MSA at a loss over gas leaks

The Malta Standards Authority is still at a loss over what is causing leaks between gas cylinders and regulators, which have on occasion caught fire when connected to a heater.

MSA chairman Francis Farrugia said the authority would be sending LPG samples and regulators to a specialised laboratory either in the Netherlands or the UK to establish what the problem was.

“We will inform them this is an urgent matter,” Mr Farrugia said.

The authority had said it had identified a possible culprit but the problem seems to be more complex than anticipated.

“The issue is that the regulators are all up to EU standards and all are meant for LPG. However, the LPG used abroad might not be the same as the one we use locally. Some regulators leak, others don’t. The issue is more complex than it appears,” the chairman said. “We can’t just ban regulators from the market.”

Once the results are established, importers will be instructed on which regulators could be put on the local market and which could not.

Some cylinders and regulators were not compatible because cylinders varied in pressure and regulators had different pressure tolerances, Mr Farrugia said.

In a statement yesterday, the authority recommended consumers check that their regulators were suitable for the Liquefied Petroleum Gas cylinders marketed in Malta.

They also needed to check that the regulators fitted onto the cylinders were in good working order and changed according to the recommendations of the manufacturer.

Ideally, the cylinders are to be kept outdoors and no tools should be used while fitting the regulators as these may damage the rubber seal on the cylinder valve.

The authority also advised the operators to ensure the regulators placed on the market conformed to standards and had sufficient warnings about the intended use. Consumers should report any leaks to the LPG supplier on the numbers found on each cylinder.

People had written in complaining their gas regulators had gone up in flames when their gas cylinders were connected to their heaters. This, according to an MSA spokesman, was turning out to be a seasonal problem.

Some readers had attributed the incidents to a faulty batch of valves in Liquigas cylinders, however the company has denied any such defect and has assured its customers that its green cylinders conform to all EU and local regulations.

The MSA is not investigating valves, it confirmed yesterday.