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Propane leak


Maeflower

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Hi everyone, I am dealing with a significant propane leak.  I have updated a suspicious water heater, replaced the regulator and had a small leak repaired.  I have had people investigate and have found no leaks, but I’m having to fill our large tank about every six weeks whether we are there or not.  Can anyone recommend a really good plumber?  

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The leak is probably in the piping under the house. It cannot be fixed in that location without ripping up tiles and floors. Worth it? No way. Both the house we rented in La Huerta and the house I now own had the same problem and the only real remedy is to have the piping rerouted over the roof. That fixed the problem immediately in La Huerta and, in my current house, I use a HALF of a 180 litre tank every YEAR. I did put in an on demand water heater though.

If I had owned the house in La Huerta, I would have moved the tank over to the side where most of the gas appliances (dryer, stove, oven) were located and had another smaller tank for the hot water heater rather than running the gas line every which way on the roof. Hopefully, you may be able to do the same because every elbow in the line decreases the pressure.

Sorry, can't suggest a plumber to do the work.

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No gas smell when it's under the house. The only difference was that we went from filling the tank every couple of months to a couple of times a year. There is seismic activity here and I was aware of at least three houses in La Huerta that had the same problem and solution.

I also bought the special yellow sealing tape that is specifically used for propane connections from Amazon and replaced all the white tape with it. Propane eats the white tape eventually and the white tape should only be used on water connections.

I had lived in this house for a year and a half before I replaced the 300 litre tank (twenty years old) with the 180 litre tank. The guys from JP Home Services replaced the tank (which I bought and had waiting) and did the connections to the line with the yellow tape that I provided. Speak with Jurgen there 331-841-4159 (JP has had health issues) and tell him what you want done and why. Hopefully others will provide reputable plumbers for you to make a comparison.

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1 hour ago, Maeflower said:

Gracias Ferret.  When the leak was undetected under the house was there a gas smell?  I’m losing so much gas I can’t believe we don’t smell it!  I agree that now we will have to reroute the lines and am hoping to find a skilled plumber for the job. 

Alberto Farias is skilled and has done excellent work for us, both electrical and plumbing.

331 706 9407

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1 hour ago, Maeflower said:

Gracias Ferret.  When the leak was undetected under the house was there a gas smell?  I’m losing so much gas I can’t believe we don’t smell it!  I agree that now we will have to reroute the lines and am hoping to find a skilled plumber for the job. 

We had the same problem several years ago. Antonio was the 5th plumber to try to find it. He did. The gas is under really low pressure 4-6 psi. Antonio unhooked at the tank regulator and adapted an air compressor to the pipe. He put 30 psi into the line then searched and listened. Yep it was under the marble floor. He was able to dig down in a bodega that had replacable tile and repaired the leak. Bright guy.

Antonio, cell 331-361-6610 or home 766-5338 

 
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