It seems New Zealand is heading towards a gas crisis. The gas fields do not harbor infinite amounts.
This fact is worrying. Regardless of New Zealand’s industries etc gas is especially necessary for us! The life that we lead depends very much on what comes out of that round bottle.
Which is why we felt we were in a bit of a crisis the other night. No matter what we tried, or Peter tried, the gas on our hob kept loosing pressure. No cuppa was forthcoming. Then the fridge began to beep and we knew we were really in trouble.
As Peter tried all the ways suggested on youtube, like letting off some of the gas in the bottle first and checking connections, I thought alarmingly about the future. No showers, no heat, no fridge, no cooking, no longer living the way we are. I was also looking up RV workshops in the area, thinking we would need to pack up the next day and take the caravan somewhere to be worked on.
Mercifully after a couple of hours changing bottles I suggested we reach out to people. The obvious way in this year 2024 is to reach out online. So Peter put a plea out on facebook and had hardly waited ten minutes before the replies filtered in. Gas problems apparently are not unique.
Three of the replies were from people we knew from years past. We were really pleased to hear from them, although their suggestions didn’t work. Then a reply pinged into the chat which saved the day. The solution was like a small miracle. It solved our gas problem easily and quickly with no expense.
What was the solution? Well seemingly if you turn the gas bottle on too quickly the ball bearings do not open the hatch correctly, so no gas. So very carefully and slowly Peter turned the top of the bottle and hey presto the hob lit up.
Since then we have had no further hob issues, although we do have the issue at times, as a lot of people do, of deciding when to swap the gas bottle. Deciding how much gas is still left in the bottle can be hit and miss.
As mentioned in the opening statement New Zealand is facing a pending gas shortage, so we want to use every bit of this wonderful resource.