Gas piping and the jack points

[sallye]

Even as I write this, I'm in disbelief! HD and I got into a conversation about tires, changing tires, etc. That lead him to get under the trailer to make sure he knew were the jack points are, knowing that you are supposed to jack the trailer up at that specific point, and not anywhere else.

Well, he noticed that there was a plumbing line SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE OF THE JACK POINT! That would make changing a tire on the highway inconvenient to say the lease. BTW, this is on the curb side of a 2014 20 foot trailer.

So, we decided to shorten the loop of the plumbing to get it out of the way. Better to do that in our driveway than to deal with it on the road, right?? Well, when he cut the line, he discovered that it had a copper pipe inside of the plastic pipe and it was a gas line. After the fact he said he should have guessed this given the couplers. Anyway, the fact that it's a gas line actually makes the issue worse in a real tire changing situation. (Luckily, the gas tanks were off, which is a good lesson. ALWAYS turn the gas off before dealing with any plumbing, because you never know!)

I called AS technical support, mostly to complain, and was told that they don't put copper inside of plastic pipes! I happen to think that it was a good idea to do that in lines exposed under the trailer since it would keep flying rocks from dinging and maybe breaking the gas line, but sheesh, they could label that line as gas!

[AWCHIEF]

Interesting post. Looks like the line is cut. Who cut the gas line? Are you sure that the plastic coated gas line was not a dealer or after market addition? I have never seen a plastic coated OEM gas line on an Airstream.

[sallye]

If you read my post, WE cut that line to be able to move it away from the jack point. The surprise was that is was an un-labeled gas line, that should never have been run in such a was as to conflict with the jack point in the first place. We were trying to get it out of the way of the jack point.

[sallye]

No clue. We bought it new from a dealer. I guess it's possible that they changed out a microwave for a gas oven, but I doubt it. We got it new that way.

[A W Warn]

The last three of my trailers had the gas lines is encased in red pex. Since it is all exposed beneath the trailer it is obvious it is connected to the propane tanks, so no need to label. On my Safari the gas pipe is just like that shown in your photo, right over that jack point. But, since I never use that point for jacking, it's not a problem. I always use the axle mounting rail for jacking. It's a lot safer.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by A W Warn

The last three of my trailers had the gas lines is encased in red pex. Since it is all exposed beneath the trailer it is obvious it is connected to the propane tanks, so no need to label. On my Safari the gas pipe is just like that shown in your photo, right over that jack point. But, since I never use that point for jacking, it's not a problem. I always use the axle mounting rail for jacking. It's a lot safer.

^
X2



A lot safer, the factory 'spot' missed the frame by about 3" on our Classic.

Bob

[sallye]

Re: "A lot safer, the factory 'spot' missed the frame by about 3" on our Classic."

If I dare ask, how did you find that out? We can't see any of the frame under our trailer. How would we know if the spot is in the wrong place?

[A W Warn]

The metal is very thin underneath the trailer so it's really flexible.
You can feel the frame with your hand, because it will not flex.

Many people have tried to use that square of metal Jack point to raise their trailer but end up with the jack sticking up through the floor when the trailer moves. If using this point it is extremely important to scotch the wheels on the opposite side so that the trailer can't move.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Put your jack on the "square" target, jack slowly, if the target buckles more than an inch it's not under the frame.....

Alternate method....whack the spot with with your BFH. Loud clunk, Ok.
Hollow plunk not so good.

POI....notice that the 'jack points' are not equal side to side.(at least on our Classic) Curb side is about 3' forward of the street side.

Bob

[m.hony]

I use the Trailer Aid jacks you drive up on.

[Jammer]

Hello Sallye

The copper propane lines are encased in plastic for trailers manufactured to CSA (Canadian) standards, possibly others also. It's supposed to provide protection against sharp rocks. Maybe it does, but Type K copper is pretty thick and can take quite a bit for damage on its own.

Like others, I never use the jack points.

[MelGoddard]

Originally Posted by A W Warn

The metal is very thin underneath the trailer so it's really flexible.
You can feel the frame with your hand, because it will not flex.

Many people have tried to use that square of metal Jack point to raise their trailer but end up with the jack sticking up through the floor when the trailer moves. If using this point it is extremely important to scotch the wheels on the opposite side so that the trailer can't move.

You do that anyway, with chocks.

[J. Morgan]

I am not saying that I would not ever make a mistake by cutting a gas line on accident, but if I did I would not post it up on a forum and try to say it happened because of a lack of proper labeling.....

If I was going to route away from the pad, I would have tried to reposition the line (re-bend) the line without cutting, and/or cutting it at its end rather than its middle.

This was just one of those dumb mistakes that all of us make on occasion.

That said, the fix at this point is to adjust the length of the two cut ends, flare the ends, and join the ends with a coupler.




Gradiens super tenui glacie.

[Boxite]

I found my bare copper gas line leading to the reefer to cross over the axle where it was chafeing very hard against the axle.
I insulated it from the axle by first bending it up, then wrapping it in the split-foam pipe insulation found at big box stores.
The Airstream response they don't ever put copper inside plastic is unworthy of belief. All the reefer supply lines penetrate into the reefer compartment...encased in PEX.
Just another example of an employee give you an answer... but it's a made-up answer. You must get a qualified spokesman at mfr's to provide answers if you want the truth. (And if it's a question bearing any amount of responsibility it should be obtained in writing/email.)

[aftermath]

My 2006 has the encased copper gas lines. I just put on a new set of tires and when I was showing the tire guy how to jack the trailer I noticed that the gas line was very close to the jacking point on the rear curbside.

It wasn't covering the point so there was enough room to get the jack where it had to be. I always use a 2 by 6 block of wood when jacking. The little sticker that says jack location is a bit misleading. There is an arrow pointing to the jacking point. This is another example of owners knowing their trailers. Don't jack in the wrong spots and don't cut lines when you don't know what they are.