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propane sniffers - soapy water test...

updated sun 16 jan 05

 

pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET on sat 15 jan 05


Hi Ivor,


Just ambled a post sent a moment ago, with our interest in
the scent occuring with the almost-empty phase of the
Propane Jug...

But wanted to mention also that I also like the Soap and
Water test too, for any pressurised lines or hoses or
fittings...it is tried and true and easy.

Not much use for Vacuum line's possible leaks maybe, but oh
well...


Westinghouse's fortune made originally on the Air Brake for
Locomotives, useing compressed Air, which I understand to
have supplaced a previous charm-school of useing Vacuum, for
which, leaks in the lines and connectors had been hard for
Engineers or their assigns to hear...as well as that the
compressed Air could enjoy a higher pressure than that
excerted by our Atmosphere of course...and made leaks easy
enough to hear to satisfy the interest.

Oh! Funny Hydrogen anecdote...

I was charging a large six Volt Car Battery the other day,
and, well, I sorta forgot about maybe for a while...I had it
on a Charging apparatis which will either have a 'trickle
charge' rate, or, a heavy 'starting' rate...and, I do not
think it was me, but maybe it was, but anyway, it ended up
being for some indeterminate time on the 'start' setting...

Well, when I walked over to it, to see how it was coming
along, the top was 'wavey', and the sides were really puffed
out...and I thought, "Hmmm"...

I undid the leads and set them aside tenderly, on the ground
( Battery was in the Car) , and, twisting one of the Caps to
remove it and inspect the Water level, the little Cap came
off like a Champaign Cork..."POP!" indeed...and I mean a big
"pop" too. And I got a good whiff of old Mr. Hydrogen there,
believe me.

Golly, never seen one get so bulged out with pressure
before...guess the little vent holes for the Cap's
free-breathing were stopped up. Did this on all three in
fact. Glad I got to it when I did, or who knows, might have
ruptured, or, if it ruptured and got a spark from the hot
leads somehow as it did so..coulda been...unpleasant for
sure...with lots of nasty Acid all over...

Anyway...

Water level was fine in all three Cells...Battery seems fine
overall too...glad for that...!

Sheeesh...

"Life on the Farm"...always sumthin'...


Phil
el ve


----- Original Message -----
From: "Ivor and Olive Lewis"


> <uses the soap
> solution.>>
>
> Dear Edouard,
> So do I ! ! Learned to do so when I was firing Hydrogen
atmosphere
> sintering furnaces. Did not wish to be initiated into the
realms of
> "Rocket Science" ! !
> Frequently when Olive tells me she has detected a whiff I
do the test
> . Always a negative with the soft soap bubbles.
> But her observation correlates with a bottle that is
reaching
> emptiness. Which is why I put that proposition to Phil in
El Ve about
> the delay between emission and ignition allowing gas with
a higher
> stench load to get into the local atmosphere.
> Best regards,
> Ivor Lewis.
> Redhill,
> S. Australia.