Kingfisher
Member
Some of us have chosen to install a cooktop or range not offered by Escape Trailer. Some of us have installed Dickenson marine cooktops or ranges because they are very robust appliances. To do so, we requested the "Delete Cooktop" option when ordering, and then Escape did not cut any opening in the countertop where the cooktop or range would go. Escape also did not install a propane line to that area, and that is something we needed to do.
This could be a roadblock for those who want a different cooktop or range, but I have found that installing an additional propane line for a different stove is much simpler than expected. Here is a photo of the underside of an Escape 21c that I took when inspecting trailers at the Escape facility. You can see numerous black thermoplastic propane hoses under the trailer, and also a blue junction box, called a manifold.
The blue manifold boxes make the connections between the propane hoses literally a "plug and play" solution. Each propane hose has a special fitting that just plugs into the manifold. No teflon tape or threaded fitting is necessary to make secure, leak-free connections.
These manifolds and fittings are available from etrailer.com and their website includes videos that show how easy it is to use the manifold and fittings. Their videos were the key for me to finding a simple solution.
Here is the one of the manifolds they sell and there is a video on that web page that shows how to insert and remove fittings in the manifold.
The new propane line
If you look at the photo above, there is a manifold (the blue box) in the upper left corner. The propane line for the cooktop for that trailer leads across the underside of the trailer to the passenger side of the trailer where the kitchen is located. If you order a trailer without a cooktop, that propane line is not installed. We would need to install that line ourselves. Our trailer has spray foam underneath, so the manifold you see in the photo above is covered in foam. Exactly replacing that missing propane line was not practical.
However there is a quick connect propane fitting on the passenger side of the E21c (and most other Escape trailers). The manifold at the quick connect fitting is what I used to add our new propane line.. This manifold is a 3 outlet manifold, but only two outlets are used and a plug is inserted in the third outlet.
I needed a special tool to remove the plug in that manifold and insert a male propane flange fitting so I could add a standard propane hose with a female flange fitting on both ends. I purchased both the special disassembly tool and the male propane hose fitting from etrailer.com.
With these parts, I installed a propane hose from the quick connect manifold to the kitchen area. I chose a thermorubber propane hose because they are a little more flexible. I used "P" clamps to attach the hose to the fiberglass underbody and to the frame. I used a liberal amount of caulk to seal each connection point. Where the hose passed over an axle, I wrapped the propane hose with a 5/8 I.D. polypropylene hose to protect the propane hose inside it from any abrasion.
Perhaps the most daunting task was drilling a one inch hole through the trailer floor where the hose would enter the kitchen cabinet. I checked carefully underneath for any obstructions and did not have any problems. After installing the propane line, the hole through the cabin floor was resealed with expanding foam.
This could be a roadblock for those who want a different cooktop or range, but I have found that installing an additional propane line for a different stove is much simpler than expected. Here is a photo of the underside of an Escape 21c that I took when inspecting trailers at the Escape facility. You can see numerous black thermoplastic propane hoses under the trailer, and also a blue junction box, called a manifold.
The blue manifold boxes make the connections between the propane hoses literally a "plug and play" solution. Each propane hose has a special fitting that just plugs into the manifold. No teflon tape or threaded fitting is necessary to make secure, leak-free connections.
These manifolds and fittings are available from etrailer.com and their website includes videos that show how easy it is to use the manifold and fittings. Their videos were the key for me to finding a simple solution.
Here is the one of the manifolds they sell and there is a video on that web page that shows how to insert and remove fittings in the manifold.
The new propane line
If you look at the photo above, there is a manifold (the blue box) in the upper left corner. The propane line for the cooktop for that trailer leads across the underside of the trailer to the passenger side of the trailer where the kitchen is located. If you order a trailer without a cooktop, that propane line is not installed. We would need to install that line ourselves. Our trailer has spray foam underneath, so the manifold you see in the photo above is covered in foam. Exactly replacing that missing propane line was not practical.
However there is a quick connect propane fitting on the passenger side of the E21c (and most other Escape trailers). The manifold at the quick connect fitting is what I used to add our new propane line.. This manifold is a 3 outlet manifold, but only two outlets are used and a plug is inserted in the third outlet.
I needed a special tool to remove the plug in that manifold and insert a male propane flange fitting so I could add a standard propane hose with a female flange fitting on both ends. I purchased both the special disassembly tool and the male propane hose fitting from etrailer.com.
With these parts, I installed a propane hose from the quick connect manifold to the kitchen area. I chose a thermorubber propane hose because they are a little more flexible. I used "P" clamps to attach the hose to the fiberglass underbody and to the frame. I used a liberal amount of caulk to seal each connection point. Where the hose passed over an axle, I wrapped the propane hose with a 5/8 I.D. polypropylene hose to protect the propane hose inside it from any abrasion.
Perhaps the most daunting task was drilling a one inch hole through the trailer floor where the hose would enter the kitchen cabinet. I checked carefully underneath for any obstructions and did not have any problems. After installing the propane line, the hole through the cabin floor was resealed with expanding foam.
