LPG Bubble Tester essential?

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PetiteFleur

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Should I get a LPG Bubble Tester, like the Alde one. I'm going to fit a 12v on/off solenoid so I don't have to keep turning the gas bottle tap on & off, so it seems a good idea to fit a bubble leak tester as well. There is a 'test point' fitted which I've never used. I understand it's fitted immediately after the regulator, then the 12v solenoid, the to the cooker. It's a Calor 4.5kg Butane bottle.
 
I reckon not, it's just introducing more potential leak points. If you open the solenoid valve only when you actually want to use the cooker, and if you turn off the cylinder when you're not on the boat, what's the danger? Posts in these forums seem to show that people are irrationally frightened of LPG; in reality it's quite safe as long as you're sensible. If you're not sensible, no extra gadgets will protect you from harm.
 
PetiteFleur said:
Should I get a LPG Bubble Tester, like the Alde one. I'm going to fit a 12v on/off solenoid so I don't have to keep turning the gas bottle tap on & off, so it seems a good idea to fit a bubble leak tester as well. There is a 'test point' fitted which I've never used. I understand it's fitted immediately after the regulator, then the 12v solenoid, the to the cooker. It's a Calor 4.5kg Butane bottle.
Click to expand...

A bubble leak detector is a worth while safety aid, but not essential. It allows you to check that the gas system is free from leaks every time you turn the gas on. It should be fitted immediately after the regulator and is normally located in the gas locker.

The solenoid valve may be a convenient method of turning off the low pressure gas supply when most people would leave it on but should not be seen as a substitute for closing the cylinder valve when gas is not required,

The test point enables the system to be checked for leaks by the conventional method using a manometer. I would expect a gas "engineer" to use the manometer method after working on the system or performing a routine safety check rather than using a bubble type detector
 
Your only dead once,

For the sake of buying it yes fit a bubble leak detector, I check mine once a month and just like many others only turn the gas on/off when I need it.

Is your life worth £47 No so fit one
 
Caer Urfa said:
Your only dead once,

For the sake of buying it yes fit a bubble leak detector, I check mine once a month and just like many others only turn the gas on/off when I need it.

Is your life worth £47 No so fit one
Click to expand...

Proves my point, another boat owner who's irrationally frightened of LPG. If it's that dangerous, why do you only check it once a month? Why not weekly? Or daily? Or every 5 minutes just in case a leak has suddenly appeared in solid copper pipework?
 
The last time I had a professional check of the lpg system on a boat, a couple of years ago, the man said when asked about bubble type leak detectors, not to bother. Just another point of leakage in the system he said.
 
I would want to know if there is a leak every time a turn the gas on so I would want to be able to easily see it so I agree that
VicS said:
... It should be fitted immediately after the regulator and is normally located in the gas locker...
Click to expand...
I purchased one but didn't bother fitting is because a) I couldn't find a location where it could be easily seen and b) I would be introducing extra "possible "leak points".

So no not essential but a good idea if you can fit it in the gas locker.
 
Don't laugh, but here's something I've found with my gas installation. After turning the gas off at the cooker AND at the bottle I can come back after a day, a week, or longer, and turn the gas on at the cooker. If I then try to light a burner there is a brief 'phut' as the gas lights and instantly expires as the gas in the tubing depressurises. (That's usually when I remember to turn the gas on at the bottle.)
Seems to me my gas system is leak tight and I have a valid test.
 
Porthandbuoy said:
Don't laugh, but here's something I've found with my gas installation. After turning the gas off at the cooker AND at the bottle I can come back after a day, a week, or longer, and turn the gas on at the cooker. If I then try to light a burner there is a brief 'phut' as the gas lights and instantly expires as the gas in the tubing depressurises. (That's usually when I remember to turn the gas on at the bottle.)
Seems to me my gas system is leak tight and I have a valid test.
Click to expand...

Except it's not pressurised...
 
Porthandbuoy said:
Don't laugh, but here's something I've found with my gas installation. After turning the gas off at the cooker AND at the bottle I can come back after a day, a week, or longer, and turn the gas on at the cooker. If I then try to light a burner there is a brief 'phut' as the gas lights and instantly expires as the gas in the tubing depressurises. (That's usually when I remember to turn the gas on at the bottle.)
Seems to me my gas system is leak tight and I have a valid test.
Click to expand...
I was always taught to turn the gas off, with one of the rings burning, at the gas bottle as it stops all that "phutting".
 
I fitted a bubble tester because the surveyor (don't get me started!) listed it as a recommendation and, of course, the insurance company insisted on all the "recommendation" being completed. It's next to useless as, in the only position I can place it, it's hard to see and places a joint outside the gas locker. The boat needs another insurance survey this year so I'll have a chat with the (different) surveyor and see what he says.
 
Re: Bubble tester testing?

While bubble testers are in the spotlight is perhaps a good time to remind users that the function of the bubble tester itself should be tested from time to time. They can become blocked and fail to indicate a leak . Details of the function test are in the instructions
 
Lodesman77 said:
One you've isolated it from the cylinder you've removed the source of the pressure. Even if the system is gas tight and the remaining gas in the pipes has some residual pressure - it's not pressurised.
Click to expand...

I think "pressurised" is generally accepted as meaning "under pressure" as well as "being kept under pressure".
 
JumbleDuck said:
I think "pressurised" is generally accepted as meaning "under pressure" as well as "being kept under pressure".
Click to expand...

Such an error can lead to the wrong conclusion. If the system has a small leak under pressure then only a small amount needs to be lost from the isolated system and the presssure will drop and the leak will stop - leaving residual gas in the pipe, possibly still under reduced pressure depending on the nature of the leak.
The whole point of the bubble tester is that it shows if you have a leak when the system is pressurised.
 
I haven't fitted a bubble detector but I do have a pressure gauge on the regulator. However the instructions tell me that, after turning the gas off at the bottle, the gauge only needs to show pressure in the system for a couple of minutes for it to be considered leak-proof.

Where does the pressure go?
 
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