LP Gas Odor question

Gray water tank smell coming up through sink or shower drain.

Jim

Well the RV is in service now. They hooked it up to some monitor and let it sit all day and showed no leak. They put LP in it first let it run. Sprayed the line with soapy water they said and no leaks anywhere. So they are gonna top it off and I'm picking it up tonight. Not sure what next. Have to watch it and see I guess.

Terryallan wrote:

DanTheRVMan wrote:

Terryallan wrote:

DanTheRVMan wrote:
The stoves LEAKS. They all do.

I got scared once due to the smell. Spoke with a tech at stove manufacturer. I do not know if they want it this way, it is a non problem they live with or what, but it leaks. Turn the propane off when not in use I guess.

I smell it at times and hope the tech has not steered me wrong.

Been camping for 30 years. Have never once had a stove to leak, Never smell gas in the TT unless lighting the stove when I turn iot on. I'm thinkin, your tech ain't as smart as he wants you to think he is. Or maybe he don't like you. Or he just don't want to fix it.

The stove is a very low pressure system to my understanding. I am not certain, but I think it is roughly 0.5 psi

On at least some stoves they have a pressure relief system from what I have been told. These pressure relief valve release gas occasionally - not continuously.

Some people can smell these occasional low level releases and some can not from what I was told.

You go with that. If it helps you to sleep, and it may well help yopu to sleep

I appreciate your comments.

I think I was slightly wrong about the 1/2 psi as that was the stated max test pressure in a manual I read. Still operating pressure is close to that.

Atmospheric pressure is roughly 14.5 psi at sea level at 2000 meters it is 20% lower or 2.9 psi. You need to get over 10,000 ft to get a 30% reduction in pressure.

I am not sure exactly what springs and pressure relief devices are being used, but here is one excerpted example is taken from table 1 below:

Special
1.5 to 3 psig (0,10 to 0,21 bar)
3 to 5 psig (0,21 to 0,34 bar)
Standard
2 to 8-inches w.c. (5 to 20 mbar)
6 to 16-inches w.c. (15 to 40 mbar)
11-inches w.c. to 1 psig (27 mbar to 0,07 bar)
0.75 to 1.5 psig (0,05 to 0,10 bar)
1 to 2 psig (0,07 to 0,14 bar)
1.5 to 3 psig (0,10 to 0,21 bar)
3 to 5 psig (0,21 to 0,34 bar)
Standard
2 to 8-inches w.c. (5 to 20 mbar)
6 to 16-inches w.c. (15 to 40 mbar)
11-inches w.c. to 1 psig (27 mbar to 0,07 bar)
0.75 to 1.5 psig (0,05 to 0,10 bar)
1 to 2 psig (0,07 to 0,14 bar)
Special
1.5 to 3 psig (0,10 to 0,21 bar)

which can be found at http://www.documentation.emersonprocess.com/groups/public/documents/bulletins/d100152x012.pdf

My point is many of these pressure relief devices are set to lower levels than the change in air pressure that will be seen when camping. I do not like it, but I am not trying to justify it I am simply trying to inform. I wish I knew who used which rated devices, but I do not.

This morning the odor wasn't as bad. Still by the door but not in the back of the RV, but a small odor by the stove. Gonna make an appointment with the RV place close by, as they do LP filling and are certified to do repairs too. I will post here when it gets figured out.

Thanks for all the help, tips and suggestions.

I'm still confused. The OP said he turned on a stove burner, smelled it, and it smelled different than the odor in the coach.

So how do we know he even HAS a propane leak?

I agree with the pads...easy way to test, but smelling the propane at the stove and discovering that it has a different odor would make me look around for alternative sources.

Jim

Does your oven have a lightable pilot light ? posible you did not turn it off ?

There is a industry standard for ethyl mercaptan in propane, but the ppm vary. http://www.astm.org/Standards/D5305.htm

psmoore wrote:
Well this morning, I went out and the battery had a little water around the same cap, but there was some condensation on all the batteries. We had some pretty good rain last night. Not sure if that's an issue. Gonna have to the LP filled this week anyways, so I think I'm just gonna pay them to check the lines.

I am gonna air it out first though and see if that helps.

Wow, just saying but I would NOT fill the propane tank up until I found out if it IS leaking somewhere.

Not sure where you are going to fill up but a thorough leak testing takes time and I'd wonder if a propane company is going to want to shake down a MH for leaks?

If you have nothing to do since its raining go to the hardware store. They have these pads that you can put in a room and the dot in the middle turns color if propane is detected.

BTW: And it was what almost got me killed in the MH. An odor is added BUT each state has it's own odor they add. Regs state you have to add it but there are numerous ones they can add.

I KNOW what propane smells like in Wisconsin. I developed what WAS an unknown leak that EVERYONE at the CG including me insisted had to be a bad stinky gray tank vent problem because it came from the sink drain.

I sat in that MH for 2 hours waiting for mobile repair. Thank GOD I had all the windows open.

It was a stove knob turned all the way on! :E Propane was going into the sink because it was the first 'low' spot it found.

It did NOT smell like the propane I am familiar with. I had just fueled up in Kentucky. They add a completely DIFFERENT smell to their propane than Wisconsin does so I did not recognize it as propane.

Researched it and yup they can add whatever ordorant they want. So just saying it almost killed me. Propane is not required by the government to have to smell the same across the US.

Well this morning, I went out and the battery had a little water around the same cap, but there was some condensation on all the batteries. We had some pretty good rain last night. Not sure if that's an issue. Gonna have to the LP filled this week anyways, so I think I'm just gonna pay them to check the lines.

I am gonna air it out first though and see if that helps.

DanTheRVMan wrote:

Terryallan wrote:

DanTheRVMan wrote:
The stoves LEAKS. They all do.

I got scared once due to the smell. Spoke with a tech at stove manufacturer. I do not know if they want it this way, it is a non problem they live with or what, but it leaks. Turn the propane off when not in use I guess.

I smell it at times and hope the tech has not steered me wrong.

Been camping for 30 years. Have never once had a stove to leak, Never smell gas in the TT unless lighting the stove when I turn iot on. I'm thinkin, your tech ain't as smart as he wants you to think he is. Or maybe he don't like you. Or he just don't want to fix it.

The stove is a very low pressure system to my understanding. I am not certain, but I think it is roughly 0.5 psi

On at least some stoves they have a pressure relief system from what I have been told. These pressure relief valve release gas occasionally - not continuously.

Some people can smell these occasional low level releases and some can not from what I was told.

You go with that. If it helps you to sleep, and it may well help yopu to sleep