longer propane hose from tanks to regulator?

[CharlesPou]

have 2018 Escape 21 Classic, great trailer, I love it! picked up 7-2018, so will be 5 years old this Jul. so, when it picked up my trailer to start my last trip, I turned on the propane bottle, then heard and smelled leaking propane. easy to figure out the 12" hose from tank to regulator was cracked and leaking. I tried the other tank and it was cracked and leaking too. actually, I noticed sometime ago the hoses were cracked, but wrongly assumed it was just the protective cover that was cracked, and the hose was still good, not so. I was able the acquire new 12" hoses, and only delayed my trip by a few hours, I consider myself lucky haha.

question: does anyone use longer hoses so the hose is not bent so much? I'm planning to order a spare set and was thinking about trying a longer pair. might even make it easier to remove the propane tank cover, which is fairly difficult on my trailer because the turn in the stiff hoses makes it hard to clear the tank cover when removing and replacing.

note: my previous trailer, 2004 Casita Spirit Deluxe 17', which was approx 14 years old when I sold it, still had the original hoses, no leaks. so, appears Escape is using hoses of inferior quaility? any comments welcomed. cheers

[Perry Butler]

Originally Posted by CharlesPou

question: does anyone use longer hoses so the hose is not bent so much? I'm planning to order a spare set and was thinking about trying a longer pair. might even make it easier to remove the propane tank cover, which is fairly difficult on my trailer because the turn in the stiff hoses makes it hard to clear the tank cover when removing and replacing.

note: my previous trailer, 2004 Casita Spirit Deluxe 17', which was approx 14 years old when I sold it, still had the original hoses, no leaks. so, appears Escape is using hoses of inferior quaility? any comments welcomed. cheers

After being frustrated by the short hoses ETI supplied, we went to 20" hoses in our 5.0 and it was much, much easier to connect.

Will be looking at stainless braided when we get home to replace our slightly cracked hoses on our Bigfoot. Are some stainless actually better than others?

Enjoy,

Perry

[Centex]

Originally Posted by Perry Butler

...
Will be looking at stainless braided when we get home to replace our slightly cracked hoses on our Bigfoot. Are some stainless actually better than others?

Your Bigfoot hoses are in an enclosure protecting them from UV exposure, is that correct?

SS over-braid brings a measure of UV and abrasion protection while precluding visual inspection for cracks over the long term. Under that braid is the same rubber pressure hose as non-SS covered hoses, subject to age and ozone degradation.

Personally (YMMV as always) I'd stick with name-brand, easy to inspect, non-SS wrapped hoses for the long run.

[SRS]

Originally Posted by CharlesPou

have 2018 Escape 21 Classic, great trailer, I love it! picked up 7-2018, so will be 5 years old this Jul. so, when it picked up my trailer to start my last trip, I turned on the propane bottle, then heard and smelled leaking propane. easy to figure out the 12" hose from tank to regulator was cracked and leaking. I tried the other tank and it was cracked and leaking too. actually, I noticed sometime ago the hoses were cracked, but wrongly assumed it was just the protective cover that was cracked, and the hose was still good, not so. I was able the acquire new 12" hoses, and only delayed my trip by a few hours, I consider myself lucky haha.

question: does anyone use longer hoses so the hose is not bent so much? I'm planning to order a spare set and was thinking about trying a longer pair. might even make it easier to remove the propane tank cover, which is fairly difficult on my trailer because the turn in the stiff hoses makes it hard to clear the tank cover when removing and replacing.

note: my previous trailer, 2004 Casita Spirit Deluxe 17', which was approx 14 years old when I sold it, still had the original hoses, no leaks. so, appears Escape is using hoses of inferior quaility? any comments welcomed. cheers

Most pigtails seem to be about 12" but there are longer ones. My solution was to rotate the tank so its valves points away from the regulator at around 110 degrees rather than straight forward (or back) at 90 degrees with the trailer. This takes some of the strain of the hose by reducing the bend. See attached image. You can rotate the tanks more than I did and take more strain of the hose to a point. Too much rotation could add strain. This also makes removing the pigtail from the tank easier. I had thought about using longer ones but in a duel bottle setup like mine, it could actually increase the bends. I'm not sure the bend is the critical factor as much as the quality of the hose itself. I also carry an extra pigtail just in case and many hardware stores carry them.

[Perry Butler]

Originally Posted by Centex

Your Bigfoot hoses are in an enclosure protecting them from UV exposure, is that correct?

SS over-braid brings a measure of UV and abrasion protection while precluding visual inspection for cracks over the long term. Under that braid is the same rubber pressure hose as non-SS covered hoses, subject to age and ozone degradation.

Personally (YMMV as always) I'd stick with name-brand, easy to inspect, non-SS wrapped hoses for the long run.

Thanks!

That's what I was wondering.

However, our ETI hoses were also in a non-UV environment, but that didn't prevent them from cracking after only a couple of years.

Enjoy,

Perry

[Centex]

Originally Posted by Perry Butler

Thanks!

That's what I was wondering.

However, our ETI hoses were also in a non-UV environment, but that didn't prevent them from cracking after only a couple of years.

Enjoy,

Perry

IMO if the rubber is inclined to crack for whatever reason the SS braid won't prevent that either, you just won't be able to see it.

[Perry Butler]

Originally Posted by Centex

IMO if the rubber is inclined to crack for whatever reason the SS braid won't prevent that either, you just won't be able to see it.

If you can't see it, it's not broke.

Enjoy,

Perry

[CharlesPou]

thanks for replies! yes my Escape, not Bigfoot, propane tanks are under the supplied white plastic cover, so I assume Sun UV was not the issue? I'll order some 24" and replace my 12" to see how they fit. then probably keep the 12" for backup spares, or if 24" work well, maybe order some more 24" for spares? cheers

[Centex]

Originally Posted by Perry Butler

If you can't see it, it's not broke.

[CharlesPou]

I ordered pair of 12" hoses for spare. after trying every way to use longer hose, decided wasn't really any better than 12" configuration. plus, I figured out what I was doing wrong taking off cover, and now it's an easier job, took almost 5 years to figure it out, but small victory anyways, yay! cheers

[rubicon327]

FWIW we’ve had good luck with the Mr. Heater brand hoses. High quality. Made in the USA.
I do remember needing to find a proper size adapter to mate to the regulator though. I think it took the 1/4” up to 3/8”.

http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Heater-Prop.../dp/B000LNJQ0Q

[George Johnson]

Just a passing thought, CharlesPou. From the discussions above, it seems these hoses have a shelf life not related to whether they are in service or not. They simply age out over time. If this is correct, you might find you self needing a replacement hose that has already failed.


It might be better to plan on purchasing a new hose when needed, or just doing a periodic hose replacement every few years as a precautionary measure.



Personally, I am inclined to the Mr. Heater hoses, they do seem to be higher quality than other brands. I,m planning to do that with my now 14 year old original equipment hoses in the very near future!

[CharlesinGA]

On a Thor trailer with the typical plastic cover over the tanks, I installed new 15 inch hoses and had no problems with them. On my Bigfoot with the cargo pod, the regulator is mounted on brackets on the back wall of the compartment and with lots of room, I used 24 inch Marshall Excelsior braided ones p/n MER425HSS-24 However those are the high flow version with the red ACME nuts and 400K BTU flow limiters in the fitting. You would want the MER425SS-24 which is the Green ACME nut with the 200K BTU flow limiter in the fitting. These are the reverse flare at the regulator end. Part numbers with 426 instead of 425 have the 1/4 MNPT regulator ends. All Marshall Excelsior hoses are made in the US of USA made products. The stainless braid on these hoses is to protect the hose from being cut or abraded. High pressure braided hose like we used on aircraft were a teflon hose with the SS braid providing the strength.

Supposedly MB Sturgis also manufactures their hoses in the US, https://mbsturgis.com/products/rv-ty...flare-pigtail/

Charles