Hi everyone,
I've got a portable gas detector for my mobile home and it's detected gas but only when it's inside the bottle external compartment. Doesn't go off anywhere else, is this normal, or do I have a leak
I have sprayed everything with a bottle of water and washing liquid but nothing, the last time this happened, it bubbled up.
You have a leak. Usually the rubber hose leaking which should be replaced after 5 years ot the connection to the cylinder is not tight and sealing properly. Or leased likely but does happen faulty regulator.
The Mk1 gas leak detector, YOUR NOSE, should confirm your detectors reading. The odour added to LPG as a leak warning is very pungent and difficult to miss unless your sense of smell is seriously compromised! I don't have the best sense of smell, and I can smell a leak! Your nose can be MORE sensitive to the odour compound in LPG than an electronic device is to actual gas depending on it's detection capabilities!
If you've just swapped cylinders, made or broken a hose connection etc. then the small leakage that happens then can linger for a while, but there should NOT be a constant presence of gas.
As said, if the joints aren't leaking, either loose or failed seal, suspect the hose! They get permeable with age and become micro-porous, you may not actually detect a leak with bubbles at any particular point, but overall they can 'weep' gas. Date of manufacture should be marked on hose, and they should be routinely replaced after 5 years service even if they 'appear' in good order, the deterioration is not always visible.
Regulators have various seals too, so potential leak point as well.
As said, check the hose. Ours was split on the underside, not easily visible (an obvious gas smell when I was standing outside the gas locker). We just cut off the split generously, having checked the rest of the hose wasn’t perished. Treat that as a temporary fix until you get new hoses.
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets