Water Heater bleeding propane...thoughts?

[guizeppe]

Hello fellow campers. On our most recent trip we discovered a small gas leak in the exterior of the water heater compartment. The picture below shows exactly where. It's at the right-angle connector leading from the internal pipe. I've tried twisting either side of the connection but to no avail. The idiot side of my brain thinks I should try covering the connection in some sort of sealant (silicon, latex, other...). Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

[enblethen]

Do not use any pipe dope or Teflon tape on flare fitting!
Turn off the propane source.
Disconnect the fitting.
Inspect the fitting for any burrs, normally on the flare.
Clean the flare with fine steel wool.
Wipe bothe the flare and the fitting in gas valve with alcohol.
Re-connect. Turn on propane and check for leak.
If leak is present, get some pprofessional assistance!

[SidecarFlip]

What Ralph Cramden posted.....

Boogering up a gas fitting is asking to blow yourself up or set your unit on fire, neither of which has a happy ending though blowing yourself up is quicker and more final.

[Woodtroll]

If the leak is at the joint with the blue arrow as you indicate, and not lower down where the elbow goes into the body, then it is indeed a flare connection as others have already indicated, and is not deigned for pipe "dope" or any other sealant. Flare connections have to be aligned just right to seal well, and if they don't seal well the first time they often have to be re-flared. It looks like it will be tough to get a flare tool in that space unless you have enough slack in the line to pull it out further; you may have to pull it back inside to get to it, then re-seal the pass-through hole. If you're not comfortable doing all this, you definitely need to get a good plumber or RV tech to give you a hand.

Good luck!
Regan

[SoundGuy]

Here's the OP's pic ...

[Ralph_Cramden]

The right angle connection at the internal pipe? Do you mean where the tubing connects to a brass angled fitting at the gas valve?

Remove the fitting and reinstall using teflon tape at the gas valve, then re flare the tubing connection.



Jizzing up gas lines with sealant is no way to go through life son.

[midnightsadie]

your pic doesn,t come up. but no sealer, you have a gas leak fix it, if you can,r? call a mobile tech . gas leaks can become a bomb.