16' Series Smev 4 burner cooktop low flame.

Leady

New Member
Jan 8, 2018
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Kinglake
Hi all, I'm new to the page and how it all works but here goes. We have upgraded to a 2009 16.49 expanda and have check and found that the SMEV
Four burner cooktop is fine if one burner is on but if you light the remaining two the flame / flames get lower as the burners are lit. The fridge works on gas so I would assume that the regulator is okay. Anyone had this problem?

Thanks
 

rags

Well-Known Member
From the comfort of my lounge chair I suggest that Your regulator is 'buggered'. The regulator should have a smaller 1st stage over pressure regulator and these are known to 'fail', which means it actually did its job. You will need a new regulator fitted.
The reason a single burner or fridge appear to work is their is a low pressure but not the 2.75kpa required to run all burners. You will find the flame you are getting is probably what we gasfitters call incomplete combustion most likely with an orange tipped flame.
 

mikerezny

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Sep 11, 2016
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Hi All, Just an update I installed a new reg and all good. Thanks again for the assistance.
Hi,
if you are using flexible hoses between the gas cylinders and the regulator, you might want to consider replacing depending on how old they are.
The rubber hoses are known to disintegrate over time and clog up the regulator.

If I am not mistaken, new hoses are now stamped with a use by date.

Fortunately, I do not have a flexible hose, just a copper pipe pigtail.

Unfortunately, I have had a faulty regulator. If you get stuck out in the bush and you suspect the regulator, you might try taking off the cover for the pressure adjustment and carefully winding the adjusting screw all the way in (counting the number of turns) and then winding it all the way out, then return it to the original setting.

Someone camping next to us with way more experience than me got ours working again and it kept working for the rest of our two-week trip and saved us packing up and going back home.

cheers
Mike
 

Drover

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Nov 7, 2013
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Good stuff and thanks for the feedback, so many neglect to come back so we never know if it worked..........................I have pulled the odd regulator apart in the hope of a temp fix only to find the guts has gone rusty/corroded you were lucky @mikerezny , I wonder if the odd spray of Lanox would help ???????

I'm a bit suss with mine as when a bottle gets very low I smell gas, full bottle all good .................................. I went from copper pig tails to the shielded flexy hoses mainly as the copper was giving me grief at changeover when we lived in the rig, just replace hoses every 3 years.
 

Drover

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Nov 7, 2013
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Depends on the ones you buy I think, cheap water ones do the same, chuck every 3 yes and all good, cheap as chips...
 

Crusty181

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Feb 7, 2010
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From memory there was originally a problem with the flex hoses clagging up. Has this all been fixed? IS it still an issue?
Ive had the Bromic braided hose on for 3 1/2 year, as of today theyre still kickin along ok. My regs are lower than the bottle valves; wasnt that the claimed culprit for the eroded rubber which blocked the reg ???
 
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Crusty181

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Feb 7, 2010
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While we're chatting about regs and hoses, do we know what the max flow rate is of the factory regs.

My Weber is around 20% slower on the vans bayonet than direct from a bottle.
 
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rags

Well-Known Member
Ive had the Bromic braided hose on for 3 1/2 year, as of today theyre still kickin along ok. My regs are lower than the bottle valves; wasnt that the claimed culprit for the eroded rubber which blocked the reg ???

AS5601 requires the regulator to be higher than the bottle outlet. The reason being that with a full bottle it is possible to draw down LPG in its liquid form when the rego is below bottle outlet. It will still vapourise but can create issues for regos.
Bromic range of fittings and hoses are good quality.
 
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Drover

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I thought it was just age and sunlight/heat that rotted the rubber.

Jayco just use the run of the mill chinese reg might be a dodgy bayonet fitting on van not opening enough ???............
 

Leady

New Member
Jan 8, 2018
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Kinglake
Good work Leady, glad it worked out for you. Out of interest is the pig tail ( or flex hose) entry into the regulator higher than bottle outlet?
Hey Drover it was a copper pipe but changed over to a flexible one just to make it easier.
 
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