Gas Low

[DerryW]

Please can someone tell me what position the large Chang over vale (large green and white valve) should be I when refilling both bottles
Thanks
Derry

 

[Robert Clark]

It doesn’t matter and both bottles will be filled via an inlet pipe

The changeover valve is on the outlet pipes

 

[DerryW]

It doesn’t matter and both bottles will be filled via an inlet pipe

The changeover valve is on the outlet pipes

Robert are you referring to the large valve which has green and white segments. We recently had the system changed by dealer onto our new MH. Just filled at Morrisons but only 1 bottle is full. Kept hand on button for ages after the first bottle was full hoping the :nd would fill, but no luck

 

[Robert Clark]

Robert are you referring to the large valve which has green and white segments. We recently had the system changed by dealer onto our new MH. Just filled at Morrisons but only 1 bottle is full. Kept hand on button for ages after the first bottle was full hoping the :nd would fill, but no luck

The changeover valve (which might be green/white) is located above the bottles and just before the regulator.

As an aside you should turn off your gas bottle valves before filling as the pressure from a garage forecourt pump may damage the regulator.

It’s also important to stop filling the minute the pump slows down, to prevent over filling.

If your bottles have only taken 1 litre of gas it means that they are either full, or the forecourt pump is faulty.

If you’re certain that the gas bottles aren’t full, then I’d suggest trying filling at another garage.

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

Robert are you referring to the large valve which has green and white segments. We recently had the system changed by dealer onto our new MH. Just filled at Morrisons but only 1 bottle is full. Kept hand on button for ages after the first bottle was full hoping the :nd would fill, but no luck

Might be an idea to put a photo up on here so folks can check the hoses are in the correct positions.
As a check I would manually close the valves on each bottle and then reopen the one you think is empty and then see if it contains gas or not by lighting up your cooker ,fridge etc.

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[DerryW]

Hello

To all those that have responded so far, thanks for your replies.

Unfortunately my original description of the "Large Valve" was totally incorrect, what I should have said is; what position should the arrow on the Automatic Changeover Device (image A attached) be, when refilling both bottles.

Please bear with me, this next bit goes on a bit, but feel the need to give as much detail as possible to tease out the right response.

I tried to fill both bottles at Morrisons Ipswich on Tuesday but only the left hand one filled up before the pump stopped, I held the button on the pump in for a minute or so before releasing. After filling I only managed to get 7.6ltrs in. I was a bit surprised because according to my Truma gas level check, both bottles were almost empty (c2" in the bottom of each) which was the reason for me going to fill them.
I pulled off the pump out of the way and used my Truma gas level check which showed the left hand bottles was full but nothing right hand one other than the 2" which was there before I filled up.

I've just been out and double checked and the above is correct. When I look at the pipework (Image B) the pipe from the external filling point goes to the top of the right hand bottle, just below that pipe there's another pipe which goes across to the left hand bottle (the one which is full), below that pipe there is another pipe which goes to the automatic changeover device. I would assume the right hand bottle should fill first as that's were the pipe from the external filling point goes. Is this correct? if so why did it fill the other bottle first and put nothing in the primary bottle.

The system was swapped over from our previous MH to the New one by the dealer (Camper UK) when we changed the MH back in October.

Any help or advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks Derry

 

[Robert Clark]

The auto changeover device is AFTER the bottles, so has no effect whatsoever on filling.

 

[denisejoe]

Never bothered with which way the auto change over is as it doesn’t affect the fill at least not on mine.

 

[Robert Clark]

Have you tried filling at another pump?

If that doesn’t work, then it’s possible (but unlikely) that the overfill float is stuck up.

I’d speak to Gaslow directly for advise of what to do next if using a different pump doesn’t work

 

[Robert Clark]

Just found this online from Gaslow

Why does my LPG system fill slowly?
If your LPG system fills slowly you must first ensure you have the filler nozzle correctly fitted to the vehicle filling point, if unsure follow the instructions above on how to fit the filler nozzle to your vehicle. If you find that the filler nozzle is not correctly seated to the vehicle when you start dispensing LPG, remove your hand from the filler pump button, remove the pump nozzle from the vehicle and retry fitting again. If you continue having problems fitting the pump nozzle to the vehicle Do Not continue the use of this pump, move on to another filling station.
The list below will give you other reasons for slow filling:
1. The pump you are filling from is faulty.
2. The garage has run out of LPG.
3. Your cylinders are already full and do not require filling.
4. Filler hose has been crushed or bent at an acute angle, stopping LPG flowing.
5. Filler valve where the pump fits to is jammed due to contamination.
The above list is just some examples of what can cause slow filling. If you are unsure, please always contact Gaslow for further help.
Always ensure your cylinders require filling before attempting to as one of the biggest misconceptions is that you have been away for the weekend and used some gas but on the way home decide to top up. Please bear in mind that one litre of liquid gas produces between 233-274 litres of flammable gas at 15 degrees centigrade.
If the garage has run out of LPG you may notice that the pump will prime up and start dispensing LPG at a very slow rate and then stop, sometimes only putting a few pence worth of LPG into your cylinders. If this happens, we suggest you pay for what you have dispensed then move onto another garage if you are sure you need gas.
You may find that your heating or other appliances have stopped working and assume that you have run out of gas so need to go and fill. If you have a twin cylinder system try using the other cylinder if you normally have one cylinder on and one off, if your appliances work on the cylinder you just turned on you know your other cylinder is empty and will need to be filled.
If on the other hand your heating stops working but your cooker hob and fridge continue to work this could mean you have an imminent regulator failure or a failure of the heating system. Do Not always assume that just because one appliance stops working that you have no gas, it could be another fault.
Rule of thumb is if the pump primes and fills fast then stops quite abruptly all is good, if on the other hand the pump runs fast, slows but does not stop then you must release your hand from the pump button as your cylinders have reached the 80% but the pump is trying to continue filling slowly due to a faulty pump. If the pump runs slowly from the start, then you have one of the above problems and the pump should not be used. Slow pumping of LPG at the garage forecourt is the number one question we are asked as it is assumed that more gas has been used than has!!
Please remember that an 11kg cylinder takes approximately one minute 36 second to fill from empty so if you have a twin system it should take no longer than just over 3 minutes to fill both from empty.
If you are in any doubt about filling with LPG, then please contact us for advice.

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[Robert Clark]

https://www.gaslowdirect.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Filling-Gaslow-Cylinders-with-LPG-GasDoc004.pdf

 

[denisejoe]

Try taking the empty bottle out and shaking it as it could be a stuck cutoff float

 

[DerryW]

Try taking the empty bottle out and shaking it as it could be a stuck cutoff float

Your intervention and timing is spot on. Robert Clark mentions the cut off float in his post #9, I was about to ask him where it was and how to you unstick it. I'll now try your suggestion and give the bottle a good shake. I suppose I wont know if its done the trick until I go and try and fill it again. Or do both bottles self level i.e. find their own level.

Thanks once again

 

[Robert Clark]

Your intervention and timing is spot on. Robert Clark mentions the cut off float in his post #9, I was about to ask him where it was and how to you unstick it. I'll now try your suggestion and give the bottle a good shake. I suppose I wont know if its done the trick until I go and try and fill it again. Or do both bottles self level i.e. find their own level.

Thanks once again

The bottles fill and empty independently of each other, so no gas will transfer between them

 

[DerryW]

Thanks to all of you for assistance. It looks like the problem is now resolved. By giving the bottle a good shake it appears to have cured the problem. The in-built gauge on top of the bottle now moves if I shake the cylinder, whereas before it was stuck in the green segment.

Thanks once again.

PS. I suppose I wont really know until I try and refill next time we're out. fingers crossed.