I've bought a new GAS IT bottle, what do I need to know and do first?
GAS IT Bottles shipped by courier & gauge functionality check before first fill up or fitting.
How to fit the mechanical gas level indicator to your GAS IT bottle, how to test the gauge is working and how to remove any air from inside the bottle - all before you pipe it up and before filling with LPG.
Before installing the gas bottle into your vehicle you must fit the mechanical gas level indicator provided, it’s stapled to a flap in the bottle box or supplied in the kit of parts box, onto the neck of the GAS IT bottle as show in section A, B & C of the downloadable document below.
Once you’ve fitted the gas level gauge to the bottle move onto the next procedure to show you that the gauge and float has been reset and is working before fitting the bottle into the vehicle and definitely before filling it up with LPG.
Once you have fitted the clip on gauge to the bottle, hold the bottle and gently rock it from side to side / up and down ( DO NOT SHAKE ) and this movement will show you that the gas level indicator and float system has been reset and is working correctly as the needle on the gauge will go from empty to full and back again ( see attached video ).
When you are happy the gauge is working continue to install the gas bottle in your vehicle.
The reason for having to reset the German made valve (with float in the inside of the bottle ) and carry these tests out before filling wit LPG or fitting it the vehicle is simply because when the bottle gets shipped from GAS IT HQ the courier can lay the bottle on its side, upside down and also bounce the bottle about, we have found that if you do not carry this test procedure out that if you were to fill with LPG first that it can lock the float the wrong way.
We test every bottle before they leave us for full fuctionality and we even test the display but the moment the courier either bangs the bottle heavily, lays it on its side or bounces it around, this testing work we carry out can be undone until you reset the float yourselves. If you reset the float every single time before install, it will work 100% going forward. If you bought your bottles on a pallet this would never happen and each German made display and valve would function as normal for the future.
Do not fill with LPG before completing the previous and following steps first.
Once the install of your bottle and filling system is complete and before connecting the gas pigtail to the tap on the bottle, open the gas outlet tap slightly and release any air which has been left in the bottle during the test procedure. Once the bottle is empty of all air, close the manual tap and re-attach the pigtail to the gas bottles outlet tap before commissioning the bottle system and filling with LPG.
If you are happy your gauge was working and if you're sure you have drained the air from the bottle and your sure you have connected all the pipes and hoses securely then now go to fill up with LPG.
Please Note : The gas level indicator on the gas bottle is only an indication of the gas contents and not an exact display as it is not a calibrated unit. All gas level indicators fitted to bottles work by floating on the liquid LPG in the bottle but as LPG expands and contracts with temperature this level might show slightly different throughout the day and thus can vary.
Inline with N.C.C commissioning requirements, we only recommend the system be commissioned with air first, so you can check the functionality of the system and do your first leak checks. Then introduce vapour to carry out further leak checks and the running of the Gas system. On initial filling only put the minimum amount of LPG ( no more than 2 ltrs ) until the system is fully tested for functionality and leaks once again This is so should you find any problems you do not have to empty and waste a full tank of gas.
Remember that once you have filled up your GAS IT bottle with LPG you should promptly check all connections with certified leak detection spray to make sure you have no leaks. We always recommend retesting all joints and connections for leaks during the ownership of your GAS IT products as they might become loose due to vibrations when travelling.
If you have any questions contact our GAS IT technical support team at GAS IT HQ via the raise a support ticket on our knowledge base.
We have a downloadable GAS IT Technical Article on this attached here that will offer some assistance.