| Careful or paranoid?
Since it's been in the low 60's all week, I finally got to my next Airstream project—putting vinyl tubing around the exposed propane lines. Strangely, the factory puts tubing (looks like PVC) around the line from a junction near the wheels to the furnace, but no where else.
For those careful or paranoid individuals, what to think about—
First comes splitting the tubing the long way so I can get it around the lines without removing them. I tried a utility knife, then pruning shears—the first was hopeless, the second, slow. Then the light bulb went off and I got out the carpet knife. Those things will cut almost anything. Most amazing—I didn't cut myself—but the slit isn't straight. Why isn't it straight?—ask the vinyl.
Crawling around under the trailer with gravel pressing into my back, bending clamps, and working tubing around propane lines has it's existential moments. Why am I doing this? Does it really matter? I'm too old for this —I should be in a rocking chair drinking heavily.
Some of the clamps holding the lines to the bottom of the trailer are screwed in and others are riveted. There are two sizes of propane lines—small and not so small (technical explanation). I had 3/4" and 1/2" ID tubing for each size. The clamps are all the same size. Squeezing the clamps around the larger tubing was very difficult, but with a channel locks, could be done. The screws are self tapping, but are only held by a thin sheet of metal, so it's possible to overtighten and start spinning the screw. Since the tubing comes in rolls at the store, it's difficult to straighten and especially hard to bend the opposite direction. It'll probably develop a new memory over time.
Where the lines are riveted to the body, there are two choices—either cut a piece of tubing between each clamp, or cut out a space on the slit side of the tubing for the clamp and run a piece for as long as you can (this easier method didn't occur to me until I was almost finished). For cutting off pieces of tubing, I used the pruning shears. I used stainless steel hose clamps to keep the tubing on the lines. I used a large clamp—sized for pipe from 3/4" to 1 1/2". I had to unscrew the clamp and only with a clamp this big is it easy to get the two parts back together in the space I had to work in. Trust me, I tried a smaller clamp. For the short pieces I used one clamp since otherwise I would run out of clamps. To hold the other end closed, I used aluminum tape. I was careful to place the hose clamps so the big part (the one you screw to tighten) was at the side so it couldn't be pushed against the pipe. I don't know whether the tape will hold over time, but it sure sticks to vinyl well, and it is aluminum. I did all the lines up to, but not including, the flexible rubber line under the tanks. The fittings probably could be done with a larger diameter tubing, but they are thick and may need tightening at some time, so I think it best to ignore them. I did find one leaking slightly last year, so it seems best to check them from time to time.
I bought too much vinyl since I just guessed how much I would need. I couldn't measure it because there was a lot of snow on the ground I could just peek underneath. Pre-slit vinyl for sale, cash and carry. It took 3 1/2 hours. Best to do this in the early spring before the grasshoppers hatch or I would have had them all over me, probably living in my hair.
Is it necessary? It would take something pretty nasty to damage the copper pipe, but the consequences could range from losing all your propane to a fire. It's one of those things where the consequences are very bad even though the chance of anything happening is small, that it seemed a good idea.
Gene
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