Help with gas leak?

[Jessica Greenbaum]

Greetings, all, from treehouse / Brooklyn folk. Jed and I send best wishes to everyone. Our girls are safe in their respective corners on New England and Jed is busy organizing food and other help for neighbors who need it. So it is not hard on us, in the littlest, littlest picture. (Twitter today: Babies born nine-months from now will all be first-borns. Ha ha) We hope you are all feeling close to the same.

But because we *will* want to seek refuge on Riga before Memorial Day gas deliveries, I was wondering if anyone knows anyone who feels expert in the propane dept. When we visited last October, we found we had a fuel leak and were out of gas; Danny B very kindly said he would set up a temp tank for us . . . but of course if the gas keeps leaking that won’t last very long. (And sounds dangerous.) Ormsby said they would check when they got there, but that wouldn’t be before they deliver end of May. So I just thought I would put it out there in case you all had any suggestions. I would coordinate with Danny. Then I would race up there the second the temp is over 50.
Best, best wishes in this extreme time,
jess

[Anonymous]

We use Ormsbee and like them.Could you get the gas delivered ,turn it off at the tank so it doesn’t leak, and get it fixed whenever you can

Sent from my

[Jessica Greenbaum]

Bill, thanks so much for writing. I guess that’s what it will be, but I worry that the leak might be such that even having it on, I could lose a lot . . . and it just seems worrisome to use it with a leak. Danny had suggested the same, but I was holding out for a possible cure. Oh, maybe cures are just on my mind! Thank you again, best, jess

[Laura Ivey]

Dear All, BE VERY CAREFUL!!!  
Natural Gas when it escapes, goes up, which is why when their is a gas leak in say the basement of a house, you get whole house confligrations so quickly.  Propane, i.e. tank gas, goes down, pooling in depressions and places lower than the gas line from which it emanated.  That is why when there is a leak in say a trailer or RV, the explosion comes from underneath.
Propane will dissapate in low lying places more slowly in cold weather.
Your gas company is right – turn  the gas supply OFF, and fix the problem before turning it on again..
Laura Ivey

[Jessica Greenbaum]

Got it! Thanks much. jess
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jessica Greenbaum
347 623 2295
http://poemsincommunity.org/
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/jessica-greenbaum#about
LMSW

[Anne Williams]

Jess. Two suggestions: 1)Ask Ormsbee to conduct a pressure test when they deliver. We had gas smell/leak outside. Instructed Ormsbee to do the pressure test. The pressure test revealed that the regulator was faulty. The lines from the regulator to (and inside) the cabin were fine. Ormsbee replaced the regulator. 2) We’ve used Ed Brammer land line 860-435-2836 for a small leak on one of the gas lamps. He was the one who told me the right instructions to give Ormsbee. Hope this helps.

[Jessica Greenbaum]

Anne, thank you so much. I believe Mr. Brammer, the holder of an astounding
amount of propane fridge knowledge and more, has retired. But I might try
him–maybe he’ll come out of retirement!– in the hopes of getting up and
going before Ormsbee. And I will use that wording with Ormsbee if I have to
wait for them.
Everyone has been hugely helpful, thank you!
jess
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jessica Greenbaum
347 623 2295
http://poemsincommunity.org/
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/jessica-greenbaum#about
LMSW

[Roger Williams]

Jess, it could be something as simple as a slightly loose
fitting. You can test the system (once you have even temporary gas
giving pressure) using a soapy water solution. Pour some on each
joint you can find,all the way from the tank fitting, wait 30
seconds while looking for slight bubbles forming. If you see this,
tighten that fitting a bit. It probably won’t take much. Of
course, to do it right you want to track each line from tank to
fixture. And often with gas fitting you need two adjustable
wrenches, to hold opposing sides of the joint to tighten without
torquing the line itself.

If it has never happened before, think back to anything that has
changed and look there first. But with cooling and warming, gas
fittings that were barely tight enough before could start to leak.

If the line has been crimped or bent hard anywhere, check there,
too. Whatever caused that crimp my have work-hardened the copper
tube and a crack might have formed.

Roger

Roger
Clark Williams
24060
Cedar Mountain Dr., Rapidan, VA 22733
Mobile:
+1-802-355-9933
Alternate
email: [email protected]

“The
FAO says 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted each year.
So, lick your
plate.” Roger
Williams (b.1945)

[Jessica Greenbaum]

Awesome. And I have lots of soap on hand these days!
I might enlist Jed to help with the dual wrench motion, once I have a tank
and some warmer weather.
I so appreciate the sharing of mountain knowledge.
jess
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jessica Greenbaum
347 623 2295
http://poemsincommunity.org/
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/jessica-greenbaum#about
LMSW

[Virginia Blaker]

Andy Brammer is his son, also a plummer. He filled in at my camp. Let me know if you want his contact .
Sent from my iPhone

[Jessica Greenbaum]

Virginia, yes, I’d very much like Andy Brammer’s contact info—how terrific! Feel free to use my personal email.
[email protected].

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jessica Greenbaum
347 623 2295
http://poemsincommunity.org/
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/jessica-greenbaum#about
LMSW

[Barbara Barvoets]

I would be very careful when it comes to gas and gas leaks. I would
recommend only use professionals to assess problem; we lost a camp when the
gas was turned on by a hired company, who no longer service Mt Riga.

If there is a problem with your self assessment phase, you are deeply
settled in the woods w/ near neighbors.

Be careful please.

Barbara

[Dick Storey]

Hello Jessie,
Someone will have to check all the gas connections for leaks … you can use soap & water on the connections and look for bubbles, or you can get a spray which turns purple in the presence of gas at your local hardware store.
Turn the gas back on, and starting at your gas tank, check the connection for any gas leaks. Follow the gas line to the next and all subsequent connections … test each one for a leak.Eventually, you will get into your cabin where you can check  the connections to the range, refrigerator, etc for gas leaks. Even if you find a leak and fix it, check all other connections (there may be more than one leak).
If no leaks are found, you may have to check that the gas lines are not leaking. Another quick test is to go along the pipe line and see if you smell any gas.
Gas connections have to be fairly tight, and the pipe threads sealed with teflon tape or a plumbers putty.You might want to have Dan Brazee check for the leak(s).
Good luck. See you on the mountain in June or July.
DIck Storey

—–Original Message—–
From: Mount Riga Inc <[email protected]>
To: rstorey28

[Jessica Greenbaum]

Dick, It was so kind of you to take the time to write me these careful instructions. Thank you so much! I’m still hoping for an electrician / plumber’s help (Eddie Brammer’s son) so that it can be done without me being there (with no stove)! Jed and I send great good wishes for you and Olivia and look forward to the summer when so much of this extreme time may be in our histories, only.

[Jessica Greenbaum]

For Virgina Blaker,
Greetings, Virginia. Might I have the contact info for Andy Brammer? I’ve googled about but no luck. Feel free to use my personal email as I fear I am trying the patience of the whole mountain with this thread.
[email protected]
Best wishes for comfortable safety, and the health of all those in your world.
jess

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