Advice to omit the auto change LP valve

[wopachop]

Ive needed new hoses for awhile. For $25 i see some stainless hoses with a built in gauge. But i often read the auto change valves leak so maybe its best to buy a kit. Flame King has good reviews and 40 bucks for a complete kit on amazon.

I see a small bubble forming on the large hose the exits the regulator. Its right at the crimp connection. Is that common and cosmetic?

I dont use the auto change feature so maybe its best to get a single regulator with a nice quality hose. Along with new hose from regulator to trailer.

You guys helped me before with quality brands but i cant find that old thread. I remember there were 2 major brands one being Cavagna. Maybe the other was Marshal? Is that Flame King new or just the same ole cheap version thats always been around?

Ive got Rvpartsshop and Rv country open trying to see whats available.

[wopachop]

Ive got the same type of flame thrower. Adapted it to use the small propane bottles and like you said it does ice over. I think i remember it not working well on a full tank. I use it mostly to burn weeds and light charcoal sometimes.

[NRALIFR]

Regarding the hoses with built in gauges, unfortunately the relationship between the pressure inside the cylinder and it’s true state of “fullness” isn’t linear. The pressure is also affected by the ambient temperature, and how heavily your propane appliance is drawing from the tank.

A good illustration of this is a flame-thrower like torch I have at home that runs off of a propane cylinder. It has no regulator at all, so it uses full tank pressure. I’ve used it so heavily at times that the tank freezes up, actually gets covered with a thick layer of frost, and the torch won’t be able to stay lit despite the control valve being full open. Almost no gas will be coming out. I have to wait for the tank to warm back up, and the liquid propane inside it to boil off to vapor again and build up pressure inside the tank.

The 30 lb. horizontal cylinders in my truck camper have gauges built in to the cylinders, and these are real float actuated gauges, not pressure. These dang cylinders are over $200 each, and even they aren’t linear in their representation of the level of propane inside the cylinder. From full, they tend to drop fairly quickly to half, then even quicker to empty, but then it will be a long, long time before the auto-switch regulator changes over to the other cylinder. But once the regulator switches, the cylinder is truly empty. I’ve checked, and there’s not enough left in there to worry about.

:):)

[mr_andyj]

haha, yes, mr know it all didnt help me either.
I have not read on this thread at all of anyone concerned of explosions, someone has been watching too much movies. The problem with slow leaks is not safety, but rather a matter of propane supply.

Propane still can leak enough to be a problem and not be noticeable, I wish it could leak and not matter, sure... I have had slow leaks and over two weeks the bottle is empty. Maybe for some this is reasonable, but was not for me.

The pressure in a bottle of propane will decrease as you use up propane, right.? That's how pressure works, you take away some propane (volume) and there will be less of it so less pressure. IDK what magic anyone would think propane has to defy science. The propane is held liquid under a pressure, but still the pressure will decrease as you empty the bottle. Now, an empty bottle may not be zero, but the pressure difference will be observable. If I were to go to all the trouble of taking the bottle off then before putting it on a scale and checking my notes I will just give it a shake and feel the LP slosh around or feel that it is empty. The L in LP stands for Liquid, so being a liquid means you can feel it slosh around inside a sealed bottle.

Good luck

[wopachop]

Does that mean the hoses with built in gauge wont be very accurate in the middle to mid low range? Because it doesnt have the float sensor you describe?

If pressure remains the same it makes sense you would really only see fully charged or super low.

I'm starting to be able to tell a low propane tank when cooking. My fridge is on electric so no worries of it shutting off while away.

[2oldman]

Harvey51 wrote:
My regulator tank switching mechanism doesn’t work either. I don’t mind switching bottles when I see the one in use is running low.

They do fail, but it takes years. I simply rock the tank to get a feel for its weight.

[Harvey51]

I once bought a propane bottle gauge for $20 from Costco, thinking Costco was a reputable business. Just screw it on any bottle! Then I thought about it : how does it sense the volume or weight of propane in the bottle? The pressure is always the same unless it is empty.
On advice on this forum I bought a suitcase weigh scale and calculated the number of pounds of propane in a bottle by subtracting the weight of the empty bottle. It has served me well for years.
I recently saw that gauge in Home Hardware for $30 and informed the new owner that he was selling a scam.
Costco IS reputable: I recently bought a 20 pound bottle from Costco with a gauge on top AND a float inside the bottle to sense the amount of liquid in the bottle. It works! Good price.

My regulator tank switching mechanism doesn’t work either. I don’t mind switching bottles when I see the one in use is running low.

[2oldman]

If you manage to run down two full propane tanks to zero using a regulator, you're not checking them often enough. They are not 'set and forget.' I carry 4 smaller ones and make sure I'm never down to my last tank.

[wopachop]

Gdetrailer wrote:
Your "friends" don't know what they are doing..

I wouldn't take any "advice" from them.

Gdetrailer wrote:
When in doubt, hit all the connections with a soapy solution and wait a few minutes to see if you have bubbles..

Hey Mr know it all with the self proclaimed great advice after about 10 seconds the water drips off the pipe or hose youre checking and need to spray again.

I didnt find any of your comments helpful. I was hoping there would be a plumber on here that could steer me towards a brand of regulator that is higher quality than what we find on trailers.

Thank you to everyone else who replied. Leaning towards keeping my regulator and buying new hoses.

p.s. i drive a lot and love my cruise. Except for hills. My old 02 7.3l gives way too much fuel to speed up. Its like slamming the gas pedal down. Makes it hard for towing as well because it gives too much throttle trying to maintain speed.

[Gdetrailer]

mr_andyj wrote:
You CAN have a leak and never smell it.
Trust me, Trust all of us who are telling you this. Only leaks that are big enough to give off enough scent can be detected by a human, small leaks are impossible to sniff-out with a nose.

If a leak is so "small" that you cannot detect the odorant it is not going to big enough to cause an explosion or fire.

In a RV, you really do not have very many pipe joints, pretty much all of those are OUTSIDE where even IF there was a tiny, tiny, tiny leak it will do no harm. If you are concerned about wasting propane from the tiny, tiny, tiny leak it will be so little lost that it most likely would take years to lose a few ounces of propane.

You have a far greater chance of the rubber hoses leaking propane through the PORES in RUBBER of the hoses (and yes, rubber has pores which is why tires lose pressure)..

Heck, I have a nearly 40 yr old RV, the only thing I have done with mine is changed out the old weather beaten cracked hoses.

I am not going to sweat an extremely small loss at one or two pipe joints that I cannot smell or even see soap bubbles (which by the way IS an "acceptable" test for natural and propane gas leaks).

When in doubt, hit all the connections with a soapy solution and wait a few minutes to see if you have bubbles..

Folks are scared silly and way over thinking this..

[mr_andyj]

You CAN have a leak and never smell it.
Trust me, Trust all of us who are telling you this. Only leaks that are big enough to give off enough scent can be detected by a human, small leaks are impossible to sniff-out with a nose.

The "dial" knob only chooses the tank which will be run empty first. If the other tank is open then when the selected tanks is empty then the regulator will switch to the second tank, no need to be involved. Yes, you can run both empty if you do not occasionally look over to see if the red indicator has popped up.

If there is no second tank then you have a dual regulator with one tank. Simple.
For me, if doing this, I would take the hose out and put a plug in as suggested just for good measure.

The guy on page 1 talking about "milling" . you do not need to do any modifications to the threads or regulator, for goodness sake!
What people are talking about is an "inverted male flare" fitting. look that up for reference.

Take that inverted male flare fitting out and use an NPT hose if you like, or use a hose meant for an inverted male flare if you other like. It does not matter. Just do not try to use a flare hose into an NPT thread, or NPT hose into a flare fitting. There is no such thing as a regulator with an inverted male flare fitting, only NPT/FPT regulators with an inverted flare fitting already threaded in.

One tank, two tanks, it does not matter.

Keep your regulator. It is likely better than any $30 regulator you can find.

Never use a single-stage regulator on an Rv, those are just for BBQ grills or outdoor stoves, or outdoor space heaters. RV appliances need a higher-standard controlled flow / controlled pressure.

[Gdetrailer]

poppa wrote:

why do you need the auto feature if you leave one tank off?

I figured someone might wander..

This way I don't end up with TWO EMPTY cylinders at the same time.

It is very easy to never look at the regulator "flag", most folks just turn on both Cylinders and let it rip and forget about it..

The downside to that is if you forget to periodically check for the empty cylinder red flag, the change over happens and you do not know it, you are now running out your last cylinder..

That would be a real bummer in the middle of the night in very cold temps and you have absolutely nothing to keep you warm at 2:00 AM.

Or worse yet run out on say Sunday morning at 2:00 AM and no propane suppliers are open until Monday morning at 9:00 AM..

Opening only ONE at a time allows me to know that I ALWAYS have always a FULL cylinder ready to use and when it runs out at a bad time I simply just get up and go outside a open the full cylinder and be back running in minutes. Then I can simply get the other cylinder refilled and ready to do over again.. I use it like a backup system.

Got it?

[Gdetrailer]

wopachop wrote:

Gdetrailer wrote:
If it does develop a leak, you WILL smell it, so as long as you do not smell anything there is nothing wrong with your reg.

Not true at all. People go nuts trying to find propane leaks.

Those "people" you mention obviously do not know what they are doing or how to troubleshoot or plain can't smell (yes, it is possible to not be able to smell due to medical conditions but in that case you won't have any taste either and life would not be much fun in that case).

COMMERCIAL Propane contains Ethyl Mercaptan that IS ADDED by the Propane suppliers which is a highly offensive and potent smell. Smells a lot like rotten eggs, some folks might think a bit on rotten cabbage. Takes very little of this additive to get your attention and it is INTENTIONALLY ADDED so you CAN DETECT AND CORRECT a problem.

Use your nose and you WILL easily find the source of the leak.

You can also use a mixture of your favorite hand dish detergent mixed in some water and use a small paint brush to brush the soapy water over pipe joints. ANY leak SLIGHT what so ever WILL show bubbles, you just have to be patient and wait a couple of minutes per joint and watch for bubbles to form.

Alternate is the same soapy mixture that you buy for kids to blow bubbles.

Your "friends" don't know what they are doing..

I wouldn't take any "advice" from them.

Propane just like Natural Gas is colorless and odorless and ALL suppliers in the US States are REQUIRED to include an odorant for leak detection for both types of gas.

[time2roll]

Under heavy use I don't consider a check once a day to be obsessive.
And yes I have camped at zero F.

With one tank off and the indicator is waking up to the elbow in your ribs due to the constant blowing of cold air at 3am so I can run out in my skivvies to open a valve.... no thanks. I will check it daily. BTDT Glad there was no rain or snow at the time.

I suppose if conditions were that extreme I would carry a 3rd cylinder.

As for cruise control, yes you still need to watch the road periodically.

[valhalla360]

time2roll wrote:
I like cruise control. Some just refuse to give in to automation.

Cruise control is great...until you ram into a stopped car in a construction zone.

Unless it has some audible indication or a flashing light by the door, if you camp in cold weather, you are going to find yourself without heat sooner or later unless you are obsessive about checking the tanks.