LPG Gas Canister bolt stuck? How to remove?

[buckaroo]

I hope this is the right forum for this, but in the garde, we use propane LPG Gas canisters (orange)

I have attached a picture and cannot remove the bolt from this empty canister to replace with another?

I always thought these LPG tanks were counter-clockwise (looking at it straight on) so have been using WD-40 and mole grips to try and free this but no luck at all!

Obviously other forums tell you to free a stuck bolt, to try gas torch or heat - but obvioulsy I dont want to try that on a gas canister, empty or not!

Any ideas of free-ing a stuck bolt or tips on removing an LPG feed to swap canisters?

Pic below, and the hexagonal bolt is in the middle of the picture that needs free-ing

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[Boilerman2]

I aasume you realise it is a LEFT HAND THREAD!!??

Turn union CLOCKWISE to undo
if it is tight a good fitting spanner on the union and a tap (Clockwise) of course with a suitable percussion tool!

 

[cozzmic]

Mole grips are not the way, get a proper spanner and tap it round with a rubber mallet clockwise, its a left hand thread. It will be just too tight.

 

[Boilerman2]

Morning Cozzmic- think about Left hand threads, it will be the revers of what is considered normal i.e Anti clock will Tighten a L/H trhead
whereas CLOCK WISE will undo it!!

 

[doitall]

And don't even think about using heat on it unless you're up for a Darwin award.

 

[cozzmic]

Aye boilerman, spotted my mistake and corrected straight away, DOH!!

Great mind think alike though. LOL

 

[Boilerman2]

Feel the Love on the Forum Cozzmic!!

 

[Boilerman2]

Talking about using heat to release the gas bottle union remindes me of a Holiday Mrs BM2 & I spent in Phuket Thailand a few years ago, we were sitting on the beach gettin some rays, when all of the Hotel staff were led down to the beach by the Local fire brigade, it was their Fire fighting training course, they set up the gear about 20ft from where all us holiday makers were relaxing drinking swimming etc etc, I was quite interested in what format the course would take, this is how it went!
1) Fireman opens up valve on LPG bottel (no regulator) and sets fire to the discharge!!
2) Delegate had to a) put out fire with CO2 extinguisher, and then b). turn off gas at bottle!!

after about 10 of them had practiced this, the valve on the bottle was so hot, they were having to turn it off using a rag!!!

I maust say my A**e was twitching like a Bunny Rabbit's noze!!

 

[buckaroo]

all done thanks! huge spanner did it, and yes CLOCKWISE did it too!

 

[Boilerman2]

Hurrah! !