As a temporary measure whilst my underslung tank is out of action I have access to a standard 7kg Butane cylinder and valve. However, @andyv suggested route applies to me if the US Westfalia Berlin hob requires 50mbar. Does anybody know if this is the case? Alternatively, have peeps run a 27mbar valve and will it do as a temporary measure? I'm off next Friday for a long weekend in the camper and need to cook! Thanks
Pretty sure you'll need a propane gas bottle as the cooker is jetted for propane. Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk
I wonder if I might encounter this pressure problem on my older setup if I change out the underslung tank? I'll have to have another investigation.
From what I discovered it’s perfectly acceptable to switch from propane to butane if you get the right regulator. Because butane has a higher calorific value it’s run at lower pressure than propane. 50 mbar of propane equates to 37 mbar butane 37 mbar propane equates to 28 mbar butane, and these are the most common pressures for these two gases in UK. If your underslung tank runs at 37 mbar or thereabouts for propane, then butane at 28 mbar will be fine. I’ve no idea what US gas appliances run at however.
This is the bit that is fubar....3/8" tapper joining piece from valve to upstream stopcock. Whilst this is off and assuming my tank inspection passess muster... I am going to look into adding a T piece for a BBQ point assuming that is safe etc. My gas buddy is away this week, so I can't ask him
Would anybody have the underslung gas union piece shown in attached photo. I think it is a Bsp t 3/8" X BSP t 3/8" but if you have one off a US import then it should be good. Obviously as this is gas it will need to be in good condition ! The blue line shows where the union screws in. Red is what I need, yellow is ET.
How will you know if a replacement is in good condition? The regulators contain a diaphragm. I can't help thinking Chris that this is your opportunity to renew the connections to modern kit, have the tank and fittings pressure tested and servicead by an leisure LPG qualified Gas Safe engineer (they aren't all) and be safe moving forward Edit, apologies bud I see you are after the coupling piece...but above is still relevant. Have you tried a plumbing merchant for the coupler?
Thanks Neil and I'm looking for the coupler as I write. I agree and am planning to do what you say ref bomb under van as it is now off. Contingency for coming weekend is 7kg butane tank under sink connected via standard valve to cooker.
Yeah I just deleted the US stuff up to the solid pipe on the hob. You can squeeze an olive onto that to give you a 'nub' to squeeze over the Flexi hose. That's the only bit of flexy we've got now. The new regulator is bolted to the inside of what would have been the spare wheel cupboard so the run is really short. It's got a test point built in so a manometer connection is easy. From there the lines split into hard 10mm copper to a stub for the job and a hard 10mm copper to a bulkhead fitting in the floor and onto the underslung propex and the BBQ point. There's a big gas drop vent inside the gas locker. I used a spare propex vent bonded underneath. With living in the marina we are lucky enough to have a qualified BSS examiner with the test kit...
What pressure are you running at Neil? You've got US appliances, right? And still got the gas fridge? A photo of my regulator leaves me none the wiser as to what regulator I would need for a new tank , unless I am missing something.
It's one of these, well from that range so the spec will be the same. I can't remember if it's straight or angled connection. Angled I suspect. It's for LPG which is a prop/but mix which varies depending on the season and climate.
Great, thanks Neil I suspect I am over thinking this, but I in any case, I will ask the fitter what pressure the regulator is on the Gas-It tank as the quote progresses. I really don't want to have to change all my appliances. Equally, if it ran on LPG before using the old tank, it should be fine with a new tank, I would hope.
what appliances are you concerned about potentially having to change? The Westy hob runs efficiently on low pressure, which is what our UK stuff is specified as. The propex runs faultlessly as well. We don't have a gas fridge, but again so long as that was jetted for LPG not natural gas then there shouldn't be a problem. Our bottle, fill point, hoses and regulator came from Gas-It and is specifically for running LPG as a leisure system. You are right to be consulting a pro. It's an area I wouldn't take chances on 'having a go at'...
My Propex is a UK addition and runs fine on whatever regulator is currently on my underslung bomb, which I last filled using boggo standard forecourt LPG. My fridge and hob are period pieces fitted in the US, they're aren't Westy, but Westy importer fitted; they both work fine, albeit there's no 110v on the fridge and I just blummin fixed the 12v circuit, as you can probably tell I really don't want to replace the fridge or the hob.
Of course not, I get it. Hopefully it'll all be fine but you are bang on to check the appliances first before committing to a particular regulator. They come in a range of pressures...
Although The Samba has a section that indicates the fittings on the LPG tank are BSPT, I've been partially cleaning the broken coupling and checking before I buy a new coupling and I'm wondering if the fitting has the American NPT thread instead? What do peeps think? Thanks
