Gas smell in locker

[antprice1970]

Hi all, is it normal to get a slight smell of gas in motorhome gas locker. All gas fittings where new when I bought motorhome last year and I have changed bottle a few times. Do you get a slight smell in the locker or is this an obvious leak?
Thank you
Anthony

 

[meanders]

Always a slight smell.you can't change a cylinder without the pipe content leaking.

 

[David and Sally]

Yes. Quite normal for a slight gas smell.

Some gas leak detector may reassure you.

 

[Landy Andy]

They always smell a bit of it. They shouldn’t as they have drop vents, but they always do. Possibly more a smell from the pipes.

 

[antprice1970]

They always smell a bit of it. They shouldn’t as they have drop vents, but they always do. Possibly more a smell from the pipes.

Yeah, I smell it a bit when in bed as the locker vent is on that side, it seems to come up from under seat but I only smelt it at night, no smell during day. I always turn gas off at bottle & valve at night.

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[antprice1970]

Yes. Quite normal for a slight gas smell.

Some gas leak detector may reassure you.

Thank you

 

[antprice1970]

They always smell a bit of it. They shouldn’t as they have drop vents, but they always do. Possibly more a smell from the pipes.

Thank you for your reply

 

[Spriddler]

Yeah, I smell it a bit when in bed........

Momentary gas leaks can hang around for quite a while trapped in small enclosures of still air.

 

[meanders]

I replaced the braided pipes to the refillable system at the last habitation check. Put the old ones the the garage as emergency spares. Went into the garage a couple of days later and was puzzled as I knew I had no gas in there. It was very strong smell and even months later if you sniffed them you could detect it. It lingers!

 

[BikerGraham]

The molecules can still pass through joints and the flexible pipes slightly too.

That’s why small enclosed natural gas enclosures are usually classed as potentially explosive atmospheres by the institute of gas engineers. And why there are drop out vents in the lockers.
You can detect the smell long before it’s an issue from a safety perspective. So a very mild odour is not unexpected.

In the other hand, a strong smell then isolate and check for leaks.

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[antprice1970]

I replaced the braided pipes to the refillable system at the last habitation check. Put the old ones the the garage as emergency spares. Went into the garage a couple of days later and was puzzled as I knew I had no gas in there. It was very strong smell and even months later if you sniffed them you could detect it. It lingers!

Thank you for replying, think I will get it checked as I only smell it at night when bed is made up so think it's coming up through the vent in locker

 

[antprice1970]

The molecules can still pass through joints and the flexible pipes slightly too.

That’s why small enclosed natural gas enclosures are usually classed as potentially explosive atmospheres by the institute of gas engineers. And why there are drop out vents in the lockers.
You can detect the smell long before it’s an issue from a safety perspective. So a very mild odour is not unexpected.

In the other hand, a strong smell then isolate and check for leaks.

Yeah the vent in locker is near to the seats that make up double bed area so I only smell it at night and I always turn off at bottle and valve. Wife can't smell anything

 

[BouncyBoatFolk]

We also get it very slightly. It's worth buying some leak detection fluid as a check to make sure.
When our vans parked up I've taken to removing the regulator off the gas bottle and letting the open end vent, the smell then dissipates after a couple of days. We are lucky in that our van is 6' from the front door, so, easy to do.

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Mike.

 

[antprice1970]

We also get it very slightly. It's worth buying some leak detection fluid as a check to make sure.
When our vans parked up I've taken to removing the regulator off the gas bottle and letting the open end vent, the smell then dissipates after a couple of days. We are lucky in that our van is 6' from the front door, so, easy to do.

Arctic Hayes Leak Detection Spray 400ml - Screwfix

Order online at Screwfix.com. A simple but effective way to find leaks in gas pipelines. Does not stain or corrode. FREE next day delivery available, free collection in 1 minute.

www.screwfix.com

Mike.

Thank you for your reply

 

[Spriddler]

When our vans parked up I've taken to removing the regulator off the gas bottle and letting the open end vent, the smell then dissipates after a couple of days

How is that better than not disconnecting it which would keep the gas in as the pipes/hoses will still give off a smell of gas?

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[BouncyBoatFolk]

How is that better than not disconnecting it which would keep the gas in as the pipes/hoses will still give off a smell of gas?

I leave the locker door open as well. The open end allows faster venting than the slow release through the pipes wall.

 

[HKF]

We also get it very slightly. It's worth buying some leak detection fluid as a check to make sure.
When our vans parked up I've taken to removing the regulator off the gas bottle and letting the open end vent, the smell then dissipates after a couple of days. We are lucky in that our van is 6' from the front door, so, easy to do.

Arctic Hayes Leak Detection Spray 400ml - Screwfix

Order online at Screwfix.com. A simple but effective way to find leaks in gas pipelines. Does not stain or corrode. FREE next day delivery available, free collection in 1 minute.

www.screwfix.com

Mike.

Thank you for posting this. I'm terrified of gas and fire, so much so that I've never used the gas in our MH. Maybe if I had this to check for leaks I might be a bit happier to use it. Maybe not, who knows, but it's worth a try at £4.58

 

[Landy Andy]

If worried buy an electronic gas sniffer. Far easier for regular checks of the gas system.

 

[HKF]

If worried buy an electronic gas sniffer. Far easier for regular checks of the gas system.

I would but I'm terrified of alarms! I know, plenty will think it's ridiculous but it's all part of my anxiety and PTSD and so hard wired into me that, at my age, I can do little about.

 

[PP Bear]

Yeah, I smell it a bit when in bed as the locker vent is on that side, it seems to come up from under seat but I only smelt it at night, no smell during day. I always turn gas off at bottle & valve at night.

I’m not sure you should be able to smell it when in bed, definitely in the locker, but it shouldn’t be entering the habitation area.

Think I’d be having a look to check connections, age of pipes, as even new ones can be sold out of date and look for the vents at the bottom of the locker, as it must be kept free to air.

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[Coolcats]

No smell in the MoHo and can’t say I can smell gas in the locker but there is a rather nice vent at the bottom where the gas could exit. So maybe that’s why I cannot smell any.

 

[Basildog]

I’m not sure you should be able to smell it when in bed, definitely in the locker, but it shouldn’t be entering the habitation area.

Think I’d be having a look to check connections, age of pipes, as even new ones can be sold out of date and look for the vents at the bottom of the locker, as it must be kept free to air.

It’s actually very unlikely that any retailers would sell out of date hoses as the recommended maximum shelf life is around 7 years for most hoses and can still be sold as new .
3 years for gas regulators.
But as you can see from this report it starts to get pretty complicated

Radware Bot Manager Captcha

 

[Bessy765]

Just be aware if you use washing up liquid to check for leaks be sure to wash all traces away as it can be corrosive

 

[Basildog]

So much bad advice on here , if you can smell gas in your motorhome it’s an immediately dangerous situation, yes a faint smell of LPG in the gas locker is fairly normal but still worth checking.
Only a thorough properly carried out gas tightness test can confirm if you have a leak or not .
Gas detectors and LDF (leak detection fluid) are purely useful tools in the search for a known leak, they certainly shouldn’t ever be used as the primary method of gas tightness testing

 

[Frank w]

Had the same gas smell, took it for a hab check, all good so don't worry old bean.
always worth a check though.

Frank

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[JJ]

I've had LIGHT whiffs of gas in my gas lockers on different vans over the last fifty years, mostly when the bottle is getting low.

I'm not one of natures worriers.

I reckon the stuff they put in the gas to make it smell hangs around a bit.

Obviously constant STRONG smells of gas need checking.

JJ