PRODUCT DEFECT WARNING...Please read this!!!

[semperfiguy]

Ever heard of an LPG regulator exploding? Happened to me yesterday when I turned on the gas at the tank. The thin metal bottom of the regulator exploded with a huge "bang", and several pieces of lethal shrapnel went flying downwards. I was standing right beside the tank, and my wife was just a few feet from me. It was just as though a bomb had exploded, and we're both fortunate to even be alive. Thank God there was no flame burning at the time, but just seconds later I would have clicked on the burner. Had the explosion broken through on the top of the regulator instead of the bottom, there's no doubt that the results would have been tragic. I am posting this warning as a plea for all of you to take precautions and check out your regulators. This one was about 5 years old and was a "freeby" that came with the purchase of the tank. I had no idea that the quality would be sub-standard since they all look the same on the surface. Or it could be that over time the continual pressure in the system simply compromises the integrity of the metal. If your unit is several years old, you might want to consider replacing it just to be on the safe side. I will definitedly be replacing this one with a more expensive model made with thicker guage metal. I might even encase the new one with some sort of a makeshift wooden box for added security. The brand name on this one is "icook". Seriously...don't just read this and do nothing! This could happen to any unsuspecting loved one who could be cooking one minute, then be on his/her way to the morgue within the hour. I am attaching a few photos here for your observation.

[nkstan]

WOW!Thankfully you and the wife escaped bodily injury.This is a great post,IMO,as it is so easy to take for granted that standards we from the West are used to,are in place here,when they are not!!!!Materials used in construction of just about everything, are generally substandard or of inferior quality with workmanship quality unchecked!

One of the reasons ''things'' are relatively cheaper here,until something dangerous takes your life!The fact that life just doesn't seem to be as importart in this culture,doesn't relieve us of the taking responsibilty for our own safety!
This type of post is a great reminder of that! =D>

[udonuk1]

scary, thanks for the warning

[pienmash]

Very worthwhile post ...... speaking from first hand experience gas still scares the sh*t out of me as i was in a bad gas blow at my new home in Pattaya 23rd sept 2007 , severe burns (35% 2nd degree) ICU 11 days with a skin scrub operation each and everyday total time in hospital 7 weeks and a bill of 700k bt ...worse than the burns was the daily intermitant cafita (piss tube down the japs eye) absolute agony . I still suffer with my breathing as burn residue in the lung means i have to take a beer not ice cold or it s painful........a day i and my son will never forget , i did however retain my youthful good looks ?!

My blow was due to a combination of a dodgey return valve and a faulty coupling from the gas pipe joining the gas hob in the kitchen the bottle was outside , all the base units filled with gas and when i lit the hob BOOM.

piemash ... being serious.

[wazza]

Whats worse is , you pay for a good quality reg and then use the cheap garden hose for the line with a C clamp !

[Disting]

Question is, how do you know what a good w=quality regulator is. Just cos its expensive over here, doesnt mean they are good.

[wazza]

If its Chinese its Cheap, isnt a bad start when it comes to standards, ( im sure i will be proved incorrect on this by somebody )

Look at the seals, pressure testing PSI , does it have a warranty ??? , welding cracks, movement of the regulator body,

again , if its got a good PSI, then ur local garden hose wont support that.

[SanukJoe]

Something caught my eye and is maybe the cause of the break.

When looking at the connection to the bottle you can see the thread sticking out of the tube of the bottle.
In my situation the thread is totally inside the bottle tube, assuring no leakage of gas.

The second thing I am asking: why didn't the push button block the gas flow?
Usually when something happens or even when replacing the gas bottle you have to push that button to allow the gas flow to pass through. In this case it obviously did not work properly.

So maybe bad material but I also doubt the human made connection to the gas bottle...

Joe

[Bandung_Dero]

Note to self:- During my next trip to Australia buy 2 certified regulators meeting Aust. standards.

Thanks for the HU.

[trubrit]

Like Sanuk Joe I am concerned about the whole set up . The bottle itself doesn't look like its been refurbished at the factory, which they should be every time, then officially sealed. In fact it looks like a refill job by an unauthorised agent , maybe a local garage. Also the connection appears to be rather long and as SJ says , the regulator isn't securely attached, a lot of thread is showing . I enclose photos of my set up for comparison .

1284266519.jpg

1284266575.jpg

[parrot]

One - the thread on our regulator is completely inside the tank....no thread is visible.
Two - our tank is outside our kitchen, the hose comes in through a hole in the wall. If I were to remove the regulator from the tank and allow it to drop against the wall, it'd be possible for the regulator to knock against the wall. If all the juju were lined up incorrectly for you, the regulator would crack and next time you hook it up, kaboom.
Just my Sunday morning detective work at work.

[trubrit]

I know I am an old cynic but why am I expecting to see teams of reps selling , yes you've guessed it, regulators, round my door . :-"

[semperfiguy]

Thanks for all the good comments, especially those from Parrot, trubrit and SanukJoe. Actually, before the explosion occurred I had just reattached the regulator to the tank after having given the outside cooking stove a few weeks of rest, and it was totally secured...no threads showing. Then I pushed that button to allow the gas to flow. Within seconds came the big "bang". I immediately turned off the valve on the gas cylinder and disconnected the regulator. Later that afternoon I decided to post my experience here on this forum, so I reinserted the regulator and gave it a twist or two just so I could take a few photos of the entire setup to include in my post. Sorry guys...no human error here on my part... at least not this time. The moral of the story is simply that these regulators can go bad over time, and just because we've never heard of this sort of thing happening before doesn't mean it can't happen again...and with a tragic ending. Please take precautions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Texpat]

I prefer cooking over gas, but bought an electric range and oven for just this reason.

[yeshadette21]

WOW!Thankfully you and the wife escaped bodily injury.This is a great post,IMO,as it is so easy to take for granted that standards we from the West are used to,are in place here,when they are not!!!!Materials used in construction of just about everything, are generally substandard or of inferior quality with workmanship quality unchecked!

One of the reasons ''things'' are relatively cheaper here,until something dangerous takes your life!The fact that life just doesn't seem to be as importart in this culture,doesn't relieve us of the taking responsibilty for our own safety!
This type of post is a great reminder of that! =D>

Yeah, it is very great reminder for all of us. For that we could be careful next time in using gas tank to be safe our life. Thanks for that very great reminder guy's, I also hoping that many people can read that information for them to alarm for their safety.

[rickfarang]

pienmash post makes me wonder whether cooking gas sold in Thailand be smelled, so I went into the kitchen, put a piece of plastic over the igniter and turned on the gas. I could not smell anything. So, if you have a gas leak in your home, you would most likely find out by either running out of gas too quickly, or if you are really unfortunate, the way pienmash discovered the leak in his system.

[Galee]

My gas smells Rick.

[bigsnake]

OH!! Lucky You and the wife happy you were UNHARM
Bet this thing was "MADE IN CHINA"

[rickfarang]

By the way, Galee, I doubt anybody will try and top that comment

[Galee]

Although it was a bit of a tongue in cheek comment Rick there is an element of truth in it. If I forget to turn off the valve at the top of my gas bottle I can smell gas in the kitchen after a period of time.