Help, on road, all propane has stopped

[amgostick]

Hi all. On a long trip and when we pulled in to a campground tonight, the fridge was showing flashing as if the propane had cut out. I plugged in to get the fridge going - thought it was just a fluke from a long trip on a highway that was somewhat bumpy. But then went to start the furnace and nothing. Same with stove - no gas flowing. So I checked the tanks and it is a dual-tank with the auto-flip over regulator. The one tank was empty and the other had 3/8th of a tank (I thought it was full). Both valves were open. The only thing in the regulator manual was to turn off the values and then slowly turn them back on. Did this but still no gas flowing i.e. I can turn the stove on and where normally you can hear the propane flowing (even before it lights), I hear nothing.


Is there some sort of "reset" either on the regulator or maybe the fridge for when this happens? Hope I don't have to find an RV dealer on a weekend (tomorrow is Sat) in northern New Brunswick. Thanks for any suggestions.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Basic approach:

Shut everything off. That includes the stove, oven, furnace, and fridge.

Close the valve on both tanks.

Wait 30 minutes.

Slowly (like really slowly) open the valve on the "part full" tank.

Listen at the regulator for the flow of gas.

Wait 10 minutes.

Try One appliance. Our favorite is the stovetop. You should hear a flow of "something". It's probably air. It will take a bit before gas makes it over to the stove. Keep trying to light it for a couple minutes.

If that doesn't work, you may have a broken gas distribution line. No, that's not the only possibility. The regulator could be broken / need replacement. Also the tank could be empty and "lying to you" about being 3/8 full.

Next step would be to refill the empty tank, mate it up, and see what happens.

Fun !!!

Bob

[amgostick]

alright. will give that a whirl. I only turned off the tank for about 15 seconds. When I turned it back on, I did not hear a sound like you normally hear when you connect a new tank. It seemed the part tank had a bit of weight left in it. But now that it is dark and still wet outside (heavy rain today), I will leave until the morning. Then get both tanks filled and see if that helps.
thanks a lot.

[TitusNW]

Please correct me if I'm wrong but I thought if you tripped the OPD valve on a propane tank you have to close the tank valve and actually unscrew the delivery hose from the tank valve (like when we take it off the trailer to get refilled). Then re-attach the hose and *slowly* turn on the tank valve.


Steve

[Wazbro]

Sometimes changing the valve to the cylinder that isn't empty helps.

[majorairhead]

I'd suspect both tanks may be empty. It seems you were surprised the "reserve" tank was only at 3/8th?

One theory I'd have is the main tank emptied (possibly due to normal usage), and when the switch was made to the second tank, that tank's line may be leaking?

Anyway, first thing I'd do is switch out the lines from the regulator to the tanks, prior to filling.

If that doesn't solve, then I'd switch out the regulator.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by TitusNW

Please correct me if I'm wrong but I thought if you tripped the OPD valve on a propane tank you have to close the tank valve and actually unscrew the delivery hose from the tank valve (like when we take it off the trailer to get refilled). Then re-attach the hose and *slowly* turn on the tank valve.


Steve

Hi

No need to disassemble things when the flow sensor trips. Just get main valve closed and let it sit a bit.

I never quite understood *why* that works until I was playing with a pile of regulators for the grill. Turns out they don't quite shut off *all* the flow. (= the magic valve isn't perfect). They just cut the flow back to something the rule makers consider "save" (no I have absolutely no idea how they did that math !!!). That slow leak is what depressurizes the protection device.

Yes it's crazy, but that's how it works.

Bob

[C Gin Go]

This happen to me.
The propane company is required puts a odorant that lets you smell a leak. That odorant over time deteriorates rubber. Try replacing the propane pigtails hoses.

[jjkiii]

On occasion I've found that a quick bang on the outside of the regulator - like with a hammer - will free it up. No guarantees but little to lose if you're stuck. Good luck.

[hhendrix]

Often it's the transfer valve which has a significant rate of failure. I explain this in newbies classes I give. Many have success by leaving the transfer valve in the original position and just switch tanks. Second would be to disconnect and reconnect the hoses, but that has a lower rate of success. I would bet it's the transfer valve.

[gypsydad]

Agree with Uncle Bobs suggestion, but be aware that you could be empty in both tanks. Thats why many of us run only one tank open at a time. Also, I carry an extra 20# tank for remote operation of my Webber bbq, and fire pit. It also can be used for the AS, if needed. Another possibility, if you have propane in the tanks, is you may have "crushed" a line underneath. That happened to me last year, and I did not know it. I discovered when I tried to run my generator off front quick disconnect port and it would not start. The line to the stove had enough propane to start when i was trouble shooting, but the flame quickly went low due to the pinched line. Just a thought to check, if filling the tanks does not fix the problem. Good luck!

[Trons4u]

Do you have Gas Stop safety valves on your tank. I have them on mine and sometimes I forget to push on the indicator to pressurize the system.

[Philly Dave]

Disconnect the hose to the bottle that you think has gas in it. Slowly open to see if you have gas.

[kb0zke]

Our brand-new trailer came with full propane tanks. We got back to The Ranch and I faithfully checked the auto switchover each morning. Never showed red. After about a week we woke up to a cold trailer and no hot water. BOTH propane bottles were empty and the regulator STILL showed green. I ran into town and bought a 20-pound bottle to use until I got the rest figured out. The dealer said to bring the trailer back (200 miles one-way) and they would replace the regulator. I called the factory and they said to go buy a new regulator, send them the bill, and they would reimburse me. That's what we did. I got it at the same propane store where I took the two empty bottles to be refilled. They said they have sold quite a few replacement regulators to people with new trailers because there was a run of defective ones. Your trailer is too old to have one of those regulators unless a previous owner replaced the original one with one of those.


Turning on the valve on the propane bottle does require a very slow initial open. There is a safety device that looks for a sudden rush of propane which it interprets as a leak. I wonder if that sensor has failed?

[Dingo Girl]

Amgostick . So what did the problem turn out to be?

[amgostick]

At this point I think it is a faulty display gauge. The simplest thing to do on a Saturday morning when 200 miles from the closest RV dealership (or propane repair shop) was to stop at a truck stop and have both tanks filled. They both seemed empty when lifting them before going. When filled, they both took the exact same amount of propane (28 lbs) but the one that had previously said 3/8th of a tank now said only 3/4 of a tank. And the stove and fridge then worked. So I think I just ran out of propane.

I have not checked them since getting at our next campsite as travelled all day. But want to in the morning to make sure nothing leaking as I thought the one tank was fuller.

I have not looked at the gauge to see how it connects to the tank - wondering what if something I can swap out myself. It has a gauge that sits on the tank and a wire that runs inside the trailer to the sensor control panel. Wondering also about one posters practice of only turning on one tank at a time (which would mean keeping an eye on them especially if running fridge on propane).

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions - informative!

[Sailorjamie]

I now have the Mopeka tank sensors. https://mopeka.com/shop They are great. I now utilize the automatic switchover on the regulator and also know when a tank is empty. You can read them with a with Bluetooth app on your phone. Before I got the Mopekas I used to use a luggage scale. I'd weigh each tank and knew their empty weights, 22 lbs empty & 52 lbs full.

[CBWELL]

Easy solution to this problem. Use one tank, and when it is empty, close valve, manually switch to the other tank, open valve slowly and use. Take empty tank and have it filled immediately, and replace on the unit. That way you know you have at least one full cylinder. No gauges, bluetooth, or electronic stuff to deal with. Works for me every time!

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by amgostick

At this point I think it is a faulty display gauge. The simplest thing to do on a Saturday morning when 200 miles from the closest RV dealership (or propane repair shop) was to stop at a truck stop and have both tanks filled. They both seemed empty when lifting them before going. When filled, they both took the exact same amount of propane (28 lbs) but the one that had previously said 3/8th of a tank now said only 3/4 of a tank. And the stove and fridge then worked. So I think I just ran out of propane.

I have not checked them since getting at our next campsite as travelled all day. But want to in the morning to make sure nothing leaking as I thought the one tank was fuller.

I have not looked at the gauge to see how it connects to the tank - wondering what if something I can swap out myself. It has a gauge that sits on the tank and a wire that runs inside the trailer to the sensor control panel. Wondering also about one posters practice of only turning on one tank at a time (which would mean keeping an eye on them especially if running fridge on propane).

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions - informative!

Hi

The "gauge" stuff on the stock tanks is not something you can switch out easily.

What you *can* do is check the wire connection from the tank to the trailer. Next, move the tank around a bit. The wire connector can get dirty as can the ground side connection from the tank to trailer. When that happens, you get false readings.

Best guess, you are correct in saying that yours needs to be replaced.

Like many others above, We run with one tank shut off and only open it when we see that we're close to "change over" time.

Bob

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by amgostick

At this point I think it is a faulty display gauge. The simplest thing to do on a Saturday morning when 200 miles from the closest RV dealership (or propane repair shop) was to stop at a truck stop and have both tanks filled. They both seemed empty when lifting them before going. When filled, they both took the exact same amount of propane (28 lbs) but the one that had previously said 3/8th of a tank now said only 3/4 of a tank. And the stove and fridge then worked. So I think I just ran out of propane.

I have not checked them since getting at our next campsite as travelled all day. But want to in the morning to make sure nothing leaking as I thought the one tank was fuller.

I have not looked at the gauge to see how it connects to the tank - wondering what if something I can swap out myself. It has a gauge that sits on the tank and a wire that runs inside the trailer to the sensor control panel. Wondering also about one posters practice of only turning on one tank at a time (which would mean keeping an eye on them especially if running fridge on propane).

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions - informative!

Four Airstreams now over 18+ years....I always have just run one tank at a time, keeping the other full so I know when I am out. I can run my fridge 24/7 with occasional use of the stove inside, for a month or more typically...fridge does not draw much to keep cold, at least mine doesn't. If I am in colder weather, and need the furnace, that's different...then for sure, you need to check the levels regularly. I don't have a tank gauge, as some have these days...I usually will pour hot water on the tank to see where the level is. (old school) When one bottle is out or very low and I switch tanks, I try to fill when I can. As I mentioned, I do also carry a 20# portable tank for bbq and fire pit; I have used the 20# bottle one time, when I was running my propane for the furnace each night during winter in TX during an ice storm when there were no filling stations open due to the ice, and I had not "winterized" my 28'; I winterize now!

There are bluetooth weight gauges out there which can help also. I have a couple friends who have one. I have not invested in one yet. One tank at a time works for us.