Propane auto switchover.

[BigSam]

Just took my propane tanks off to purge and fill on my new 17B. The videos on ETI’s site show and explain how their auto switchover works, but my unit doesn’t look like it has auto switchover, just a selection switch. Do the trailers no longer come with auto switchover? Thanks in advance.

 

[Mike G]

What does auto switchover look like, as opposed to what "just a selection switch" looks like? I assumed that the auto switchover comes with a switch, so we have a choice between auto and manual. But I could be wrong.

 

[occer]

Picture of what you have would help answer your question.

 

[BobG-ESC]

The switch is internal to the regulator. There is no manual switch other than turning one tank on and one off. The lever is to help the operator remember which tank is being used. Operator points the lever at the tank currently being used.

From ChatGPT

Main Parts​

1. Two inlets – connect to each propane cylinder with pigtail hoses.
2. Selector lever – lets you choose which tank is the “primary” tank to draw from first.
3. Automatic changeover regulator – controls pressure and automatically switches supply.
4. Indicator window – usually shows green (supply good) or red (primary empty).

How It Works​

1. You set a primary tank.
   • Use the lever/arrow on the regulator to point at the tank you want it to draw from first.
   • That tank becomes the active supply.
2. Regulator supplies propane.
   • Gas is drawn from the primary tank, reduced to the correct pressure (usually ~11" water column for appliances).
3. When the primary tank empties:
   • The regulator senses the pressure drop.
   • It automatically opens the secondary tank and begins drawing from it, without interrupting gas flow.
   • The indicator flips from green to red (or clear to red) to tell you the primary tank is empty.
4. You swap the empty tank.
   • While the system is running off the secondary tank, you can disconnect and refill the empty one.
   • After refilling, reconnect it, then flip the selector lever toward the full tank to make it the new primary.

Key Points​

You never lose service — the switch happens seamlessly.

• Indicator doesn’t shut off propane — it just tells you the first tank is empty.
• You must still manage the swap — if both tanks run empty, the system won’t help.

 

[C&G in FL]

Oh great. ChatGPT. AI is just what this forum needs. Apparently, not enough natural intelligence here. Personally, my preference is to get problem questions answered by people who actually have knowledge/experience in RV maintenance. YMMV.

 

[Ron in BC]

Oh great. ChatGPT. AI is just what this forum needs

Seems to be a sign of the times.

I guess AI would have a tough time understanding my way of use. I would rarely look to see if a tank has switched over. I've used propane long enough to know when a tank is probably running low. I keep one tank valve closed so I know that I have a full tank ready to go. The only exception in the past would be to open the second tank if the overnight weather was freezing to prevent running out of heat overnight.

Whatever works for you.

Ron

 

[SRS]

Just took my propane tanks off to purge and fill on my new 17B. The videos on ETI’s site show and explain how their auto switchover works, but my unit doesn’t look like it has auto switchover, just a selection switch. Do the trailers no longer come with auto switchover? Thanks in advance.

To repeat what Occer said, take a photo of your regulator that includes the whole regulator showing the selection switch and any colored indicator. Post it here and the experts on the Escape Forum will be able to tell you what you have and if it is indeed auto changeover. If you can't post a picture, tell us the brand and model.

 

[BobG-ESC]

What does auto switchover look like, as opposed to what "just a selection switch" looks like? I assumed that the auto switchover comes with a switch, so we have a choice between auto and manual. But I could be wrong.

Auto switch regulators have a lever that you can turn to point toward the cylinder that you are using. The lever does not switch the regulator from one tank to another. If your regulator has the lever, then the regulator is also an auto switch regulator. There are probably exceptions where a lever is on a non-switching regulator but probability that you will find one on an Escape trailer is near 0. The lever is useful for knowing which tank to dismount when the tell-tell turns red.

Of course, there are other ways to keep track, but the auto switch is a nice feature that I never paid much attention to until I had to go out during a miserable night to deal with an empty tank a couple times.

 

[Bobbie54]

I don't like AI but in this case it is almost right. It isn't very clear about the fact that you are the one who has to change the lever over- that's the very confusing part to most new users. (My auto switchover quit working-I have a replacement that I have not yet installed so right now I have to actually physically switch tanks. Not so hard when one is empty and I'm going to take them off the trailer anyway but still kind of a pain. )

 

[BobG-ESC]

I don't like AI but in this case it is almost right. It isn't very clear about the fact that you are the one who has to change the lever over- that's the very confusing part to most new users.

It is interesting how people think that what they believe is correct. I have fallen in to this a time or two.

In one short paragraph, I wrote how to use the auto switchover regulator including that the operator points the lever, and then I pulled up what ChatGPT had to say. Mostly out of curiosity of what it would come up with. I am aware that I didn't include the operator action to designate which tank is to be drawn from first (the primary tank) because I felt that the operator would figure that out. It is the first tank the operator opens the valve on. Remember to open the valve slowly and hope its safety valve isn't stuck or triggered by opening the tank valve too fast or things get confusing.

 

[Iowa Dave]

I run with both valves open. After a week or maybe two I check the tanks for weight. This summer I had one empty and one about half full when I stopped at an Ace hardware store in Idaho. Got one tank filled and one topped off.

I have an 11 lb cylinder in the front box I use on my propane campfire, Weber Q or Camp Chef stove with an auxiliary hose. The spare tank in the front box assures me I could make it through the night if I ran out with the furnace on so that’s why I run with both tanks open. Have never had to resort to the little one in the night.

Like Ron says. You get to know after you’ve been out a few years. I have three spare tanks at home. I keep them locked up in a big Knack Job Box well away from any buildings. Checked them today and had one full and two empty which I will fill before winter. I have a Mr. heater for the deer stand in December and January.
Iowa Dave

 

[Mike G]

It is interesting how people think that what they believe is correct. I have fallen in to this a time or two.

In one short paragraph, I wrote how to use the auto switchover regulator including that the operator points the lever, and then I pulled up what ChatGPT had to say. Mostly out of curiosity of what it would come up with. I am aware that I didn't include the operator action to designate which tank is to be drawn from first (the primary tank) because I felt that the operator would figure that out. It is the first tank the operator opens the valve on. Remember to open the valve slowly and hope its safety valve isn't stuck or triggered by opening the tank valve too fast or things get confusing.

If I'm reading this correctly, I may have learned something. I assumed that if I had the lever pointed to the left tank, it would be the primary. But you seem to be saying that if I opened the valve on the right-hand tank first and then the left-hand tank shortly thereafter, the primary tank is the one on the right, and I need to ensure that the lever points that way if I want to be properly reminded. Is that correct?

I'd been thinking that if the left-hand tank is primary and I want to disconnect its hose, moving the lever to the right would change the primary manually.

 

[CharlesinGA]

You select the tank you want to use. If it runs out, it changes over without any intervention from you. On some regulators (Marshall Excelsior for instance) the capacity is somewhat reduced at that point, but not enough for you to ever notice. The indicator will have gone from green to split red/green, and when you move the lever to the other cylinder, it will go full green. When that cylinder runs out, and you have two empty cylinders, at that point it will go full red. Go to catalog page 7 (PDF page 9), bottom left of the page for an explanation of it. They all pretty much work the same, no matter the brand.

Marshall Excelsior Camp and RV catalog

 

[C&G in FL]

My original post on this thread was to express my preference for actual human experience over AI. AI is in its infancy, and it has a way to go before I would personally “trust” it.

Although I fully understood how it functioned, I never liked the auto switchover valve and like Ron, always kept one of the two tanks valved off, knowing that if the first tank ran dry, I would still have a full second tank in reserve. Not being a “winter” camper, when heat is desired, I typically use a 900 watt ceramic heater which keeps my 5.0TA pleasantly comfortable. When my Dometic RMD8155 would no longer run on propane (eyebrow board failure) and I replaced it with a Norcold 12v compressor refrigerator, I had even less need for propane as we do all our cooking outside (or in the nuke if raining). I removed one of the 20 pound cylinders from the propane cabinet, capped the pigtail, creating additional storage space. The one cylinder that remains is intended for the unexpected need for the furnace, which has only been turned on 3 times in 10 years. The last time actually I used any propane in my trailer was our ill-fated trip (2022) when the Dometic died 650 miles from home and we lost all of the perishable food items in the refrigerator. I do carry a second 20 pounder in the back of my truck for occasional use with a propane fire pit, but my biggest propane use now is for cooking on a Skotle. I use the DOT certified 1 lbs bottles to fuel it.

 

[BobG-ESC]

If I'm reading this correctly, I may have learned something. I assumed that if I had the lever pointed to the left tank, it would be the primary. But you seem to be saying that if I opened the valve on the right-hand tank first and then the left-hand tank shortly thereafter, the primary tank is the one on the right, and I need to ensure that the lever points that way if I want to be properly reminded. Is that correct?

I'd been thinking that if the left-hand tank is primary and I want to disconnect its hose, moving the lever to the right would change the primary manually.

I thought the first tank opened to the regulator would be the primary tank.

The way I operate the system is to point the lever to the first tank I turn on so that in the future, I can tell which tank I had/have being using. When the indicator turned red, I would point the lever to the other tank, and the indicator would then turn green to indicate it had propane pressure. I would disconnect the empty tank and refill it.

I thought the lever was the means to update the indicator by allowing it to turn from red to green indicating the new tank had propane. It would turn red when the new tank ran empty and turn green when I pointed the lever at the new full tank.

When I first encountered the switchover regulator, my first thought was that the lever would activate the tank it was pointed at. That thought didn't stay with me for very long though because, how would the tank auto switch without the lever turning.

 

[SRS]

Here is my experience with Marshal Excelsior Auto, duel propane tank regulators:

1. With two full tanks, it doesn't matter which tank the switch is pointing to but it needs to point to one of them. I guess, that becomes the primary tank but that term isn't something I use. It just becomes the one in use.
2. Whichever direction the switch is pointing to, the other tank can be removed and refilled without turning off the gas for the one in use (if the regulator is working properly).
3. When the tank in use is empty, the color changes from green to red but the mechanism in the regulator switches internally to the other tank. For this to function, both tank valves need to be open. As stated previously, the Marshal regulators seem to put out slightly less pressure and in that situation I've experienced my frig, when on propane, will stop cooling and the check light is illuminated. Switching the lever toward the full tank changes the indicator to green and normal pressure is restored.

I think most auto changeover regulators work more or less the same way. On the other hand I could be all wrong since I haven't used the other brands. One of the first things I did when I got our E17A is replace the stock regulator with a Marshal.

 

[Ron in BC]

When that cylinder runs out, and you have two empty cylinders, at that point it will go full red.

If that happened to me, so would my face.

Ron

 

[BobG-ESC]

If that happened to me, so would my face.

Ron

Lol! I can get red face just talking about it.

I thought that the first tank I opened was the one that the regulator would set too. But I always pointed the lever at it too. Here comes SRS and says the regulator selected the "In Use Tank" because the lever is pointed at it, not because it was the first tank opened. Ok, it was coincidence for me that I had the lever pointed at the tank I opened first. I assumed the regulator selected that tank because it was the first one open.

 

[John in Santa Cruz]

i've had a few different regulators, currently a Marshall-Excelsior, and never seen one that showed 'half red/green' at any time. Always green if the tank the lever is pointing at has gas, and red if it doesn't and its feeding from the other tank.

 

[Iowa Dave]

maybe the new ones are mandated not to show any favoritism.
Iowa Dave