New to Escape... new to RV'ing...

[KarenH]

Originally Posted by DavidF

6. Quick connect Gas line... OK so we bought a small two burner gas cooker for outside, but it uses those little camping cylinders... I can get a converter to use a 20lb bottle, but that doesn't look anything ike the thread on the flexible pipe... Also I guess the stove expects high pressure, when the quick connect is after the regulator so low pressure? How does one connect the cooker? Any clues? Cheers

David

Because of several discussions on this forum, I knew that the quick connect propane would not work with common appliances like a Coleman stove without major modifications. So I went with another's suggestion and add to my existing propane tanks...

[Donna D.]

Coleman (anything) doesn't play well with the Escape quick connect. It's proprietary... sucks you in to the small propane tanks because of the regulator next to the "product." But, there is a solution. ETI has it, contact ETI for the product(s) you want to attach.. they'll tell you what you need to purchase.

ME.. who's planning on purchasing a propane firepit to connect to my quick connect....

But be SPECIFIC when you contact ETI. Surprisingly, there may be different fittings you need depending on the product...

You'd think this would be simple... sigh.

[tractors1]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Coleman (anything) doesn't play well with the Escape quick connect. It's proprietary... sucks you in to the small propane tanks because of the regulator next to the "product." But, there is a solution. ETI has it, contact ETI for the product(s) you want to attach.. they'll tell you what you need to purchase.

ME.. who's planning on purchasing a propane firepit to connect to my quick connect....

But be SPECIFIC when you contact ETI. Surprisingly, there may be different fittings you need depending on the product...

You'd think this would be simple... sigh.

At least the threads on the pipe to which ETI installs their quick disconnect are regular US pipe threads......

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by tractors1

At least the threads on the pipe to which ETI installs their quick disconnect are regular US pipe threads......

Yes it is! But it seems like every single product needs something a bit different... Coleman is the worst. Plenty of ETI builds do okay with "grills," propane fire pits, etc. But don't expect a "plug and play," its about the product, not about the ETI quick connect...

[MarksAlot]

Ah, maybe that's why the duct tape didn't work on my quick disconnect hose.

Got that option and the hose is still in my front storage box. I'll hopefully get around to contacting ETI and getting it working soon. Have a nice propane campfire and aren't using it. Gonna be getting cold soon and will be nice to use it. I know I can connect it directly to the propane bottle, but....

Not sure what you connect to it the way it is.... It's the standard connector for the 20# propane bottle. Should be simple. Looks like another adapter is needed.

Gotta luv plug-and-play when you can get it. Maybe there's an app on the iPhone 6 for it.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Coleman (anything) doesn't play well with the Escape quick connect. It's proprietary... sucks you in to the small propane tanks because of the regulator next to the "product."

Anything that runs from the small propane cylinder can run from the high-pressure propane from ordinary tanks using common adapters and hoses (or this hose/adapter combo), not specific to Coleman.

If you want to use the low-pressure outlet on the Escape, you need to use a low-pressure appliance (the vast majority are not, of any brand) or be prepared to select an appliance that is easy to convert. We have discussed this before (search the forum for "low-pressure stove"), and it is hard to find a portable lightweight camp stove (again, of any brand) which readily converts to run on a low-pressure supply.

[KarenH]

Thank you, Brian. This has been discussed ad nauseum on this forum; to cite Coleman as a guilty party does their brand name a disservice. High pressure and low pressure propane lines each have a distinct function.

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by KarenH

Thank you, Brian. This has been discussed ad nauseum on this forum; to cite Coleman as a guilty party does their brand name a disservice. High pressure and low pressure propane lines each have a distinct function.

They are "guilty." Coleman camp stoves, etc are one of the most widely used brands. I am warning newbies, to not purchase that brand of grill, etc and expect it to work on the quick connect, it won't... while others will.

It's doubtful a newbie is going to go back through the archives and search for what works and what doesn't beforehand... even if they know what high pressure and low pressure even means.

Trying to help folks keep money in their pocket rather than make a poor purchase.

[Zardoz]

Originally Posted by KarenH

Because of several discussions on this forum, I knew that the quick connect propane would not work with common appliances like a Coleman stove without major modifications. So I went with another's suggestion and add to my existing propane tanks...

Karen,
Do you have a link that explains how to set up the system you've devised (a parts list would be helpful too)? I have the low pressure quick-connect and use a Dickinson BBQ which works okay but would like to expand my options. Thanks for any help you can provide!
- Rich

[Zardoz]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

It's doubtful a newbie is going to go back through the archives and search for what works and what doesn't beforehand... even if they know what high pressure and low pressure even means.

David,
I had the same experience as you on this issue. You should take the time to search "high v. low pressure propane systems." There are lots of easy to understand explanations on the web. It will help you make more useful decisions about your options in the future.
- Rich

[KarenH]

Rich, I'm hoping that someone else who has done this can help you here. I just went out to my propane guy and told him what I wanted to do and he went into the shop and made the connection for me. If you look at the picture above closely, you'll see that the green valve handle is original to the set-up and feeds propane directly into the dual propane regulator. From that point there is a T connection with the red valve going directly to the propane tank and the green ball valve feeding propane to the 15-foot hose. Brian provided a link above for a simple unit to use; I wanted a splitter in the configuration so I wouldn't have to disconnect the propane tank from the trailer system every time I wanted to use it for cooking. If I had to do it again, I would get a longer hose, probably twenty feet, but overall I am very pleased with the set-up.

[cpaharley2008]

Coleman has been around long before fiberglass trailers as well as quick connections and sometimes innovations do not always work with "old school" but that is not to say the old fashioned way is outmoded. With three electric, propane, and butane appliances available this weekend, we still cooked over the open fire on a cast iron skillet and it was memorable and tasty.

[DavidF]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks so much for all your comments, and the issue about the stove is very moot. I'll probably just put it back in the box and take it back. We'll use our MSR Backpacking stoves till we sort out the correct stove. I'll search the archives folks for further input.


Thanks

David

Just a newb looking advice..

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

They are "guilty." Coleman camp stoves, etc are one of the most widely used brands. I am warning newbies, to not purchase that brand of grill, etc and expect it to work on the quick connect, it won't...

In all our discussions I don't think we've found any brand of comparable product which will work. Rather than essentially saying "don't buy Coleman", I think a much more useful bit of advice would be "don't buy any lightweight portable campstove and expect it to work with a low-pressure source".

If a newbie needs help and is willing to read one thread, I think it would be helpful to direct them to Hooking up camp stove and BBQ to the quick connect propane outlet.

Originally Posted by Donna D.

... while others will.

What other brand of stove of a comparable type works? The comparable stoves from Camp Chef - the brand most discussed here - will not work (i.e. they, too, are "guilty" of building equipment appropriate for the intended purpose. ).

[Zardoz]

Just found this; looks like an over-the-counter setup similar to Karen's:RV Appliance Connection System

[KarenH]

Originally Posted by Zardoz

Just found this; looks like an over-the-counter setup similar to Karen's:RV Appliance Connection System

Yes, it surely does look the same. And it costs exactly what I paid to have one made (with all those brass fittings). The only difference is that my guy insisted on putting a lever (ball) valve between the T and the hose to my "remote" appliance (Coleman stove) to bleed off the propane when not in use to prevent gumming up of the hose and fittings. The same could be accomplished simply by disconnecting the hose from the T.

[padlin]

Here's a couple utube video's on converting a Coleman Roadtrip to the trailer quick disconnect. I've not tried pulling apart the Coleman stove to gas bottle assembly to see if it's the same. Might try it when we get back east.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq9yZ6y-H2s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ih0TJLQJ8gU

[Zardoz]

Once again, YouTube saves the day.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Zardoz

Just found this; looks like an over-the-counter setup similar to Karen's:RV Appliance Connection System

Tee fittings to intercept propane at the tank outlet are pretty common (but not cheap); a common brand is Marshall's Extend-A-Flow (I use an older version of this brand). The unusual feature of the Propane Products design is that they use a (high pressure) quick-disconnect: most (including Karen's and Marshall's) use the same 1"-20 thread "needle valve" a.k.a. "appliance" connector, so the hose from tee to appliance is a readily available type.

Karen also included a shutoff valve, which is an extra feature not found on the commercial products; the needle valve and (according to Propane Products) the high-pressure quick connect fittings include automatic shutoff valves, but the manual valve is an extra feature which adds a backup and may also make disconnecting safer and more pleasant (by reducing the spurt of propane which results from disconnecting the hose under pressure).

[Zardoz]

Hopefully, Coleman's good name is restored with the two videos.