|
|
12-21-2016, 01:05 PM
|
#1
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Auburn, California
Trailer: 2012 17B
Posts: 120
|
Propane tank question
A few weeks ago i was Boondocking and in the middle of the night my propane heater stopped. I was surprised as I didn't think i had used much, if any propane on my previous trip when i had filled both tanks. I went out and switched over to the other tank - I hadn't opened that valve. The indicator showed half red, half green. Got the gas running and the heat worked fine the rest of the trip. This morning I took both tanks in to be filled as I am contemplating another trip and didn't want to run out. Turns out the first tank was down less than 2 gallons,and the other tank was darn near full. Can't figure out why the heater quit on the first tank, sure don't want it to happen again. Any idea what I should get checked?
|
|
|
12-21-2016, 01:38 PM
|
#2
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
|
Your eyesight??......
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
|
|
|
12-21-2016, 01:40 PM
|
#3
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Auburn, California
Trailer: 2012 17B
Posts: 120
|
Curse you, Red Baron.
|
|
|
12-21-2016, 01:42 PM
|
#4
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
|
Could not resist it.... sorry...
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
|
|
|
12-21-2016, 02:08 PM
|
#5
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Tampa Bay Area, Florida
Trailer: 2015 Escape 5.0TA (Little Elsie) Extensively Personalized
Posts: 2,960
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008
Could not resist it.... sorry...
|
Jim, just wondering why you would comment about propane tanks. Rumor has it that you don't how to change one out, having had no experience!
__________________
What a long strange trip it’s been!
|
|
|
12-21-2016, 02:10 PM
|
#6
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Ventura County, California
Trailer: 2013 19 Escape
Posts: 7,204
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sally P
A few weeks ago i was Boondocking and in the middle of the night my propane heater stopped. I was surprised as I didn't think i had used much, if any propane on my previous trip when i had filled both tanks. I went out and switched over to the other tank - I hadn't opened that valve. The indicator showed half red, half green. Got the gas running and the heat worked fine the rest of the trip. This morning I took both tanks in to be filled as I am contemplating another trip and didn't want to run out. Turns out the first tank was down less than 2 gallons,and the other tank was darn near full. Can't figure out why the heater quit on the first tank, sure don't want it to happen again. Any idea what I should get checked?
|
Had the same issue last trip out . One of my tanks said it was empty , red . Went to fill it , it was full . When I got home changed out the regulator and no problems since . Not sure if that was it but everything working now . Pat
|
|
|
12-21-2016, 04:34 PM
|
#7
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Trailer: 1979 Boler B1700
Posts: 14,935
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sally P
A few weeks ago i was Boondocking and in the middle of the night my propane heater stopped. I was surprised as I didn't think i had used much, if any propane on my previous trip when i had filled both tanks. I went out and switched over to the other tank - I hadn't opened that valve. The indicator showed half red, half green.
|
Those auto-changeover valves are run by propane pressure (actually the difference between the empty tank and a non-empty tank). The pressure of propane depends on the temperature, and using propane from the tank chills the tank and thus lowers the pressure in that tank. If the tank in use gets cold enough to have inadequate pressure, the changeover valve is supposed to flip... but with the other tank's valve closed there would be no pressure to push the valve all the way to the other position.
It's not going to switch to an empty tank, or one with the tank valve closed.
|
|
|
12-21-2016, 04:40 PM
|
#8
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Auburn, California
Trailer: 2012 17B
Posts: 120
|
Gee, what is wrong with the people at ETI that they don't come and open the valves when you need them . Thanks, that explanation makes sense. Except it was over 40 F, and the tank was 2/3 full. Which the color gauge also said. Was it the fact that i hadn't opened the other valve?
|
|
|
12-21-2016, 05:21 PM
|
#9
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Benton County, Iowa
Trailer: 2013 Escape 21 Classic Number 6, pulled by 2018 Toyota Highlander
Posts: 8,235
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sally P
Gee, what is wrong with the people at ETI that they don't come and open the valves when you need them . Thanks, that explanation makes sense. Except it was over 40 F, and the tank was 2/3 full. Which the color gauge also said. Was it the fact that i hadn't opened the other valve?
|
Yes it was the fact that you had not opened both valves more than likely. It's not
Too hard to freeze up a tank this is assuming your regulator
Is ok. I've done it on big grills and turkey fryers too.
Dave
|
|
|
12-21-2016, 05:31 PM
|
#10
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Ventura County, California
Trailer: 2013 19 Escape
Posts: 7,204
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Iowa Dave
Yes it was the fact that you had not opened both valves more than likely. It's not
Too hard to freeze up a tank this is assuming your regulator
Is ok. I've done it on big grills and turkey fryers too.
Dave
|
Hi Dave when we had this problem with tanks both were open . Tried everything including just trying one tank . I didn't think that tank was empty because I had just filled it . Pulled it off trailer and sure enough it was full . So when We got home replaced regulator and both lines . So far so good . Pat
|
|
|
01-23-2017, 02:30 PM
|
#11
|
Commercial Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Hillsboro, Oregon
Trailer: 2014 Escape 21 - "Felicity"
Posts: 2,945
|
Tank monitor
Ran across and interesting little device; anyone tried this?
Products – Mopeka Products, LLC
__________________
Charlie Y
Need custom storage to your design? Don't drill holes!
www.RVWidgetWorks.com
|
|
|
01-23-2017, 02:36 PM
|
#12
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
|
Really neat, as are those rubber feet. Remind me to put plastic around my tank bottom in the spring.
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
|
|
|
01-23-2017, 03:27 PM
|
#13
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Tampa Bay Area, Florida
Trailer: 2015 Escape 5.0TA (Little Elsie) Extensively Personalized
Posts: 2,960
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by tractors1
|
Charlie-I was in Camping Word early December and they were selling the same or a similar system that went on the bottom of the tank and is monitored via smartphone App.
__________________
What a long strange trip it’s been!
|
|
|
01-23-2017, 03:31 PM
|
#14
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Tampa Bay Area, Florida
Trailer: 2015 Escape 5.0TA (Little Elsie) Extensively Personalized
Posts: 2,960
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008
Really neat, as are those rubber feet. Remind me to put plastic around my tank bottom in the spring.
|
Hey Jim.......Just put a sticky note on the tanks to install "feet" on them next time you fill them!
__________________
What a long strange trip it’s been!
|
|
|
01-23-2017, 03:39 PM
|
#15
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
|
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
|
|
|
01-23-2017, 03:40 PM
|
#16
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
|
This monitor will tell me when it is getting time for a new Escape........
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
|
|
|
01-23-2017, 03:46 PM
|
#17
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Galesville, Wisconsin
Trailer: 2017 21 "Blue II" & 2017 Highlander XLE (previously 2010 17B "Blue" & 2008 Tacoma)
Posts: 4,232
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008
This monitor will tell me when it is getting time for a new Escape........
|
Maybe you can just start the CPAHarley Very Slightly Used Escape Trailer Sales and have yourself a new trailer every 6 months or so!
__________________
Eric (and Mary who is in no way responsible for anything stupid I post)
"Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance." George Bernard Shaw
|
|
|
01-23-2017, 04:26 PM
|
#18
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Midcoast, Maine
Trailer: 2016 Escape 5.0 TA
Posts: 435
|
We had the same thing happen after our first propane fill up. 2 full tanks and no propane. That was in the summer. I took the tanks back to the fill station and asked them to check them. They hooked it to to their dispenser thingie and said they were indeed full with no valve issue. They let some of the propane escape while it was still hooked up. When I later hooked them back up to the trailer, they worked fine.
My scientific deduction from this is occurrence is that that something magical happened when they hooked them back up and applied the pressure from their dispenser thingie. Indeed, I'm that smart! It's magic.
|
|
|
01-23-2017, 08:03 PM
|
#19
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Tampa Bay Area, Florida
Trailer: 2015 Escape 5.0TA (Little Elsie) Extensively Personalized
Posts: 2,960
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by thoer
Maybe you can just start the CPAHarley Very Slightly Used Escape Trailer Sales and have yourself a new trailer every 6 months or so!
|
Yes, but the customers will expect full propane tanks when taking delivery, which means he will have to learn how to get them filled. Gasp!
__________________
What a long strange trip it’s been!
|
|
|
02-09-2017, 03:47 PM
|
#20
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
|
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
|
|
|
|
|
Thread Tools |
|
Display Modes |
Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
» Recent Discussions |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|