GraemeM Posted April 20, 2016 Share Posted April 20, 2016 Well we are just coming to the end of our three week shake down trip round Ireland. Amazing country and people. Our compass calypso did well (thanks to lots of input from this forum) and we learnt lots about what to take and what to leave behind, as well as a load of practical things. The only major concern is a small gas leak from the fridge. Initially we thought it was slight whiff/ smells from the grey water tank. The fridge works fine on gas and mains hookup. I have been able to trace the leak to the pipe from isolation valve which in our case is below the cooker through to the gas valve on the fridge (an Electrolux RM4213) itself. Even if the gas valve on the fridge is turned off ie that valve closed, we still get this very slight gas smell. So it's either the pipe, some joint or the fridge valve itself. I suspect the later, but only because that would be Sod's law. Does anyone have experience of similar and how did you fix it? Also, how can you trace more precisely a gas leak, i have read about using a water spray with some soap in, so you can see small bubbles? Would like to get this sorted before we go to France in a week or so. Any advice much appreciated as ever. Graeme Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will86 Posted April 20, 2016 Share Posted April 20, 2016 Washing up liquid in half a cup of water, using a 1 inch paint brush, lathering all the joints well should find any leaks. If a simple tightening of a joint is not the answer then a visit to a service agent is the next step. There may be a crack in a pipe, if so urgent action is needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonMac46 Posted April 20, 2016 Share Posted April 20, 2016 Depending where you are at the moment, Tristan at Pat Horan Motors near Borisokane, County Tipperary, could sort that for you easily. He does great work; RGI, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted April 20, 2016 Share Posted April 20, 2016 For finding the leaks I have a Honywell Gas Detector, about £30 on Amazon, there are cheaper ones on eBay but for this job I preferred a branded one. Had similar problem on a caravan a long time ago, the steel gas pipe from the control knob to the valve had a pin hole (rusted), I was on Holiday at the time & there was a Caror Gas shop in Lymington, basically a plumbers. The guy their took the fittings of my pipe and made up a new copper pipe, not a job I could have done myself without a flaring tool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witzend Posted April 20, 2016 Share Posted April 20, 2016 Can't make any suggestions on finding leak other than there is leak sprays available whether better than soapy water I don't know but may be easier to get it into inaccseable areas This link may be of interest to anyone with a gas fridge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aandncaravan Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 Washing up liquid can contain some nasty corrosive substances, so if you do use some, rinse it really well. Not always easy to do on a Fridge?. The proprietary sprays don't leave a harmful residue and are not expensive if you go to a Plumbers merchants. They also tend to 'bubble' better with very slow leaks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted April 21, 2016 Share Posted April 21, 2016 "Any advice". Get a refrigeration engineering to check your system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alanb Posted April 22, 2016 Share Posted April 22, 2016 Many years ago when Tardis our trusty PVC was new we had a serious gas leak. My wife visited the toilet in the small hours and there was a strong smell of lpg when she got back onto the bed. I reasoned that there must be an accumulation of gas on the floor of the van. The fridge was running on gas at the time. I immediately ventilated the van and turned gas off at cylinder. Phew!!! On subsequent investigation I found a cracked union nut on the manifold. The nut had bruise marks from presumably over tightening with an O/E spanner. It is worth noting that we were then in possession of a certificate saying that the installation had been tested about six weeks previously. I consider that we were lucky. I am now disinclined to put much faith in similar pieces of paper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraemeM Posted April 25, 2016 Author Share Posted April 25, 2016 Thanks for the advice. The soapy water worked like a dream. There was a screw on top of the gas thermostat control that had worked loose. I did use a small amount of gas grade ptfe to improve the seal and hopefully provide better grab on the thread. I will talk to one of the habitation engeers I managed to find, but I understand, from the Internet anyway, that the gas thermostat for this model is no longer available. See what he says. On the plus side we are now super aware of the smell of lpg. I similarly don't hold much store with certificates, not to say you shouldn't get one anyway. I always think about the survey I had done on my house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
globebuster Posted April 25, 2016 Share Posted April 25, 2016 Fitting a CO detector wouldn't be a bad idea either...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraemeM Posted April 26, 2016 Author Share Posted April 26, 2016 Got a carbon monoxide alarm, but I don't think they will detect lpg. You can buy lpg alarms, but I think they have to be fitted low down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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