On our way home from our last trip last fall the door to the compartment that holds the propane tank on the driver’s side of our fifth wheel came open while going down the road. Instead of fixing it over the winter I forgot about it. Last weekend while setting up at camp I noticed that the top latch on that same door was about half turned. While talking to my brother-in-law yesterday I mentioned it to him and that I was thinking of replacing the ( twist) latch with a lock. He suggested to take it apart and move the blade 90 degrees so that gravity and road vibrations would pull it closed instead of open. To which I’ve done this evening. It’ll be 8-10 weeks before we can go out again because of work obligations, to test it out and see if it works. But worth a try for the price. Does anybody else have any experiences, recommendations, or tips?

Litle off topic: propane compartments are not supposed to be locked.I turned some of my locks, so the key or handle face the direction of the interior locking arm. That way you can see they are locked or secured.

I agree with enblethen. A propane compartment is not supposed to be lockable. That way, in case of some emergency, emergency personnel can turn off the propane tanks.

I think he just meant latched,, he asked about the lock and was correctly informed .. do not lock

MrWizard wrote:I think he just meant latched,, he asked about the lock and was correctly informed .. do not lockI hope you are right. This is what we were responding to though.Diamon c wrote:....replacing the ( twist) latch with a lock.

I believe that’s the way mine are from the factory, but I’ll check when I’m outside

Compartment door latch | Good Sam Community

enblethen
Nomad
Apr 25, 2023
Litle off topic: propane compartments are not supposed to be locked.
I turned some of my locks, so the key or handle face the direction of the interior locking arm. That way you can see they are locked or secured.
Bobbo
Explorer II
Apr 26, 2023
I agree with enblethen. A propane compartment is not supposed to be lockable. That way, in case of some emergency, emergency personnel can turn off the propane tanks.
MrWizard
Moderator
Apr 26, 2023
I think he just meant latched,, he asked about the lock and was correctly informed .. do not lock
Bobbo
Explorer II
Apr 26, 2023
MrWizard wrote:
I think he just meant latched,, he asked about the lock and was correctly informed .. do not lock

I hope you are right. This is what we were responding to though.

Diamon c wrote:
....replacing the ( twist) latch with a lock.
jkwilson
Explorer II
Apr 26, 2023
I believe that’s the way mine are from the factory, but I’ll check when I’m outside
bpounds
Nomad
Apr 26, 2023
There are a lot of door and frame designs out there, so I don't know if this will work for you, but ...

I simply bent a slight tweak in the door stop flange of the door frame, so the latch has a bit of a cam-over point. It won't ever vibrate over that hump and become unlatched. Easy and cost $0.00.
12thgenusa
Explorer
Apr 26, 2023
When I first got my trailer, many of the latches were installed as you describe, and one door came open on a trip. I then re-clocked all the latches so that gravity and vibrations would not work against the latch staying locked. There have been no problems since.
dave54
Nomad
Apr 26, 2023
Bobbo wrote:
I agree with enblethen. A propane compartment is not supposed to be lockable. That way, in case of some emergency, emergency personnel can turn off the propane tanks.

Doesn't take much effort to open a locked RV bin.
Bobbo
Explorer II
Apr 27, 2023
dave54 wrote:
Bobbo wrote:
I agree with enblethen. A propane compartment is not supposed to be lockable. That way, in case of some emergency, emergency personnel can turn off the propane tanks.

Doesn't take much effort to open a locked RV bin.

No, as long as you have the key. (Or, are willing to break it.) In the event of an emergency of any type, the emergency responders won't have the key. This is only for the propane bin, where emergency responders may need to turn off the propane VERY quickly (without breaking it).
enblethen
Nomad
Apr 27, 2023
I think we killed the subject of not installing lock.
Another thing you could do on the latch is to bend the arm slightly to insure it is tight against the door frame restricting it's movement

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