Gas regulator fault??

[lumphammer]

Gas ran out last night just as I finished cooking. So I changed the bottle, but didn't try the cooker. This morning only a very intermittent flow of gas not enough to overcome the flame failure device. My first thought was I'd been sold an empty bottle, but weighing it showed 4.5Kg more than the empty one. It seems unlikely to me that the cooker had failed on both burners, so I'm left with the conclusion that it might be the regulator, which is the type that bolts on to the gas bottle with a LP feed to the cooker.
I've checked that there are no kinks in the LP feed line.

Any other suggestions gratefully received, before I dash out to get a replacement regulator?

 

[Aeolus]

Other than (a) double-checking that you've properly tightened the connection from the bottle to the regulator and (b) checking that the flexible pipe from the regulator has not been twisted (as well as not kinked), I'd agree that it's likely to be the regulator.

 

[Gary Fox]

It seems unlikely that the regulator would randomly fail at exactly the instant you swapped bottles. Therefore it's probably something you yourself did or didn't do.

 

[footsoldier]

Only other thought is that the act of replacing the bottle has caused the hose to delaminate and block itself internally.

 

[C08]

This is not something to under estimate; the danger if a regulator fails and lets through high pressure gas is a potential death & boat blown up/afire. Get a new regulator with a vent off valve. Quite cheap for a safety critical bit of kit.

 

[VicS]

I'm inclined to agree with Gary Fox

Obviously not a Camping gas cylinder from the weight

is the cylinder valve opening properly ?

Disconnect the cylinder and , on deck , crack the valve open briefly to check that it does open and that there really is a good gas pressure in it ..... not full of water !

If the regulator is over 10 years old it needs to be replaced ( with a modern marine regulator) anyway.

 

[KompetentKrew]

Mine takes a few minutes to come through properly after changing the bottle,

I noticed this after being given a Butsir bottle in Spain in exchange for my empty Camping Gaz bottle, and thought it must be a different gas mix and the regulator unsuitable. I ended up swapping the full bottle for a new Camping Gaz before realising it was doing the same thing.

Now I always turn the valve off before unscrewing the empty bottle, to make sure no air gets into the system. With my cooker it may be necessary to use the hobs for a while before the oven comes through properly.

 

[johnlilley]

Just one thing to consider... Butane has difficulty producing gas at low temperatures, generally just below freezing if the bottle is as cold as the outside atmosphere one of the reasons some people prefer propane in Winter conditions.

 

[Bodach na mara]

I agree with johnlilley. The temperature has been very low in the mornings recently and the SVP of butane falls to zero psig at about -0.5 C. That means that the input pressure to the regulator is less than the designed output pressure and you get no or little gas.

 

[Gary Fox]

Easy to check, just warm the gas bottle up, eg put it in the bath.

 

[LadyInBed]

Does the gas pipe have a pressure sensor valve in the feed to the cooker?
If it does, then it needs to be turned off / on to reset it.