01:39 PM Oct 28, 2018
Will remember that if we need to get out of the same sticky situation
Aus-Kiwi said
06:51 PM Oct 28, 2018
Had similar with a bottle in Perth . May not be that particular bottle ? It was a waxy oil solution restricting flow . The bottle didnt seem to last long gas wise . Felt heavy . Suspect it was full of oil ?
Granty said
10:50 AM Oct 29, 2018
We had similar problem last trip. Gas appeared to have run out during the night. When I took the bottle off it was still half full. When I switched back onto that bottle it was ok. I presume it was the regulator and that it cleared itself . Rod.
Wanderlust said
12:38 PM Oct 29, 2018
Thanks for the info Hurls. That'll go in my little black book if and when I need it.
Greg 1 said
06:56 PM Oct 29, 2018
Had a hose from the bottle to the change over tap do the same thing. Would run fine on one bottle but not the other. New hose fixed the problem.
BAZZA44 said
08:43 AM Nov 1, 2018
Hurls, the regulator should be higher than the gas bottles. The gas hoses need to go uphill to the regulator so that any gunk in them will run back to the bottle.
Google for gas regulations and you will find this is correct.
All vans are not set up correctly by manufacturers, don't know how they pass inspection.
Barry
Possum3 said
10:42 AM Nov 1, 2018
BAZZA44 wrote:
Hurls, the regulator should be higher than the gas bottles. The gas hoses need to go uphill to the regulator so that any gunk in them will run back to the bottle.
Google for gas regulations and you will find this is correct.
All vans are not set up correctly by manufacturers, don't know how they pass inspection.
Barry
Bazza, Caravan manufacture is a self regulating industry in Australia - no inspections when new.
Aus-Kiwi said
12:12 PM Nov 1, 2018
Just had a look at our regulator position . Its 100mm down from tap . Ahh its hard piped so moving it higher isnt easy . Even the experts dont get it right !! Notice it came good in warner weather . I guess less viscosity?
Tony Bev said
09:37 PM Nov 1, 2018
I used the hot water trick, on a blocked regulator, but unfortunately for me, it did nor work
Yellow/brown/mustard coloured stuff came out of the pipe, (before the hot water trick)
I dismantled the (non serviceable) double regulator, with my hacksaw
What I found was that the rubber seats of the valves had expanded, and were therefore permanently closed
I made sure that when I got my new regulator, it had screws in it, so that I can dismantle it, if I get caught out again
Since then, I no longer have a gas fridge, so no gas for a few days, should not worry me any more
I carry a portable canister type stove, as a backup
Possum3 said
10:23 AM Nov 2, 2018
Different suppliers also supply different gasses www.diffen.com/difference/CNG_vs_LPG this is one reason why some leave deposits and others don't.
Brenda and Alan said
08:31 PM Nov 2, 2018
Possum that may hold in USA but in Australia LPG is propane and nothing else. Check out the Elgas web site for your own information. The gunk in the regulator is more likely due to breakdown of hoses or seals than out of the gas bottle.
Alan
Possum3 said
12:25 PM Nov 3, 2018
Brenda and Alan wrote:
Possum that may hold in USA but in Australia LPG is propane and nothing else.
Hell painful when your gas regulator plugs up ! Warm beers . Angry Mrs ! Lol
Brenda and Alan said
07:56 PM Nov 3, 2018
Possum what you say about the gas tanker filling both is because both are propane and neither are LNG. Propane and LNG are not interchangeable in either gas appliances or vehicles as they require different pressures and/or different air/fuel ratios.
Alan
Cupie said
11:13 PM Dec 22, 2018
A friend who worked in a senior position in the Qld Ampol refinery in Qld. for 20 years told me that the 'oily gunk' that collected in the regulator was from the additive that is used to give the gas a smell in case of leaks.
A LPG gas expert suggested that 7 years was the lifespan of a regulator.
denmonkey said
01:37 PM Mar 29, 2019
Had this with mine too.
fridge wouldn't start and stove was like it was on low at best.
Pulled the regulator and some sort of liquid came out.
Mine is atop my gas bottle, so is positioned correctly.
I did notice the old one had a small hole, which I assume is for a pressure release and this was facing upward.
When I installed the new one, I made sure this hole was pointed downward, as to not take on rain water etc .
Only 40 odd bucks I think and everything is back to normal.
Hi All,
Thought I'd share this with you. On a recent trip we had no gas in the van, therefore no fridge, no hot water, no stove, unhappy SWMBO. Tried the following:
1. Swap bottles
2. Checked operation of change over valve.
Still no success. Determined regulator was blocked ( 10 years of faithful service). It was a Friday afternoon out of town and nothing close by over the weekend, so no chance of purchasing a replacement. Was suggested I remove the regulator and place in boiling water for 10 minutes. This melted out a substantial amount of oily, waxy matter.
Replaced regulator, stove lit faster than ever, same same fridge and hot water. Happy SWMBO! All still working, I now have a new regulator which I'll install before next trip.
The regulator sits just below the top of the bottles.
Now I'll slip on my flak jacket and wait for the incoming.
Cheers
Hurls
Will remember that if we need to get out of the same sticky situation
Google for gas regulations and you will find this is correct.
All vans are not set up correctly by manufacturers, don't know how they pass inspection.
Barry
Bazza, Caravan manufacture is a self regulating industry in Australia - no inspections when new.
Yellow/brown/mustard coloured stuff came out of the pipe, (before the hot water trick)
I dismantled the (non serviceable) double regulator, with my hacksaw
What I found was that the rubber seats of the valves had expanded, and were therefore permanently closed
I made sure that when I got my new regulator, it had screws in it, so that I can dismantle it, if I get caught out again
Since then, I no longer have a gas fridge, so no gas for a few days, should not worry me any more
I carry a portable canister type stove, as a backup
Possum that may hold in USA but in Australia LPG is propane and nothing else. Check out the Elgas web site for your own information. The gunk in the regulator is more likely due to breakdown of hoses or seals than out of the gas bottle.
Alan
Alan Both LNG and LPG are used extensively in Australia - In some areas (Particularly remote areas) the gas truck refills both the bowsers (Car fuel) and the Refill bottle ( BBQ Bottles) from the same tanker. https://www.elgas.com.au/blog/486-comparison-lpg-natural-gas-propane-butane-methane-lng-cng
Possum what you say about the gas tanker filling both is because both are propane and neither are LNG. Propane and LNG are not interchangeable in either gas appliances or vehicles as they require different pressures and/or different air/fuel ratios.
Alan
A friend who worked in a senior position in the Qld Ampol refinery in Qld. for 20 years told me that the 'oily gunk' that collected in the regulator was from the additive that is used to give the gas a smell in case of leaks.
A LPG gas expert suggested that 7 years was the lifespan of a regulator.
fridge wouldn't start and stove was like it was on low at best.
Pulled the regulator and some sort of liquid came out.
Mine is atop my gas bottle, so is positioned correctly.
I did notice the old one had a small hole, which I assume is for a pressure release and this was facing upward.
When I installed the new one, I made sure this hole was pointed downward, as to not take on rain water etc .
Only 40 odd bucks I think and everything is back to normal.
cheers Brett