Help please - no gas
We're in France in our new (to us) campervan and the gas has stopped working. The gas bottle is well over half full, the regulator is seated firmly on the bottle and gas is getting past the regulator, but nothing works.
Does anyone have any ideas?
We can get by using the Remoska and the microwave but having the gas would be much more convenient.
If this post is in the wrong section, please feel free to move it.
Comments
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Somewhere there will be a series of gas valves, usually under the cooker or nearby. Are these valves open? Some motorhomes have anti shock regulators which allow you to use the gas heating whilst on the move. This sort of regulator has a little green button (on the pipework under the regulator) to reset.
David
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no anti shock regulator here, David, its on the bottle, not bulkhead mounted..
first things first...are any gas devices working?....hob, oven, heating etc?....if nothing, as in your post, how do ypu know the gas is getting past the regulator?
how far past and where does it stop?
as above, there are a series of shut of valves for the boiler, the hob etc but i guess you havent turned these off since last using the gas?
on bottle regulator failure is rare but may happen, so ypu could change the regulator.
you could take it off and try it on a neighbours bottle, if it works, your issue is down the line somewhere....if it doesnt work its the regulator.
you could try another (neighbours) regulator on your system, again, if works its the reg, if not, issue down the line somewhere.
failing that, a local service guy?
bon chance.
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In similar vein, was the gas turned off for the ferry/tunnel crossing?
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Ronhub,
I've just emptied my Jazz for an Autumn cleaning and found no gas taps other than the one on the bottle and those on the cooker. The only thing that springs to my mind is the need to select the knob for the particular item you wish to use, Turn it to the required degree and PUSH IT IN while pressing the switch to generate the spark.
Not trying to teach you to suck eggs but if you are stuck ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,,
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Is it the cooker that is not working? Does the cooker glass lid have a shut off valve?, mine has a gas shut off valve.
If the lid when in the raised position is not fully pushed to the back then the gas will not flow. It is a safety device to stop the glass lid from being lowered onto a flame and shattering the glass.
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in order to help further, need a bit of feedback on the questions asked above.....
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the op stated "We're in France in our new (to us) campervan and the gas has stopped working. ", so i would have thought the most relevant questions to ask would be ,
a. when did it stop working, e.g. after you arrived on site in France, have you used on site in France
b. since you last used it before your trip to France.
c. after some othe pre-determined time
depending on the answer it may be possible to narrow the field of what may be the problem, e.g. making up beds may have inadvertantly closed a valve, vibration as a result of traveling/ferry may have closed a valve.
If gas has been used on site in France and the flow has suddenly stopped then it is a good chance the regulator is at fault, hope the OP is not using one of those doggy devices that claim to measure the quanitity of gas in a container which are very inacccurate to say the least. Not a boffin on camper vans, but if the valves are anything like those on my caravan it is highly unlikely that anything relating to vibration is the cause, as you have to make a conscious effort to turn them off
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This post seems to be like numerous others that appear on here not enough info given in first place ,then no comeback on any of the helpful advise given to assist more,although given the time of the post last night it is still possible more info could be "in the near future"
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Thanks for al the replies. Internet access is a bit intermittent, so apologies for my tardy response.
The gas was working fine in the way down and for the first few nights in France, then just stopped working.
There is plenty of gas in the bottle.
All the internal switches are in the right place.
I've pressed the reset button.
I've disconnected the gas above the bottle regulator and gas is flowing through.
I've turned it off and on, disconnected and reconnected, hit it, sworn at at it and jumped up and down
Still nothing
I've phoned the supplying firm and they say they need to look at it The snag is, we're about 1000 miles apart.
Looks like we'll not be cooking on gas for a while! 😀
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It sounds as though you have disconnected the hose from the fixed gas pipe work and have gas flow? If gas is coming through the regulator and hose and not reaching any of the devices (hob, heater, BBQ) and every valve is in the ON position it suggests that a gas feed pipe is blocked but I have never heard of that. Very odd.
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Ronhub
Are you able to share the make and model of camper/motorhome just in case someone has the same model?
David
Edit - I see from another post further down it is an Autocruise Jazz.
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Autocruise Jazz, David.
See ABM's post.
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In your original post you seem to suggest the regulator was on the bottle. Surely if the van is less than 10 years old it has a bulkhead regulator? These do seem to go wrong from time to time.
David
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But, the gas is known to be getting past the regulator, so even if the regulator was under controlling the pressure, some would get to the appliances, probably giving an intermittent burn.
But reportedly nothing is getting through the van's pipework.
This suggests the pipework is well and truley clogged up, somewhere between where the OP found gas aft of the regulator and the first distribution isolator valve. [ if post an isolator valve, at least one appliance would receive gas]
What has occured elsewhere quite frequently, is the oily residue left in the gas after refining migrates into the gas system. Typically, the first thing this affects is the very small fridge jet, but it is conceivable a clot of it could block the pipework, as the gas pressure to shift it is very low.
Just a thought that fits what I read?
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yes, it seems that, if there is gas adt of the refulator but not readhing the appliances, the pipe could be blocked.
a worse scenario is that the pipe is fractured (or a joint has come loose) and there is a leak, albeit undetected at present.
time for a professional look, i think.
good luck.
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I am not sure about hat the OP actually said that he had checked all the other appliances - fridge, heater and BBQ - since he specifically mentioned “cooking”. As was said earlier, there is often a cut-out on the hob lid which has to be fully open. If the switch fails then no gas!
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Whilst I have heard about the problems with the regulators not working because of a build up of the oily substance I have never heard of gas pipes actually getting blocked with such a substance. Doesn't it also defy logic a bit because the regulator would stop working long before the problem go so bad that pipes were blocked?
David
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The OP has the more tolerant on bottle regulator, these typcally being single stage units. It was the dual stage bulkhead units that were the cause of many failures.
The oily residue if it gets through the regulator, as I suspect it has for countless years with the tolerant regulators can only get into the distribution pipework. If so it could cause a blockage.
I have know of several fridge jets getting blocked, and they can only get blocked with something delivered via the supply pipework.
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Ocsid
I fully take on board what you say. However I thought all LV's over at least in the last 15 years, (2003 according to the C&CC data sheet) have had bulkhead regulators fitted. This was when the 30mbar became standard. I was therefore a bit puzzled by the OP's initial post when he referred to the regulator being on the bottle especially as the picture he posted in another thread showed what seemed to me to be a fairly recent model? If he is using a bottle top regulator your theory is probably right but if it is indeed a bulkhead regulator I think there might be other answers?
David
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Briefly back online........
A fellow caravanner who seems to know his way round the gas pipe work had look this evening and is as puzzled as me, but his best guess is the van's regulator being blocked
We will have to wait until the professionals have had a look at it and as and when I find out the cause, I'll post an update
To add to my tale of woes, the water pump has now packed in.
Despite thus, we've still had a great holiday!
Cheers everyone.
PS The lasagne from SuperU microwaves beautifully.
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Promised update.
I took the van in to the selling dealership and it turns out that it was a faulty van regulator which was replaced under warranty, as was the water pump.
Were off to the Peak District next week for a hopefully fault-free trip.
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Same problem occurred with me on first break with caravan in 3 yrs (it had been parked up in drive unused). On arrival on site, gas not flowing, yet full gas bottle bought a week before. Also water pump failed on site, so no water. Re latter, it's scale build up. Pump worked 3 weeks earlier when tried most things to see if they worked, found bathroom basin tap not flowing. A repairman said to unscrew tap filter, found it choc a bloc with dried scale. Cleaned filter, all taps then worked fine - but I noticed water pump was 'noisier' and top of it seemed rather hot. Pump too must be full of dried scale so its failed completely now. So I too need a new gas regulator (and new pipe between bottle and regulator) and new water pump.
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Six years later - this tip just saved the day - I did not know the cooker wouldn’t work if the lid wasn’t all the way up! Yesssss! Thank you thank you thank you ❤️
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