I'm having trouble attaching a gas bottle to my barbecue.

by Patricia
(Australia)

I'm having trouble attaching a gas bottle to my barbecue. I exchanged a gas bottle and now I can't screw the connection together, the attachment will not screw right in.

Answer:-

This is a really difficult one to address from afar but I'll give it my best shot. Really it's about trying to eliminate any variables that you have between the orignal gas bottle and this new one.

There's two styles of regulator / connector that I've come across and I doubt whether it's possible to get these confused but it's worth spending a little time on it for the record.

The most common style of connection between the gas bottle and the regulator is a screw fitting where the male part is on the regulator and the female part is on the tap of the gas bottle. If you were turning a bolt into a nut then the rule of thumb is "right to tighten, left to loosen" but with gas bottles it is the opposite. Dont get confused.

Less common is a regulator that snaps over the gas bottle. In the UK these are now becoming more common and are generally sold with patio heaters, some barbecue manufacturers have adopted this fitting too. Frankly the only difference that I've been able to find is that the suppliers of this latter type of connection charge more for their gas so I avoid these fittings.

That said, I read from your mail that the type of fitting you have is the conventional "screw" fitting and I'm assuming that you've worked out that the thread is in reverse?

After that, take a look at (measure) how deep the thread is in the tap on the bottle. It's possible that the new bottle you have doesn't have as great a depth to take all the thread from the regulator. If the regulator isn't properly seated in the tap then this is a problem but if it is seated well and the issue is that it's not secured by such a long thread as you had on the previous bottle then this might not be such a problem (as I say provided it is seated well).

After that it could be that there is some dirt inside the tap or that the thread in the tap is damaged. Try cleaning out the thread and see if this has any effect but if it is the thread, don't take any risks, take it back to where you bought it.

That final point is worth repeating - If you're not completely happy, don't take any risks, return the bottle.

Another option is to remove your regulator from the gas pipe and take this to your gas retailer too and demonstrate the problem.

One final point to make is that many folks will tell you that problems with gas tanks are all too common and this is why they all say that if you find a bottle that works for you, don't exchange it, get it refilled. Now I know that this isn't possible everywhere but it's worth having a closer look at some of the potential gas suppliers in your area and seeing what services are available.