Propane Question - Should I be Worried?

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by zeehag

you make mountains of molehills and spend more money on idiotic gonna fail items. bubble stuff and human eyeballs have saved more boats than the gotta reinvent the wheel because i am too lazy to check my stuff each time bottle is changed and as needed between.
in case you donot know the ingredients of bubble stuff, it is soapy water with a bit of glycerine. already mixed comes to 2 or 3 for 1 usdollar. make it yourself and save money. no lag time between application and visibility of leakage.

Accessing 20' of propane lines on most boats would not be easy or probably not possible without major removals. Nothing lazy about checking a pressure gauge or "bubbler.

[Cadence]

I'd remove the tanks if putting the boat to bed for the winter. Don't make redoing the system a, " I'm gonna do it. ", put it on top of the list. JMHO

[Caliber40]

Propane is a liquid....low pressure only shows up when the tank is ready to run out....most likely you won't even know it's happening....the only way you can tell contents accurately is by weight.

Those little stick on gauges are looking at temperature of the liquid which is -44 F. As the liquid drops the little sticker changes color. Both methods hard to carry out on a boat.

I keep two tanks....when in use tank runs out I curse and change out the tank!

[Greg Mason]

You did not mention if this was all the time or after a fill. Propane is filled to 80% capacity of the container. If it was subjected to sun, or in a locker on the sun side of the boat, the tank can release pressure on it's own, which may account for the hissing sound, but once relieved, well when gas pressure is relieved, it is relief. Normally, propane is scented with capsaicin, to make it smell, as it is an odourless gas, and the smell is not confused with any other boat smell.

[jmschmidt]

Just open the locker and drop a match in and see what happens. For crap sakes, get that damn thing out of the boat. If you are wintering in the water one standup paddle boarder paddling by smoking a cigarette will blow himself, and your boat to bits. Or if you are on the hard that poor security guard taking a smoke break in the middle of the night while strolling around the yard will do the same thing.

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by Caliber40

Propane is a liquid....low pressure only shows up when the tank is ready to run out....most likely you won't even know it's happening....the only way you can tell contents accurately is by weight.

The gauge is not for measuring the amount of propane in the tank, it's for measuring the pressure in the system downstream of the tank. If you shut off the valve on the tank the reading is of the system between the tank and whatever fixtures you have. If it does not hold pressure, you have a leak.

[TreblePlink]

Originally Posted by jmschmidt

Just open the locker and drop a match in and see what happens. For crap sakes, get that damn thing out of the boat. If you are wintering in the water one standup paddle boarder paddling by smoking a cigarette will blow himself, and your boat to bits. Or if you are on the hard that poor security guard taking a smoke break in the middle of the night while strolling around the yard will do the same thing.

While extra caution is appropriate with flammable gas in a boat, I would think that if it was leaking at such a rate as to form a flammable hazard off the boat, the supply would be depleted very quickly.

[wsmurdoch]

If I read the specifications right, the "bubbler" (Alde Gas Leak Detectors - Alde UK) has a maximum pressure limit of 2000mbar or 2 bar or 30 psi, so it must be installed after the regulator and thus can not detect leaks before the regulator. A pressure gauge before the regulator could detect leaks anywhere in the system downstream of the tank valve. That would include the connection at the tank valve; the one broken and re-made every time a tank is changed. The gauge would detect that leak (and also any other leak downstream of the tank valve).

[deblen]

Some useful propane information:
Safe Boat Propane System Installation

Len

[donradcliffe]

The pressure gauge can can help find where the leak is. My first leakdown test is with the solenoid off. If it fails, the leak is between the tank and the solenoid, or the solenoid has failed. If it passes, then turn the solenoid on and do another leakdown test. If that test fails, the leak is between the solenoid and the appliance.

[Mirage35]

Okay, as earlier noted paranoia is a good thing here, but the recommendations to remove the tanks from the boat while on the hard over the winter?

Given that there is no gas loss with the valves closed (yes, I'm sure of that) I don't see why on the boat is less safe than any of the other possible storage locations (e.g. The tool shed in my back yard). Any reasons someone can offer?

[AlanR]

Even a bubbler will not find all leaks. While transferring a fresh gas bottle to my boat, I accidentally dropped it in the water. I was amazed to see a string of bubbles coming out of the side of the bottle.

That particular bottle never got on my boat, but I weighed it, and it was only half full. When I returned it to the retailer, he replaced it of course, but expressed no surprise. None of the tests mentioned so far, except the hand-held gas detector, would have noticed this leak.

Be warned.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by AnglaisInHull

Okay, as earlier noted paranoia is a good thing here, but the recommendations to remove the tanks from the boat while on the hard over the winter?

Given that there is no gas loss with the valves closed (yes, I'm sure of that) I don't see why on the boat is less safe than any of the other possible storage locations (e.g. The tool shed in my back yard). Any reasons someone can offer?

I don't see any reason.

[Caliber40]

First tanks are filled to 80% assuming the filler is properly trained and they are filling by weight.

Second.... can we dispense with the doom and gloom and the world is gonna end by way of propane explosion! The paddle boarder or the night watchman isn't going to blow this chaps boat up!
The originator of this string may have a small leak easily detected and easily fixed! Hopefully he can sift thru and find the right answer!

[sailor_ed]

Capsaicin is the active ingredient in hot peppers, ethyl mercaptan is the chemical added to propane to give it its odor. Explains why no one adds a little propane to their chili!