i have a swift challenger 1994 and currently i am using propane gas,but its seems to be using quite a lot of gas,i bought a 6kg can and have used it for about 4-5 days in total and the can is already empty. but i can't smell gas. and i haven't used the heating much really or the cooker and i also turn the gas off by the gas bottle when i have finished camping, storing the caravan.
any ideas ? any help would be greatly appreciated thank you.
Can't speak for your usage but we have been using a 7kg just for cooking all meals over about 60 days since last spring and its not used up yet. Depends how much heating you have had on.
Slow leak from a perished rubber pipe which may be out of sight and well ventilated to the outside of the van, hence no smell to the mark1 nose lol, or you have ran the van continuously on gas for everything apart from lighting for the week, in which case you may have used the full 6kg anyway. We used to find our old fridge would take a fair bit of gas if used for a full week, plus if you have had loads of hot water, heating on ect, then im not suprised by your consumption.
Might be worth getting the pressure checked out at a gas approved registed dealer just for safety reasons
Julia
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Celebrating 37 years of Caravanning in 2019, Recently Considered Retiring, but Totally Addicted for Life!
Your story is a bit confusing. You say 4 -5 days use, but then say that you switch it off at the bottle after camping. Which could possibly mean that you've maybe used it a little bit more than you might think...!
3 points
1) When was the van last serviced (and I mean serviced by someone that knew what they're doing)..?
2) What does the rubber hose look like..? If it's a black one then it probably needs to be replaced. You can buy a length of high pressure hose for about £5 in almost all camping shops.
3) Contrary to popular belief, those bottles don't last for ever....!
If none of the above, next step is to find the manifold taps and switch off all the appliances. Then, get some very soapy water, and a small brush and dab the bubbles onto any visible brass gas pipe joints. Best place to start is around the where the gas pipe connects to the brass pipe in the front box. Second place to look is at the appliance gas taps (or manifold). Then wherever you can get to any joints.
If you see any bubbles getting bigger then you have a leak.
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As romany girl say it Might be worth getting the pressure checked out at a gas approved registed dealer just for safety reasons,I had the same problem 2 year ago,a small leak was found on a connection under the van,I now also use a reg with a contents gauge as advised by the registered tester,if after turning the gas off after use the gauge has dropped it indicates a small leake,but up to now it still up when turning the gas back on,but I still have a yearly gas check done by him for peace of mind.
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If you cant do someone a good turn,don`t do them a bad one,its nice to be nice you know,and little things mean much more later in life.
Pete.
Use Calor lightweight bottles, connect up to your van. Open the gas tap, run gas through the 'van. Shut the gas tap on the bottle. The gas-lo indicator should be full.
Leave it for a couple of days. If it reads anything other than full, you have a leak.
I find it makes a regular and easy check, and has worked on two van leaks for me.