Testing for a propane leak

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Alaskajohn

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I had a contractor do a lot of work this summer, and part of the project involved needed them to redo the propane lines feeding various appliances. I watched and helped every step of the way, and he did the soapy water test on all the fittings. I am not smelling any odor common with a propane leak. All my detectors are for smoke and carbon monoxide, so they don’t cover propane leaks.

just checked my propane tank and it shows that I have used a few more gallons of propane more than I typically do I’m the course of the summer.

Are the propane leak detectors such as this sensitive enough to sniff out what would be an extremely small leak that you can’t find with soapy water and your nose:



Or should I get something more like this that looks more dedicated to sniffing around your propane lines:



I have shut the valve off today from the source in order to investigate. Again, probably just overly cautious based on a slightly faster consumption rate over the course of the summer.
 
Just a thought, have you checked with your propane provider to see if they have a sniffer?

It would cost me an arm and a leg to get someone out to my place to do this. Probably $300 just for the travel cost, then the service call cost. Plus it might take 3-4 weeks wait to get someone out here. It’s my tank, so I don’t really have a provider. I will get a sniffer ordered today from Amazon and do the sniff test when it arrives next week sometime.
 
The good one will sniff more than propane. If you wanted to cut a fuel tank n make a burn pit or want to weld on a tank. N such. Maybe take a sniff in the basement for argon or keep track of what's going on in your new cool root celer for any off gasses.
Good tool to have for 35 bucks. Especially if you're a welder
 
My first home was a 22 year old mobile home.
The owner had put a wood stove in the living room, I called the fire marshal.
He came out & stood in the yard & told me the chimney was not to code, so I had him inspect the whole place. The whole thing was against code
And the propane hot water heater stuffed in the closet.
The marshal said it is a wonder that the place had not burn to the ground.
So we called the propane co. they sold us an out door unit & installed it.
The installer tested the connections, old & new with soapy water, just like the gas stations did tires for leaks. After two years I sold the MH to my brother I few years later it burnt to the ground/frame.
It was a portable heater that cause the fire not the gas stove or water heater.
 
The electronic "sniffer" is faster and easier to use than the soapy water. It can take up to an hour to find a small leak with soap while the sniffer only takes a few seconds.
 
The sniffer came in and I found the leak. Barely registering with only one bar. But I found it.
 
I worked with propane for twenty years. The soap and water, a mix of water, glycerin and a little liquid dish soap, had to sit overnight at times to see a group of little bubbles. The leaks that are hard to find are hoses. The outer covering is a perforated rubber with a cloth wrap. If a flexible connection is not needed I would rather use tubing. The flex (corrugated) metal lines are easier to work with but sometimes you need flexible connections where the flex tube won't work.
Glad you have the sniffer and found the leak.
 
I almost never use a sniffer. Instead windshield wiper fluid and soap. The wiper fluid wont freeze. I use my sniffer more for methane (sewer gas). The recent union leak i found was on a sewer smell call. I must be losing my touch because I dint smell nada.
 
Yes, a spray bottle sounds good but it makes its own bubbles. I prefer the dauber because if you don't use the brush correctly you make bubbles so leaks are harder to find.
 
I had a gas leak and the guy that tested for the leak used a lighter. I left the area fast but he found the leaking connection and fixed it.
Around here if your propane tank is empty they require a pressure test before they will fill it. That cost $80.
Years ago when I was working on air conditioning systems in the Denver area, my bosses dad used a lighter to check natural gas lines to the units, yeah I backed off the first time he did it. I had to add the following, most explosive gasses like to pool in low places so one could have a rather large flame area, I remember the time I was checking the boiler on top of the Justice Building in Denver, I was standing in front of the boiler when it started up and it was like being in a pool of flames at my feet, that'll shake you up a bit. A guy told me a story of a guy out hunting that was lighting up his propane stove in his camper on the back of a pickup, when the pooled gases reached the stove flames it blew the camper off of the truck, killing the guy.
 
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Using a flame to check for gas leaks is what took the 3 mile Island plant down. I make it a point to NEVER us a flame when looking for leaks of flammable materials.
 
This is how I check or propane leaks
open the hood on the propane tank. disconnect the line from the tank

You want this type of gauge with 2 arrow indicators
with this type of body style.
screw the 2 arrow gauge onto the test gauge block.

attach this testing gauge block to your line into the house at the tank.
pressue the line to 20 psi the 2 arrows should be at the same position. if air drops the spike recorder will staty and the other will drop, easy way to quickly see a leak. if you spot a drop. mix in a spray bottle dish soap and water start spraying at the test gauge and work your way down the line

places to check first. test gauge, any valves [they should ALL be in the off position]
in the off position the packing nut can leak. this is where i find most leaks

test time state says 15 minutes. I say BS and test for 2 hours. a drop of pressure in 2 hours means a leak
a drop of pressure AND a drop in tempurature means you need to test again when the temp is stable for the testing duration

test gauge.jpg
 
Using a flame to check for gas leaks is what took the 3 mile Island plant down. I make it a point to NEVER us a flame when looking for leaks of flammable materials.
I think some gases change the color of the flame, but will not explore in the AC systems, it has been forty years. When I had the mobile home in 1982, I am not sure the sniffer was being used.
 
Ken-tool detecto mist Detecto Mist Leak Locator – Ken-Tool is a spray on that really works well, it is also a handy tire mounting lube etc, I had a leaking fitting on an air tank that I couldn't find with other soap mixtures, found it right away with this stuff (fixed the link )
 
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