Leak testing the LP system
Every LP repair ends with a leak test. Bubbles find a leak; a pressure test proves the whole system is tight.
The short version
- Use leak detection solution on every fitting you touched. Watch for bubbles.
- A timed pressure drop test on a manometer checks the whole system at once. Follow the procedure your shop and the codes require.
- Never test for leaks with a flame.
- If you smell gas, stop. Shut the tank off and ventilate.
On the job
- Every appliance off, pilots out, every burner knob off.
- Manometer on the stove manifold (pull a burner cap, use a spud fitting) or an appliance test port.
- Cylinder on a few seconds to charge the system, then off. Crack a burner valve to bleed down to 8 in WC, close it.
- Let it settle, then time 3 minutes. The needle must not move. Any drop is a leak.
- Find it with an electronic detector or approved bubble solution on every fitting. Repair, then repeat the test.
Numbers
- Test pressure: 8 in WC
- Hold time: 3 minutes, no drop
- Temperature effect: about 1.5% per 10°F, keep it short and out of the sun
Shop tip
Write your pressure test results on the RO. It protects you and the shop.
Try it on a service call
Put the lesson to work on a hands-on troubleshooting case.