Butane and Propane bottle LPG gas regulators on boats need to be changed regularly. Despite this information being widely available and every boat undergoing regular boat safety examinations, this seems to not be happening on many boats that we come across on the inland waterways.
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Following on from our post about solid fuel stove safety on your boat, we wanted to address this issue regarding marine LPG safety. We’d like to encourage everyone reading this to take some action of their own. Have a look if you can find out how old your own regulator and hose are and see if they need replacing. Once that has been sorted, please share this post with your fellow boaters, so it can create some awareness in the wider community.
It is general practice to replace hoses on propane and butane regulators every 5 years. Regulators should be changed at least every 10 years. Manufacturing dates are usually stamped on both.
However, this is a general practice only. If your LPG hose or gas regulator shows any signs of damage or wear, you should replace these immediately. You should also do this if you are buying a boat and there is no proof of how old your LPG regulator is.
Bottled gas for boats in the UK comes in two different types. The most commonly used is propane, but butane is available and still used on some boats. Generally speaking, propane is recommended on boats, as it is better able to cope with low temperatures in the winter.
When changing the LPG regulator on your boat, is is important that the correct type is used. Propane and Butane gases work at different pressures and this pressure is set by the regulator. Fitting the wrong type of regulator could have severe consequences. This can cause serious injury and damage to property through potential fire or explosion. Hoses work for both gases but must be of the correct type and stamp labeled. Since 2014 new regulators on boats must incorporate an over-pressure shut-off device (OPSO) and this is generally only available on propane regulators.
The only advice we will give at this stage is to have your LPG regulator and hose changed by a professional GasSafe engineer. Crimp connectors are needed to connect the hose. There are different length limits for different types of hose. Connections should be tested after installation. Storage lockers and compartments on boats have many different regulations to adhere to and there are many other things to look out for.
Our engineers will have the necessary training and experience to spot any irregularities as they go along. We can supply a regulator and hose with every LPG boiler service or other gas-related call-out if yours needs changing. This way you can be sure it’s the correct type and up to the current standard.
This article about how often you should change your propane or butane LPG bottle gas regulators is meant to give some general advice only. It is by no means exhaustive and regulations change all the time. If you need any gas-related work carried out on your boat, you should hire a registered and boat qualified GasSafe engineer.
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