Strange Propane Tubing while restoring

[TheLostBoy]

My wife and I are doing a restore job and the original propane fridge was ripped out and the propane line was just cut and crimped (jerks!) and we finally purchased a replacement just this week. I thought that it was just copper tubing that I could flare and attach a compressing fitting to end up with a male 3/8 flare fitting. Unfortunately, the tubing doesn't seem to be anything that I've seen before.

Existing Tubing:


Looks like steel, and VERY thick:


Has about an 8mm diameter with a 5mm diameter core:


Or 5/16" and 3/16":


I originally tried using the flaring tool but it was way too loose for the 3/8 tubing holder:


And it was too tight for the 5/16 holder:


I tried forcing it in at 5/16 and no matter how much I tightened, it just wouldn't flare (too thick, I guess).

The old propane heater was torn out as well so I thought I would try to find the old line/connector for that. I was lucky and it was intact, but I have never seen a fitting like this:


It looks almost like there was a compression ring put on it like a fitting for a copper water line. Has anyone ever seen anything like this before, or might know of a way I could find a fitting that would work on this line which would allow me to end up with a 3/8" male flare connection? I'm at my wits end with this camper.

Thank you,

Kevin

[Nuvite-F]

Welcome to the forums!

My first question is, model and year of your trailer--just for reference. As far as I know the factory has always plumbed the LP gas in copper tubing.

Second question is, are you sure that steel tube is the propane line to the refrigerator? I have never seen such a thing. I have worked on aircraft systems with stainless steel tubing with stainless steel flare fittings but the wall thickness of the tubing was thin enough to flare. Also note that the gas line to the heater is run in copper tubing like you would expect, notwithstanding the unusual connector.

All the LP gas plumbing should be under the trailer--outside the belly pan--so that gas from a leak will not accumulate in the belly pan. There is usually a central line with lines to individual appliances tapped off with flare tees. (Our trailer has a shutoff valve at each tap but not all are like that.) So you should be able to replace the whole tubing run between the tee off the main line and the refrigerator with copper, as long as it's connected to the main line with a standard fitting.

[cwf]

Well.. howdy! First post, eh?
Yeah... doing a restoration? Expect to upgrade all... especially the copper....

Really, no reason wondering... rip and replace.. especially with this kind of issue.

We had steel pipes in some boats... and they use black pipe in houses.... only connections are flexible.. that is where copper is easier to work.

There are different grades of copper, too... there is water line and high pressure copper lines for A/C... may be different up yonder...

[OTRA15]

Welcome to the forum, Kevin! Ditto on suggestion to post year and model of AS. Any chance this is a vacuum line for the brake system? This was common decades back, and a few threads here have photos of the vacuum holding tanks, which throw off the renovators.

Good luck!

Peter

[OTRA15]

Just to clarify, you have shown two different tubing samples, correct? The top photos are the possible steel pipe/tubing. And the last photo is copper from your propane heater with a sample fitting of some kind on the end?

Thanks.

[cwf]

Yeah. Some clarification... the steel could be "supply line" as I alluded to.. a copper fitting on the end can convert to a flare or ferrule connection. Since you may not know all "modifications".. please be more specific.. yes, your first Post has great info... but as you can see, We are trying to connect dots and need your Help..so we can better assist...

[TheLostBoy]

Originally Posted by Nuvite-F

Welcome to the forums!

My first question is, model and year of your trailer--just for reference. As far as I know the factory has always plumbed the LP gas in copper tubing.

Second question is, are you sure that steel tube is the propane line to the refrigerator? I have never seen such a thing. I have worked on aircraft systems with stainless steel tubing with stainless steel flare fittings but the wall thickness of the tubing was thin enough to flare. Also note that the gas line to the heater is run in copper tubing like you would expect, notwithstanding the unusual connector.

All the LP gas plumbing should be under the trailer--outside the belly pan--so that gas from a leak will not accumulate in the belly pan. There is usually a central line with lines to individual appliances tapped off with flare tees. (Our trailer has a shutoff valve at each tap but not all are like that.) So you should be able to replace the whole tubing run between the tee off the main line and the refrigerator with copper, as long as it's connected to the main line with a standard fitting.

I don't even know the make/model. It is a very old trailer and all of the markings have either been stripped off or painted over. All I know is it's round and it has aluminum skin.

Yeah, that steel tube ends right where the fridge should be. All the lines run underneath and come up through the ground where needed. They tap off of a main junction where the shutoff valves are.

I just noticed that now. The line for the old heater looks like it's copper, but the line for the fridge looks like steel. So strange. I'm stumped.

[TheLostBoy]

Originally Posted by cwf

Well.. howdy! First post, eh?
Yeah... doing a restoration? Expect to upgrade all... especially the copper....

Really, no reason wondering... rip and replace.. especially with this kind of issue.

We had steel pipes in some boats... and they use black pipe in houses.... only connections are flexible.. that is where copper is easier to work.

There are different grades of copper, too... there is water line and high pressure copper lines for A/C... may be different up yonder...

Actually, I would normally have no issue with this (assuming there was some easier lines I could replace the existing ones with, something flexible, non-metal perhaps), but my problem is that I do have a working propane range, and if I switched the lines, I would still be in the same situation as I probably wouldn't be able to find a fitting that would work with this range (as it probably uses the same fitting photographed for the furnace). I'm thinking this trailer was manufactured in Europe as I saw some labels in German under a cabinet.

[TheLostBoy]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Welcome to the forum, Kevin! Ditto on suggestion to post year and model of AS. Any chance this is a vacuum line for the brake system? This was common decades back, and a few threads here have photos of the vacuum holding tanks, which throw off the renovators.

Good luck!

Peter

I have no idea what the make/model is. I'm thinking it's manufactured in Europe (see previous reply).
Pretty sure it's not a vacuum line as this trailer has no brake system, and the line taps into a T that goes to the propane tank.

[TheLostBoy]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Just to clarify, you have shown two different tubing samples, correct? The top photos are the possible steel pipe/tubing. And the last photo is copper from your propane heater with a sample fitting of some kind on the end?

Thanks.

Yeah, those are two different locations (the copper is underneath the trailer which went to the heater) and the silver (steel?) photo was behind where the fridge would go. They are all part of the propane/gas system, but it's odd that one line looks like it's copper (but same thickness) and the other looks like steel.

[TheLostBoy]

Originally Posted by cwf

Yeah. Some clarification... the steel could be "supply line" as I alluded to.. a copper fitting on the end can convert to a flare or ferrule connection. Since you may not know all "modifications".. please be more specific.. yes, your first Post has great info... but as you can see, We are trying to connect dots and need your Help..so we can better assist...

Yep, understandable. All of the lines photographed come off of the main propane line. The only modifications I can see is that the line behind the fridge has been cut/crimped and the line going to the heater had been disconnected. They are all supply lines, but I just can't figure out why it looks like the heater line is copper, but the fridge line looks like it might be steel. I'm so confused.

[fwjumper]

So it's not an Airstream?

[markdoane]

The tubing looks too white to be raw steel.
It looks like aluminum tubing or galvanized.
Either one could be brazed to a 3/8" copper sleeve.

[TheLostBoy]

Originally Posted by fwjumper

So it's not an Airstream?

I thought it might be a really early model, but the sides are flatter than typical AS's, but rounded at the front/back.

[TheLostBoy]

Originally Posted by markdoane

The tubing looks too white to be raw steel.
It looks like aluminum tubing or galvanized.
Either one could be brazed to a 3/8" copper sleeve.

I thought you weren't supposed to solder gas lines?

[markdoane]

Originally Posted by TheLostBoy

I thought you weren't supposed to solder gas lines?

Solder is not appropriate for gas lines because it can melt out in a fire.

Your best option is to rip it out and replace with copper.

If that is not possible I would braze it, provided it's in an accessible location and it would not be close to a regulator or valve.

[mimiandrews]

It looks like someone has used a water line compression fitting on a gas line. The line in the top picture looks more like conduit to me.

I'd suggest that you tear out all the old gas lines and re-plumb with the correct grade of copper lines, double flared fittings, etc. Whatever the safety code requires where you live.

You only get one life.

[rmkrum]

And you are allowed at least one fatal error...

[Foiled Again]

Please post pictures of your trailer, especially the endcaps. There are a lot of restorers who can ID vintage kin like Travelux, Avion, Silver Streak, etc.

Paula

[cwf]

We may be truly Lost Boy... =)

Do you have a few pictures of your trailer?