starvin marvin Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 Another question re change of van. The "new" van has a bulkhead regulator fitted, our current van has bottle top regulators. My inclination is to strip out the bulkhead reg and transfer over my existing arrangement which includes one 11kg Gaslow bottle and one exchangeable bottle. Any views, pros & cons? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyg3nwl Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 Hi, no reason why not. I had to do a temporary similar thing on holiday as fixed regulator decided to quit due to some sort of blockage, a well known fault, and simply bypassed the regulator and used old bottle based regulator and short piece of low pressure hose borrowed from the portable bbq. regulator replaced under warranty on return and system now reinstated. Current van equipment these days are designed for use with 30mbar pressure, whereas old regulators were 35 for propane and 28 for butane, so there is a slight difference which might just cause a slight problem depending on age of van equipment do make sure there are NO signs of gas leak when you have done the changes..soapy water applied around every joint and watch out for bubbles. tonyg3nwl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 I can understand temporarily bypassing a bulkhead-mounted regulator as Tony did to sidestep a problem with that regulator, but (provided that your regulator is functioning OK) why would you choose to remove it? I assume that your on-bottle-regulator approach involves the historical UK-norm jubilee-clip connectors, rather than the much more secure threaded connectors used with a bulkhead-mounted regulator, and I suspect that you’d need to modify the motorhome’s metal gas-pipework to allow you to make a hose-and-clip connection to it. As Tony says (unless you have an on-bottle 30mbar regulator) you’ll be operating the motorhome’s 30mbar-designed gas appliances at 37mbar(propane) or 28mbar(butane). I doubt this would matter much, but why do it when you don’t need to? Seems like a retograde plan to me, but I guess you’ve got reasons to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starvin marvin Posted August 9, 2014 Author Share Posted August 9, 2014 Derek Uzzell - 2014-08-09 9:27 AM I can understand temporarily bypassing a bulkhead-mounted regulator as Tony did to sidestep a problem with that regulator, but (provided that your regulator is functioning OK) why would you choose to remove it? I assume that your on-bottle-regulator approach involves the historical UK-norm jubilee-clip connectors, rather than the much more secure threaded connectors used with a bulkhead-mounted regulator, and I suspect that you’d need to modify the motorhome’s metal gas-pipework to allow you to make a hose-and-clip connection to it. As Tony says (unless you have an on-bottle 30mbar regulator) you’ll be operating the motorhome’s 30mbar-designed gas appliances at 37mbar(propane) or 28mbar(butane). I doubt this would matter much, but why do it when you don’t need to? Seems like a retograde plan to me, but I guess you’ve got reasons to do it. Derek, I understand your logic, my thoughts are that for peace of mind, if nothing else the fixed regulator will need to be replaced with a new one, so why not refit my existing Gaslow and pipework and my Repsol bottle with my manual changeover valve. Sure this will require a fitting to the end of the vans pipework similar to the the one on my current van to accept the rubber hose. I accept that the threaded fastenings are more secure, but the hose and clips are very simple and dead easy to swop, anywhere you happen to be. Rather than the concern over a blocked fixed regulator. I can sense a reply somewhere along the lines of "why not just carry a spare fixed regulator you silly old fool?" and they would have a valid point, apart from the "old" bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 starvin marvin - 2014-08-09 10:32 AM I can sense a reply somewhere along the lines of "why not just carry a spare fixed regulator you silly old fool?" and they would have a valid point, apart from the "old" bit. Not silly, not fool, can't speak for old though! But please do tell us why not !! I use a brass 'T' piece attached to the regulator and run with both bottles always attached so that when one expires all I need to do is turn old one off and new one on - just don't forget to fill/swap the empty 'un or you will be in trouble when the second one expires - but you are likely to only do this once. As I recall the old low pressure hose needs to be replaced every two years or so whereas the high pressure pigtails have a much longer life - as they should because they cost a lot more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted August 10, 2014 Share Posted August 10, 2014 Calor’s advice on gas-hoses is here http://www.calor.co.uk/media/wysiwyg/PDF/using-hoses-and-tubing-250913.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starvin marvin Posted August 29, 2014 Author Share Posted August 29, 2014 starvin marvin - 2014-08-09 10:32 AM Derek Uzzell - 2014-08-09 9:27 AM I can understand temporarily bypassing a bulkhead-mounted regulator as Tony did to sidestep a problem with that regulator, but (provided that your regulator is functioning OK) why would you choose to remove it? I assume that your on-bottle-regulator approach involves the historical UK-norm jubilee-clip connectors, rather than the much more secure threaded connectors used with a bulkhead-mounted regulator, and I suspect that you’d need to modify the motorhome’s metal gas-pipework to allow you to make a hose-and-clip connection to it. As Tony says (unless you have an on-bottle 30mbar regulator) you’ll be operating the motorhome’s 30mbar-designed gas appliances at 37mbar(propane) or 28mbar(butane). I doubt this would matter much, but why do it when you don’t need to? Seems like a retograde plan to me, but I guess you’ve got reasons to do it. Derek, I understand your logic, my thoughts are that for peace of mind, if nothing else the fixed regulator will need to be replaced with a new one, so why not refit my existing Gaslow and pipework and my Repsol bottle with my manual changeover valve. Sure this will require a fitting to the end of the vans pipework similar to the the one on my current van to accept the rubber hose. I accept that the threaded fastenings are more secure, but the hose and clips are very simple and dead easy to swop, anywhere you happen to be. Rather than the concern over a blocked fixed regulator. I can sense a reply somewhere along the lines of "why not just carry a spare fixed regulator you silly old fool?" and they would have a valid point, apart from the "old" bit. Derek, you'll be pleased to hear that I've decided to stick with the fixed regulator. However I need a favour, I need to get hold of a Spanish bottle top "gas tap" ie one that looks exactly like a regulator but has no "guts" in it, and with a threaded connection. I can recall you posting in the past photos of this item, but buggered if I can find it. Thanks in anticipation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 Marvin, You mean one of these... Link. Google the description or part number and you'll find lots of suppliers. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starvin marvin Posted August 29, 2014 Author Share Posted August 29, 2014 Keithl - 2014-08-29 5:52 PM Marvin, You mean one of these... Link. Google the description or part number and you'll find lots of suppliers. Keith. Thanks for that, annoyingly they're 3 times the flipping price I'd pay in Spain!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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