LPG Gas Filter

kwk56pt - Well, legally you're not supposed to work on LPG systems unless you're a licenced LPG installer. However, I'll presume you have reasonable mechanical skills and you're not a hammer-and-chisel merchant who smokes while he works on LPG components.

This unit usually contains a replaceable paper element that should be changed about every 20-30,000 kms. LPG contains a certain amount of gummy, tar-like residue that builds up over a period of time. There's possibly another filter on the tank outlet.

You can get the elements off eBay.uk by searching for "Lovato LPG" - or you could try the company in the link below, who state they ship to the USA and Canada, but say nothing about shipping to Australia.

http://www.tinleytech.co.uk/acatalog/Filter_shut-off_valves_and_filter_elements.html#a239

Turn the gas off at the tank and then unscrew the filter cover. Make sure your work area is well-ventilated and there's no naked flames, fridges running, or other electric motors operating in the near vicinity. You might have to remove the filter and examine it for a part number, or measure its dimensions to acquire the correct one, and then replace it temporarily. Once the cover has been replaced, turn on the gas and check for leaks with soapy water in a squirter bottle, or brush the soapy solution around the filter.

There's also another problem with LPG setups. I don't know how old your setup is, or who installed it - but there has been a problem in the recent past with an oily residue gumming up solenoids and destroying diaphragms in converters (vaporisers).

The problem has been rubber or polyester (thermoplastic) hoses being used in the LPG installation, that contain high levels of plasticiser in the rubber or polyester. The LPG leaches the plasticiser out of the rubber or polyester, and it appears as a brown oily residue in the vaporiser and solenoids.

This oily liquid residue consists mainly of chemicals called adipates and phthalates, which have come from the plasticiser used in the rubber and polyester hoses.
The adipates and phthalates attack the diaphragm and destroy it, causing airbox explosions as the gas leaks back into the intake and it then backfires.

The solution has been to replace rubber and polyester hoses that contain high levels of plasticiser, with copper and stainless tubing where possible, and to use low-plasticiser rubber and polyester hose. LPG installers have been using low-plasticiser-level hoses since 2008.

Here's the webpage that covers the problem, along with a technical explanation of the problem, and the relevant changes to gas installations.

http://www.commerce.wa.gov.au/energysafety/Content/Regulation/Gas_installations/LPG-Autogas_users_important_up.html

Cheers, Ron.