Gas Hoses - shelf life

[GrahamM376]

I find the HP hose rather more difficult to push onto the standard Fulham nozzles. I need to be able to pull it off and push back on again when changing bottles because i have a Gaz bottle with bottle mounted regulator.

We have the same setup but no need to disconnect the hose, I lift the Gaz bottle by the regulator and spin the bottle.

 

[maxi]

I bought a replacement gas hose for my cooker and did not get round to fiting it. It is still in the bag and I am about to get round to fitting a new one. The one I have is dated 2011. Is there a shelf life for gas hose ?

Expiry date will be printed on the body of the hose, repeated at approx 4" intervals.

The problem with buying hose from the swindleries is; that they will often give you hose that is very near to expiry date, simply because they have stock that does not turn over very quickly.

It is probable that your 2011 date is not the date of manufacture but of expiry.

 

[sailorman]

Expiry date will be printed on the body of the hose, repeated at approx 4" intervals.

The problem with buying hose from the swindleries is; that they will often give you hose that is very near to expiry date, simply because they have stock that does not turn over very quickly.

It is probable that your 2011 date is not the date of manufacture but of expiry.

It will be the date of manufacture, how will the manufacturer know how long the retailer will have it in stock on his shelf. This is where the whole situation is blurred & some surveyors mis interpret what they see.
see #16 for a response from a Gas Safe LPG fitter

 

[smth448]

I recently bought an old Westerly and as part of the pre-purchase survey the surveyor recommended that the gas installation was inspected by a Gas Safe qualified engineer. Since the survey was passed tot he insurance company I had to get this done. To me the installation looked fine but the Gas Safe man thought otherwise. He condemned the flexible pipes as they were dated 1994! He explained that the date stamped on the pipe is the expiry date. It did not cost a fortune to replace them but it had to be done. Anyway for the price of a few metres of flexible pipe you get the peace of mind that your gas installation is safe, or at least that the insurance will pay up if the boat blows up! Just make sure that if you DIY that you buy pipes with along date on them and that you get a Gas Safe engineer to certify the installation when you have finished.

 

[VicS]

I recently bought an old Westerly and as part of the pre-purchase survey the surveyor recommended that the gas installation was inspected by a Gas Safe qualified engineer. Since the survey was passed tot he insurance company I had to get this done. To me the installation looked fine but the Gas Safe man thought otherwise. He condemned the flexible pipes as they were dated 1994! He explained that the date stamped on the pipe is the expiry date. It did not cost a fortune to replace them but it had to be done. Anyway for the price of a few metres of flexible pipe you get the peace of mind that your gas installation is safe, or at least that the insurance will pay up if the boat blows up! Just make sure that if you DIY that you buy pipes with along date on them and that you get a Gas Safe engineer to certify the installation when you have finished.

I hope you put him right about the date on the hoses

You need to buy new hose with a very recent date on it.

 

[Talulah]

I hope you put him right about the date on the hoses

You need to buy new hose with a very recent date on it.

Ask this 'Gas Safe Fitter' to supply some hose that was dated in the future.
He would soon realise it was not expiry date but manufacture date.

 

[vyv_cox]

I recently bought an old Westerly and as part of the pre-purchase survey the surveyor recommended that the gas installation was inspected by a Gas Safe qualified engineer. Since the survey was passed tot he insurance company I had to get this done. To me the installation looked fine but the Gas Safe man thought otherwise. He condemned the flexible pipes as they were dated 1994! He explained that the date stamped on the pipe is the expiry date. It did not cost a fortune to replace them but it had to be done. Anyway for the price of a few metres of flexible pipe you get the peace of mind that your gas installation is safe, or at least that the insurance will pay up if the boat blows up! Just make sure that if you DIY that you buy pipes with along date on them and that you get a Gas Safe engineer to certify the installation when you have finished.

Taken from the Calor technical publication 'Guidance Notes for Flexible Hoses and Tubing for LPG Applications' - BS3212 or BSEN1763 hoses should bear the year and name of manufacturer. We have no specific recommendation for the exchange interval for vapour hoses, but it is considered that the normal useful service life of such hoses is 5 years.

 

[stuey_two]

That may become more common. My local shop is the same and they tell me that they will no longer buy in the LP stuff.

Modern caravans have the gas regulator mounted remote from the bottle, directly connected to the fixed copper pipework and using high pressure pipe from the regulator to the bottle. This may explain why low pressure pipe is becoming less widely available.in camping shops.

 

[vyv_cox]

Modern caravans have the gas regulator mounted remote from the bottle, directly connected to the fixed copper pipework and using high pressure pipe from the regulator to the bottle. This may explain why low pressure pipe is becoming less widely available.in camping shops.

There is still plenty of demand for the LP hose but it makes economic sense to only stock the HP if it will do both jobs. My last three motor-homes have had bulkhead regulators, the first of which I bought secondhand in 1999, so not exactly modern.