Just been informed by the dealer servicing my new Caravan (ist annual service) that the Gas Regulator isnt working due to being (Gummed) up with oily contaminate. 'Oh, and by the way sir, you've got to pay for it' It isnt covered by warranty. Naturally, I checked the issue out on here and on the web so I'm upto speed on the problems goin on.
I declined to just accept paying £58 + vat + fitting, and asked for a warranty claim to be put in, it seems the dealer (based on experience) reckons its easier for me to cough up than him having to complete the paperwork involved and try and argue the point with the manufacturer (truma) or Luna. The thing that winds me up is, if I have to pay out for another regulator then It also could fail in 3. 6 or 12 months, then I'll have to pay out yet again. The thing is, if, as truma and Calor, state that this problem is a very rare fault although an ongoing event for some poor caravaners, surely there should be some scheme where some cost of replacement should be bourne by the manufacters even if its 50% say.
I would welcome any further discussion on this issue
as this problem is confined to 1 make of regulator,& has been going on since 2003 I would have thought that caravan manufactores would have moved away from this regulator,Or fitted them at the maximum height & with stainless hoses
by now
perhaps buyers of new vans should demand rebate on the Goc regulator & demand another make be fitted instead
I know I would.
Thanks for your comments 'Old chap'. Incidentally I rang truma to question them about their warranty position, they stated that the problem isnt confined to just truma regulators but all types are experiencing the problem, including they say, bottle mounted ones and even ones fitted with the 'stainless steel' hose. So where does that leave us ? As I said initially, if this problem occurs in only a few regulators every so often (say truma) perhaps a sevice exchange provision with a reduced cost would help ?
If you decide to go ahead with the new regulator ask them to retain the old one for your inspection.
my standard regulator cost me £7 50. i guess yours must be one of those with a change over valve and pressure/level gauge.??????,
Just checked on the tinternet and yes there £54 each.
Wow I have just been on www.swifttalk.co.uk and was supprised to see just how common this failure is on this regulator and that if you ask your dealer to replace it with the (gasflow regulator) www.gasflow.co.uk it comes with a 5 year warranty.
If caravan was still within warranty then the bulkhead regulator is part of the caravan & therefore covered on the warranty. They cannot say that fixtures, cookers/fridges/regulators etc are covered by their own warranties & have to be claimed for separately, all parts permantly fixed & part of the caravan have to be covered by caravan warranty.
Thanks for your comments Tentz, I agree that any problem should be covered under warranty with (in my case Lunar.) However, it seems that time after time caravaners are being told they've got to pay for it, despite the ongoing issues of failure. truma say they're still looking into the problem but dont accept their regulator is the cause of the problems. It seems that more than one reason or series of curcumstances could cause the sticky oily substance to form and block the regulator. Funny how no one experienced this until around 5 or 6 years ago. Again, It wouldnt be something so bad if it was say similar to a water filter requiring changing every season or so at a reasonable cost of around £5 or £10, but £58 + Vat and not knowing how long it might last or whether I will have to carry a spare is irritating.
This oil in the pipework is not confined to Caravans.
We also have the same problem in our Central Heating System where the oil is in the pipes all the way from the regulator on the wall 4 foot above ground level, to the Boiler wich is on the first floor some 14 foot above ground level.
Calor Gas deny all knowledge of any fault and cannot (or will not) explain how any oil could have been in the gas in the first place let alone why it is still there and contaminating the pipework between the gas cylinders and the units.
Quote: Originally posted by LobeyDosser on 24/2/2011
]Calor Gas deny all knowledge of any fault and cannot (or will not) explain how any oil could have been in the gas in the first place let alone why it is still there and contaminating the pipework between the gas cylinders and the units.
And that's the problem, or where the problem lays!
It's not the fault of the regulator that it cannot cope with something that it's not meant or designed to cope with.
The contamination is in the bottle and pushed out by the gas, you can fit a Gaslow regulator or buy the same one which is made by Cleese from, www.bes.co.uk for a lot less!. Stainless hoses won't make any difference except to your pocket!
However Gaslow or Clesse, the contaminate if present will pass though these regulators and can cost you far more if it wrecks an appliance? so beware it is not a cure!!
Lobeydosser, I would love to hear more of your problem, this is the first time I've heard of it getting out of I presume 47kg bottles?
We think we may have another regulator on its way out, we lost gas pressure yesterday am when It was very cold and on rally (so no electricity) and at first thought we were running out of gas!
Couldn’t understand why the cylinder indicator was showing full and at first assumed that it was faulty indicator until we checked cylinder weight and discovered it was ¾ full.
Our first was replaced about 4 years ago under warranty, we are not sure what to do and which system to go for now?
The biggest problem is unlike the old regulators that you could easily change this stops you heating the caravan, cooling the fridge and cooking if off electric which we like to be.
Any advice or suggestions would be gratefully received.
believe someone has produced a filter,pre regulator.no more info,just remembered reading it of late. found it
I was quite upset when I read about a filter that Truma are making at £60 to stop the failures that their regulator suffers from. We must be mad paying for these regulators approx every year at £60.I've had an expensive stainless steel pipe fitted from new.
------------- S A Sullivan
Post last edited on 25/03/2012 14:51:25
------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.
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Topic: Gas Regulator failure
