Suburban SDS2 Cooktop - Tighten Nuts/Replace Pipe - LP Leak

[gklott]

Checked cooktop valves by removing knobs. I found right valve stem nut completely loose.



Left valve stem nut was 3/4 loose.

This is an easy check-and-correct that everyone should do. We have no propane smell as of now, but I was checking as recommended.

73/gus

[Eggscape]

Good catch! This is what everyone needs to check!

If both are loose you need to check the under tubes as they have been doing all the heavy lifting for some time now.

The picture shows the plastic beauty ring that is the culprit that will prevent you and the factory from getting a socket or wrench on the nut to tighten it properly.

Remove the nut, black beauty ring, add a lock washer, install and tighten nut, then if you wish place the beauty ring back over in the opposite direction to cover everything or just do away with the beauty ring(s) altogether.

[Eggscape]

Just to add...if you think your nut(s) are tight behind the beauty ring...your are guessing as you can not get a wrench on them to truly check.

If everything is snug then you have the opportunity now to save your stove without worry that the under tubes have been stressed.

Doing one side at a time...

Remove the knob
Remove the nut (this may require cutting the beauty ring off to access the nut)
Add a lock washer
Reinstall the nut and tighten
Replace knob

I am confident in saying that if you act before the nuts come loose (and they will) you will save your stove and have no further worries.

[Bobbie54]

Originally Posted by gklott

Checked cooktop valves by removing knobs. I found right valve stem nut completely loose.



Left valve stem nut was 3/4 loose.

This is an easy check-and-correct that everyone should do. We have no propane smell as of now, but I was checking as recommended.

73/gus

What does "loose" and "3/4 loose" mean? turning right or left? wiggling? coming out?

[Eggscape]

The nut pointed out with the green arrow should be way back in under the black plastic cover on the silver threads (red arrow) you can just barely see.

If you can see the nut like this...it is off the threads.
If you just see the nut level with black plastic cover, it is loose.
If you have to look within the black plastic cover...it could be snug.

[Bobbie54]

OK, here is what I see.

[Eggscape]

Great...so in this photo I can see the nuts are still there and probably snug.

If this was my stove I would:

Fix one valve completely before moving on to the next.
Cut the black plastic cover off so that I could remove the nut.
Remove the remaining part of the black plastic cover that was under the nut.
Place a lock washer over the threads.
Re install the nut and tighten.
Re install the knob.
Move onto the next valve.

Yes you are now going to see the nut and the threads as there is no black plastic cover but your stove has been save from failure.

If you do this, please post how tight you found the nuts. You should need wrench to remove them. If you found them finger tight...it would only be a matter of time.

[gklott]

Originally Posted by Eggscape

Add a lock washer.

What is the lock washer size?

73/gus

[wamomof3]

Thank you! I just checked our stove this afternoon. The nuts were both very loose! Will get blue loctite and locking washers tomorrow. We were leaving for 3 weeks next Tuesday. Thanks so much!

[Veewee67]

Thanks, Perry & Eggscape. Appreciate all the work you've gone to.

[2Travelers]

Done and an update...

In the end, I wasn't super comfortable disconnecting the propane supply line (a step needed to pull the stove) and instead was able to do everything with the stove mounted to the counter.

I removed the nuts and beauty covers from both valves and added a lock washer (1/2") and a drop of blue loctite before replacing the nuts and snugging them down. I flipped the beauty covers and replaced the knobs. That works.

From underneath, I removed the heat shield which gave me enough room to access and inspect the tubing connecting the valves to the burners. All looked solid, with no play, though the nut holding the tubing into the left burner was only finger tight. I snugged that connection with a small wrench and probably could have tightened it more but didn't want to put too much strain on it. Going forward, I'll keep an eye on it in case it works loose again and will monitor the other connections as well.

Thanks again to all who helped raise awareness of the problem and devise a solution.

[jumboscott]

After reading this post, went and checked our cooktop. Yup same issue, lose connections that will not tighten. Now the propane smell that we got while cooking makes sense. I did call Escape to see if they will warranty it since trailer is still under warranty. Thanks for the heads up!

[Perry Butler]

Originally Posted by jumboscott

After reading this post, went and checked our cooktop. Yup same issue, lose connections that will not tighten. Now the propane smell that we got while cooking makes sense. I did call Escape to see if they will warranty it since trailer is still under warranty. Thanks for the heads up!

Let us know how your warranty claim is settled.

Thanks,

Perry

[rbryan4]

Another SDS2 failure reported over on the Facebook group, brand new trailer, first outing. This one didn't explode, but it burned/charred the underside of the countertop and melted the mounts. It's clear to me that this cooktop is dangerous and should not be used. Judging by the comments there, the folks who responded, including the OP, had no idea that this cooktop was a problem. The word should have gone out already IMHO, and it's up to ETI to make that happen.

[Bobbie54]

I've searched several times and cannot find any reports of explosions from non-Escape owners. Could it be something about how it is installed that not everyone is doing the same way? I'm not using mine for now, waiting for some kind of resolution other than doing a fix myself.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by Bobbie54

I've searched several times and cannot find any reports of explosions from non-Escape owners. Could it be something about how it is installed that not everyone is doing the same way?

I doubt it, since the install is really simple. It's just a flare fitting on the inlet. None of the issues encountered by Escape Owners was caused by that connection. But, we don't really know.

[Mark B1]

Originally Posted by Bobbie54

I've searched several times and cannot find any reports of explosions from non-Escape owners. Could it be something about how it is installed that not everyone is doing the same way? I'm not using mine for now, waiting for some kind of resolution other than doing a fix myself.

It could be that this is a relatively new model of stove and that Escape is possibly the first RV manufacturer to install it across their entire model line. This would result failure showing up primarily in Escape trailers. I am just speculating though.

[Brian B-P]

I agree that the failures which have been reported are not installation issues. The problems appear to be in assembly, and the trailer manufacturer doesn't assemble the stove.

The stoves may be purchased in a substantial batch, enough for months of Escape trailer production, so if the stove factory had a problem for a while most or all of the faulty units could end up in the same brand of trailer.

[cpaharley2008]

This thread reminds me of the old adage of " never buy a car made on Monday or Friday", as that is the most often "sick day" called in and the company assigns an assembly worker who is not that familiar with the process, thus the possibility of an error exists.......

[gklott]

Originally Posted by Perryb67

Our stovetop choices:
Dickinson Drop-in - the best of the best. Completely recessed with a wooden cutting board. Only $629 delivered to our door. This was Terry’s choice. She cooks mainly “Forks Over Knives” and deserves the best.

We've pondered the replacement, and we have concerns about the size. With the SDS2, we have 10" counter space between sink and stove. That's small, but useful.

If we install the Dickinson stove above, that counter space drops to about 6" if we move the Dickinson far right. That's practically no counter space. Also, the left burner is partially out from under the stove vent.

We like the way the Dickinson cooktop looks in other posts in the 21' and 5.0.

It also looks good in the few 19' install images we've seen'? If you did the install in a 19', what's your counter space experience when using the stove?

73/gus