Can smell gas!!!!!!!!!!!

[bboran]

I am new to this and have a few questions. I use a hotthead with a refillable 6 lb tank of propoylene. I just refilled it for the 2nd time. My first question is that i can smell the odor that is supposedly part of propoylene so that you can detect a leak but i cant seem to find anything leaking. I know you are suppose to check for leaks using soap and water but what do you do with the gas and the torch. (Do you turn the gas on and leave the torch off or on and i assume you dont light anything!!!!) If there are no found leaks then could it be my tank that i just replaced. I am also having trouble with my beads getting that "liver color" to them too. Could it be a bad tank of gas. This tank really came "beat up". I had no problems the first time.

The other question i have is re: ventilation. We have a air to air heat exchanger in our house (it takes the old stale air out and replaces it with clean fresh air). Is that sufficient for ventilation? I maybe torch 3-10 hours a week.

I am afraid to light my torch with that smell!!!!

Thanks so much.

[MikeAurelius]

1) Your leak - to check for leaks, the gas has to be turned on, and in your case, the torch should be lit. Check everything, including the torch head - there are a number of fittings on the torch that can leak, and everwhere where there is a connection of pieces fitting together where gas flows through, including the valve assembly, should be leak checked.

2) NO. An air-to-air heat exchanger is NOT an acceptable ventilation unit. You need a dedicated exhaust system with it's own fresh air supply.

[margogo7777]

Oh!I am surprise the same things happen to me yesterday.And this also the start of my second time refill the tank.My tank is 25 LB the gas is same to yours.The tank and hose are new when I bought them last month.I smell the gas and try to find where is the leak from.Then I use the Hothead to a 1 pound cylinder gas and found it still leak.So I guess there are something wrong with my hothead torch.My hothead torch have been use for more than one year.I have never clean it before,so I want to follow the instruction from other website to clean it.When you clean it you need open the top of the torch but my torch seems too tight to open so I have to give up and bought a new one.I am now waiting my new torch come.Here is the link of how to clean the torch.Maybe it can helps you.

http://www.cauldroncreations.com/hotheadinfo.html

[margogo7777]

I forgot tell you.My tank is second time refill but I have already used it several times and didn't smell gas leak at least not as much as yesterday night.I drained the hose after use out the first tank of gas and I drained hose yesterday night also only a very little oil in it.Use your hothead on a 1LB cylinder gas to find out if the same problem happens.This is a good idea figure out if the problem happen to the torch or the tank with hose.I am so glad to found torch still leak on 1LB gas.