Champion 3400 -- Propane Port

[AirMiles]

Originally Posted by swan

Sorry. ¼” quick disconnect hoses. I notice the hose that connects to the generator, after the regulator, is thicker—even though it terminates in a ¼” male quick connect. The hose on the bottom is the hose going into the gen, on top is the diameter of the one coming out of the trailer.

I think you can get ⅜” hose with ¼” fittings.

Attachment 321991

I think the "quick disconnect" on your hose is the problem. Quick disconnects have a spring-loaded shut off valve inside that cause a restriction in the gas supply. I had the same problem with my first failed attempt to connect my 12' hose.

[swan]

But you have a quick disconnect at the generator, and you have a quick disconnect at the Airstream, right?

[AirMiles]

Originally Posted by swan

But you have a quick disconnect at the generator, and you have a quick disconnect at the Airstream, right?

Yes! But I have no further restrictions in the rubber hose. You have a third quick disconnect on the rubber hose which is restricting the flow.

[swan]

Originally Posted by AirMiles

Yes! But I have no further restrictions in the rubber hose. You have a third quick disconnect on the rubber hose which is restricting the flow.

Hmm. Ok. So, you screwed the hose you sent me to the regulator. And you had to get some sort of adapter to have that hose end in a male quick connect, right?

[AirMiles]

Originally Posted by swan

Hmm. Ok. So, you screwed the hose you sent me to the regulator. And you had to get some sort of adapter to have that hose end in a male quick connect, right?

Yes. If you buy the hose I just linked and the 1/4" quick disconnect fitting that I linked earlier, then you need to buy the fittings needed to connect the quick disconnect on one end of the hose and to the Champion large fuel controller (where you removed the small high-to-low regulator) on the other end of the hose. But do not create any further restrictions with the connections, like the female quick disconnect fitting on your hose.

[swan]

Originally Posted by AirMiles

Yes. If you buy the hose I just linked and the 1/4" quick disconnect fitting that I linked earlier, then you need to buy the fittings needed to connect the quick disconnect on one end and to the Champion large fuel controller (where you removed the small high-to-low regulator) on the other end. But do not create any further restrictions with the connections, like a female quick disconnect fitting on your hose.

Ok. Will try that!

[AirMiles]

Please report back after making these connections so everyone will know if this worked for you like it does for me.

[swan]

Originally Posted by AirMiles

Please report back after making these connections so everyone will know if this worked for you like it does for me.

Will do.

[swan]

Originally Posted by AirMiles

Please report back after making these connections so everyone will know if this worked for you like it does for me.

So, it may be a little better, but it still bogs down something awful when I turn on something like the hot water heater for a test. My heater only needs 1400 watts, so this thing should handle it no problem. But it nearly dies. Then I open the choke and it can run better, but still not right.

The LPG port on the AS says “Maximum 25000 btu service.” That should be enough, right?

[swan]

The other guy who was running off the AS LP added his own quick-connect, and his was larger than the ¼. He’s also using larger hoses.

But my setup is identical to yours, if that’s the same hose you used, so not sure why my setup isn’t working.

[rmkrum]

Yup. “One of the other guys” here. One thing that will screw up a propane generator is low pressure at the AS regulator output. Another possibility is low propane level in a tank. A third is cold temperatures. Propane is in the tank as a liquid, and needs heat to vaporize.
Generators, either gasoline or propane, need to be able to draw whatever amounts (volume) of fuel they need when load and demand changes rapidly.
If your regulator is going bad, it may not respond quickly enough and the engine will stumble.
I went with bigger quick connect fittings and hoses (3/8 connections and 1/2” hose) to reduce the chances of fuel starvation when a sudden load hits the generator. I also went with the overkill of a 3400 instead of a 2100 watt unit to help cover altitude issues. The larger hose and fittings also reduces the possibility of pressure drops throughout the system during steady loading. We’re only working with 11 inches water column pressure out of the regulator. That is way less than a half pound of actual pressure. You can stop that with a thumb. The smaller the fittings and hose, the less gas volume this pressure can push through the system. Kinda like trying to run a marathon whilst breathing through a soda straw...it’s all about volume!

[AirMiles]

Originally Posted by AirMiles

I also bought this hose that I could connect between my 12' hose and propane tank (without the 1/4" quick connect fitting).

https://www.amazon.com/DOZYANT-Unive.../dp/B01GZPBCPU

You can buy a similar hose at Home Depot or Lowes and the fittings to connect it. I would buy this hose and test it directly to the propane tank. Then you will know if the problem is your Airstream quick disconnect port or the hose that you made.

I'd suggest to buy this hose with a regulator and the fittings needed to connect this hose to your 12' propane hose. Then you can hook your 12' hose directly to a propane bottle to see if it works. If your 12' hose works with this hose, then you know the problem is that your Airstream's quick-disconnect port is not supplying enough propane.

Is 24,000 BTU enough? Technically, I believe the answer is "no" but many of us successfully run our generator from the Airstream quick disconnect port.

[swan]

Originally Posted by AirMiles

I'd suggest to buy this hose with a regulator and the fittings needed to connect this hose to your 12' propane hose. Then you can hook your 12' hose directly to a propane bottle to see if it works. If your 12' hose works with this hose, then you know the problem is that your Airstream's quick-disconnect port is not supplying enough propane.

Is 24,000 BTU enough? Technically, I believe the answer is "no" but many of us successfully run our generator from the Airstream quick disconnect port.

Yeah. Already ordered. I also ordered a new regulator for AS, in case that is the problem. I’ll let you know!

[swan]

Champion got back. They said the generator requires 75000btu/hr to run at full, so the AS quick-release jack has a sticker that says 24000.

I think 75000 btu is half what the trailer is set up for standard. So AS must be throttling that quick-context jack, though I can’t see how. It comes straight off the main regulator, off the 2 30lb tanks.

And, obviously, other people are doing fine running off it, so maybe they changed for my year? (2014)

Maybe I can re-plum that somehow.

Anyway, once my other hose comes in, with the regular valve to attach to the LP, I’ll try running the trailer on that.

Let you know.

[rmkrum]

It’s possible that the regulator flow is limited, and the 24000 btu rating for the connection is based on what’s left after all the other appliance loads are subtracted from the regulator rating?

[swan]

Sooo... after buying a new regulator, hoses, connectors, and all sorts of time, it turns out there was some debris lodged in the AS quick-connect jack. Sigh.

Working fine now.

After looking at the quick disconnects, I don’t think they save any time vs using the flared male/female connectors. They add weight and possibility of damage (from increased leverage, if you install them against the lp regulator). The ⅜ flare connectors don’t require any plumbers tape because they’re designed to be taken on/off by hand. So, I just added male flare connectors on the ends that were standard. Now I can mix/match all these hookups.

[AirMiles]

Thanks for letting us know that you got it to work! By having all those pieces of hose, you could isolate the problem. I don't regret having multiple connections to run my generator. Sometimes I use the Airstream port, sometimes I use the spare propane tank I carry in the truck bed. I was beginning to worry that you weren't going to be successful and there would be doubt whether the Airstream Quick Disconnect port works. Glad that you got it working and removed the doubt!