I smell gas

[Mo-Dave]

The last 3 or 4 cooks I have been getting a propain smell when using my weber gasser. It was very strong during my last cook, even after checking all the connections.

Now I wonder if a regulator is going bad, will it do that? This is about 10 years old I am guessing .
Dave

[AlwaysSmokey]

If you have checked the connections.......... First,.. the obvious question,... are all the burners igniting. Then, are the burners all rusty and crappy? They will eventually rust enough to form holes, and then eventually turn to a rusty pile. Another thought, I picked up an exchange propane tank one time that did not have the little rubber gasket on it. (it's inside the threaded connection on the tank,.. easy to see. ) So when hooked up, it stank,. took it back and got another. Hope you track it down,.. that would make me nervous.

[jimithing78]

I think generally when regulators are going bad the burners either don't light or have more of a yellow flame instead of blue. I'd probably call Weber support and see what they say. They shouldn't charge you to go through a troubleshooting process and tell you what parts they think you need. Like AlwaysSmokey said it shoudl just be a bad gasket or something somewhere.

[landarc]

Check for leaks as mentioned in post #2, if the gas is igniting, there should be no problem. The smell is a sure sign you have a leak on the way to the flame.

[Demosthenes9]

How did you check the connections ? By twisting and making sure they were tight ? Or some other method, such as spraying them with some soapy water and checking for bubbles ?

[Smokin J's PIts]

I have also had the valve handle leak on a tank before, if you closed it it was fine but when you opened it to use the grill it would leak, I returned it, it was a mom and pop rv park that i got it from, but he replaced it, and even offered to give me my next replacement for free, for my trouble of having to deal with it.

[jpbsarris]

Also check for leaks at the burner adjustment valves. I have seen these leak before.

[IamMadMan]

Take a spray bottle of soapy water and spray the connections. If there is a leak the soapy liquid will bubble. Also check your hoses for cracking and dry-rot. You can spray them with water as well if you find cracks or rough spots on the hoses.

If your grill is 10 years old make sure the adapter for the new safety tanks is leaking as well.

[Yeasty]

You're dog didn't get into the baked beans did he?
:^)

[columbia1]

Take a spray bottle of soapy water and spray the connections. If there is a leak the soapy liquid will bubble. Also check your hoses for cracking and dry-rot. You can spray them with water as well if you find cracks or rough spots on the hoses.

If your grill is 10 years old make sure the adapter for the new safety tanks isn't leaking as well.


^^^^ Nailed it perfectly^^^^, we had the same issue( a weak propane small), a spray bottle with a little soap and water allowed us quickly to find a small crack in the hose.

[funugy]

^^^^ Nailed it perfectly^^^^, we had the same issue( a weak propane small), a spray bottle with a little soap and water allowed us quickly to find a small crack in the hose.
^this. I'd think the hose would fail before the regulator would. Dry rot is a pain with rubber hoses.

[captndan]

Gas-X

[Joe Dirt]

I have had a regulator leak when the diaphragm has cracked from old age.

[Mo-Dave]

The last 3 or 4 cooks I have been getting a propain smell when using my weber gasser. It was very strong during my last cook, even after checking all the connections.

Now I wonder if a regulator is going bad, will it do that? This is about 10 years old I am guessing .
Dave


Replaced hose and regulator, still smelling gas, I will do a soap test next. Except for the header its self, everything was replace new a little over a year ago, so I do not think it is the tubes or the cross over. The only thing left if I don't find a leak is the bottle its self, which is getting low, and I have heard sometimes a propane tank can put off a smell when they get low.
Dave

[RevZiLLa]

If there is an air mix adjustment, make sure you have a nice blue flame. Yellow only on the tips

[qnbiker]

If it's that old, I would replace the regulator anyway; they're not that expensive.

Oops, didn't see that you had already replaced it.

[qman]

Replaced hose and regulator, still smelling gas, I will do a soap test next. Except for the header its self, everything was replace new a little over a year ago, so I do not think it is the tubes or the cross over. The only thing left if I don't find a leak is the bottle its self, which is getting low, and I have heard sometimes a propane tank can put off a smell when they get low.
Dave
If you are still running with the same tank, your next step should be to replace it with a full tank. That may have been the problem all along.

[Mo-Dave]

Funny thing I had used that bottle for several cooks before getting a smell, but I will be getting another tank soon.
Dave

[funugy]

The tanks are only good for 10 to 12 years. There should be a date stamped on them on the top flange area. After 10 years is up you can get them re-certified.

I just remembered that we had this problem last time we used a propane tank and I found that we didn't tighten the hose to the cylinder tight enough. After I snugged it up the smell dissapated and didn't return.