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steveh27's avatar
steveh27
Explorer
Nov 26, 2021

ASME propane tank leak

My permanently mounted ASME tank is under the van on my 1997 Class B Xplorer. I used it 10 days ago just fine. I drove to PA and as I started to turn on the valve I could hear wooshing gas and felt the cold on my hand and the smell. I turned it off right away. I tried again a few times with the same result. The next day it did not make the wooshing sound & I did not feel the cold, but I did smell some gas. So it has stayed off. This happened once before in 2019 when I wanted to check my furnace before driving to FLA in January from Michigan. When I made Tenn it was good and has been good since. I note both times it happened I had been in freezing temps.

I am getting by as I am always plugged in to shore power on my current trip. When I get home I will try to find some company to either replace that valve or the whole tank as it is old and even though I repaint it often it's age is showing.

24 Replies

  • Dutch_12078 wrote:
    You may be able to tighten the shaft nut behind the valve handle to compress the seal tighter. Also, the valve should always be fully opened so it back seats against the seal to prevent leaks.


    Sure seems like this would be a logical problem to cause these symptoms. I would tighten the nut on the handle shaft and it should solve the problem.

    Also as Dutch said, always open the handle all the way.
  • Attempting to repair this issue yourself isn’t wise IMO.
  • I wouldn't mess with it. I would take it in, have the tank professionally serviced, or replaced with a new one.
    Any undetected gas flow there is a potential bomb.
    It isn't worth risking your life over.
  • You may be able to tighten the shaft nut behind the valve handle to compress the seal tighter. Also, the valve should always be fully opened so it back seats against the seal to prevent leaks.

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