My '85 Sovereign has the LP gas tubing running beneath the belly panels. I have all the panels off and plan on re-insulating and replacing the panels. Should the gas tubing run inside the panels or outside? I will install new tubing as the old looks pretty corroded.
I wouldn't worry too much about the way the pipes look. Copper doesn't rust, it just looks funky as it ages and is exposed to the elements.. You could clean it instead unless it's damaged since copper is fairly expensive.
One thing that I have done up front, is place flex looming in areas up front where the pipe is exposed to rocks and debris. Airstream does something similar in the back where the gas line goes past the axles. Only difference seems to be that it's red hose and it's solid and slid over the gas pipe at installation rather than it being added like flex loom as I did.
Oh yea, and I third keeping the pipe outside. Although I love a good fireball, odds are loss of life or severe injury would follow this one.
Ok, We'll go the no fireball route. My son and his friends think this is the ultimate clubhouse sitting in the driveway. Now if I can just get them polishing, cleaning up rust or something constructive.
I wouldn't worry too much about the way the pipes look. Copper doesn't rust, it just looks funky as it ages and is exposed to the elements.
I disagree. Copper corrodes and will fail the same as rusted tubing. Darkening is normal, but corrosion will eventually cause a leak. If you have any doubts about the integrity replace it. If nothing else doing it at your convenience beats on the road any day.
We have all the copper lp tubing for a 1970 31' sov. landyacht. We want to sell it for $50 .this was carefully removed and cut only at a place where it would be easy to connect up. There is a small section missing for the lp lantern that Jacko has. The rest is there and in good condition. The Catch??? the catch is you have to pick it up in the DFW area. The stove and dometic lp ref has to go too. silver suz
I agree with you John - copper over the years will get brittle - especially the flex type copper used for the lp lines - although ours was 35 years old 15 years newer than your 85 unit jperryfly if you can't bend the pipe fairly easily then I would suggest changing it. For how much it costs to replace it is well worth the peace of mind.
We found small hairline splits in the lines and severe kinking where the line comes up through the floors - and you would not see this unless you replace the lines. You can get the coated LP lines but they are very expensive compared to the uncoated. No rocks split these lines in 35 years so I'm sure we will be fine.
__________________ Streaming in the spirit of Exploration... "To go places and do things that have never
been done before-that's what living is all about." - M. Collins
My Caravel is at the shop having it's axel replaced. They are also replacing the copper lines underneith because they are banged up and crushed from road damage over the years. They will either replace them with iron (I believe he said) which is what the new trailers use to protect them from road damage, or they will replace them with copper and protect them with plastic sleeves. Whichever is less expensive and labor intensive, because he felt either solution was just as safe.
These guys have been very good to me and insist that I make safety upgrades to the Caravel, which have included a new LP regulator, LP, CO, and smoke alarms inside, and now these new LP lines underneith. I can't complain, even I noticed they were looking pretty beat up, and I'm happy for anything that makes the trailer safer since we use it a lot.
Not sure that I'd install iron pipe. Iron pipe, if it's the one I'm thinking of does not flex. I think the reason they put copper pipe in is because it does flex and can be shaped very easy.
As for replacing the copper, I'd always err on the safe side, just that I have yet to see any issues on copper that required replacing...I suppose I haven't been doing my "Dukes of Hazzard" moves with any of our coaches throughout the years.
I wouldn't have noticed how beat up mine were if I hadn't been under there snooping around the axel. Since this trailer went to Alaska every year for five or six years before I bought it, maybe that's where it got so much abuse underneith. Either way, the lines were crimped and crushed pretty good here and there. I feel good about them replacing them. I have a feeling they'll be using copper because it's easier to install, so we'll see how it goes.
So is my copper tubing worthless? It's in good condition as the trailer was parked for 14 years. I mean my son could always make garden sculptures out of it. Is it worth trying to sell? I was told that copper tubing was expensive. Since it had propane in it I'm not touching it. It has to go. To the scrap yard, then? silver suz
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