flexible gas pipe dates

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BlueSkyNick

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i could probably find the answer to this if the search facility was more user friendly, as I know it comes up on here from time to time.

Is the date which is stamped on the outside of flexible pipe the date it was manufactured, or the date it will be time expired?

I assumed it was when it was expiry date, but when I went to buy some more from a reputable (?) chandler, the stuff on the shelf had 2007 on it. WHen I questioned this, I was told it must be OK because he only got it into stock last week ! /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Soes anybody have the definitive answer?
 
When I had the boat surveyed last winter for the insurance company, I was informed that it was the expiry date.

<edit> Just read Sailorman's reply..... /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
 
As Salorman says, the standard British tube (usually dull orange) is marked with manufacture date.

The French (to be different as usual!) pipe (usually white) is marked with a 'replace by' date. This seems to be either 5yrs or 10yrs from manufacture depending on how much it costs, although they seem visually identical.

Vic
 
That's interesting, because I am sure I have some shiny orange stuff on board with 2007 and 2008 on it, which was there when we first looked at the boat, which was based in the Med, in 2006!

Just found this on the Calor marine shop site with regard to hoses: "They should also be replaced if they are older than five years, check the date stamp on the hose. If you cannot find one, replace it."

It seems to suggest that the date is manufacture, but doesnt explicitly say so!
 
It's the date of manufacture. On this page of the Calor Shop site, the advice given is "No rules exist at present to replace hosing at regular intervals, but our advice would be change it every five years from the date stamped on Calor hose."
 
An extra word of caution, on my '03 manufactured Jeanneau the flexible gas hoses had labels attached stating replace by 2008, indicating a 5 year service life. On inspecting the installation after acquiring the boat last October I found the interior hose was fine, the hose in the gas locker connecting the regulator to the bulkhead fitting was badly perished - bending the hose showed cracks completely through both the outer orange and inner black walls of the tube /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Obviously gas installations should be checked at least annually, but for the cost of some hose I would say early replacement of hoses exposed to a salt water environment is advisable.

AHoy2.
 
They vary

depending on the country of origin.

In UK pipes are marked with manufacture date, change is advisory after 5 years.

In France pipes are marked with date of expiry, 5 years hence, and change is obligatory.

I always use the external-use high-pressure, orange, propane piping.
 
Mine are at least 15 years old on boat without problems.

Just replaced second of 4 on house central heating due to bottle delivery guys nipping it with their spanner. "You'll need a Corgi bloke to change it" they said. Yeah, sure!

The cretinous pair were allowed to do disconnect/ reconnect it from the bottles without supervision, despite their obvious inability to do it safely!

No expert, but I would think that salt water would have less impact on rubber pressure hose & brass fittings than sunlight, kinking, or abrasion would.
 
FMEA on LPG gas pipes

Apparently, the most common failure mode is cracking at the end by a a spigot where the pipe is nipped onto a fixed pipe and the body of the pipe can move. This happens with reinforced, armoured and plain piping.
There's probably no alternative to replacing them on a regular basis and I'd recommend Searush checks his insurance policy in case he attempts claiming for total loss of boat due to fire.
 
Types of LPG piping

The orange one referred to is "external-use, high-pressure, reinforced" tube as specified for use with propane. Normal inside use for butane is black.

The two different periods, which Vic refers to are dependent on the construction, nylon reinforced and lined with butyl rubber being the more expensive.

In this case it is the Brits who are striving to be different, the rest of the EU stamp the expiry date, no doubt because UK authorities have a touching faith in our mathematical abilities...

;-)
 
I really don't understand why there's such a debate about this.

The hose costs peanuts a metre when compared to the general cost of running even a small boat. We simply buy one metre each year which does the regulator to gas bottle, and the cooker gas-cock to cooker perfectly.

Ok, some runs on other boats may be a bit longer than that but, even so, considering the attendant risks and the potential problems with insurance in the event of an accident, is it really worth NOT doing? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
my personal preference is for the orange pipe over the s/s braded as one can actually see the pipe & inspect it. you cane see inside the braded stuff the insurers / surveyors suggest.
i have for the past 3 yrs used s/s braded (after survey) 35 yrs prior to that orange pipe
 
[ QUOTE ]
I really don't understand why there's such a debate about this.
The hose costs peanuts a metre

[/ QUOTE ] There isn't really. As you say its only £3 per metre. The original question was whether the date marking was the date of manufacture or "use by" date.

Got to realise though that £3 will buy nearly enough fuel to get a mobo from the pontoon to the marina lock!
 
Re: FMEA on LPG gas pipes

You planning an arson attack then? /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

I agree that's the most likely problem, cracking at flex points by spigot etc.

Yeah, OK some insurance co's look for any excuse to not pay out whatever happens. But I check the condition of the pipes regularly - there is no deterioration, cracking or crumbling of the outer and definitely no leaks.

Most "sell by" dates are a joke, just there to "protect" the seller & sell more unnecessary stuff, they add little to the safety of you & I.

You may change yours every week if you wish, I prefer to monitor & replace items if & only when faulty.
/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
Re: FMEA on LPG gas pipes

[ QUOTE ]
I check the condition of the pipes regularly

[/ QUOTE ] It is said that they become porus with age ~~~ probably means permeable. How do you check them for that?
 
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