Chasing Down Propane Leaks

Early this month I hired a surveyor to survey Mobert and perform a rig inspection in order to prepare for obtaining blue-water insurance later this year.  Overall there were no real issues, but he did find a small propane leak in our propane locker.    So today I got out the soapy spray bottle and sprayed down the hoses to see if I could locate the leak.

As it turns out the small point in the hose that I would call a swivel seems to be the culprit.  When the surveyor was here and trying to check for leaks, the tank I had connected was empty, which sucks because I’m pretty sure it shouldn’t be anywhere near empty.   So I guess this leak has been slowly draining the tank for a while.   Anyway, we switched to the other tank for the test and that’s when he identified the leak.  Good thing for the sealed propane locker with its own drain.

For reference, if you want to test your own propane system.  Turn on the tank valve to pressurize the system.  Make sure all of our propane appliances are off (we only have the stove.)  Then close the tank valve and record the pressure.  Come back 3 minutes later and record the pressure again.  In our case we were losing about 2-3 PSI after 3 minutes.

So today I ordered a new pigtail hose to replace this one.  When it comes in a couple of days I’ll replace it and test for leaks again.

Separately today, I also removed all of the canvas from the boat to get it cleaned.   It nearly didn’t fit in my car but I somehow got it in there.   Removing canvas in 30kts of wind is an adventure.

Also, Mobert is dead sexy when it’s cockpit is fully exposed.