Gas Smell from Furnace Vent/Output
Bought a used 2003 Trail Lite Hybrid camper back in June, have done 1 week long trip in it so far, no problems have come up. I'm getting ready for about a 1400 mile round trip in it with mostly off grid camping, will likely encounter some cold weather.
I've been testing things out over the past few weeks, running the fridge on propane etc. just to make sure everything is ready to go. A couple of times while walking past the side I thought I could smell gas (propane) but it was so faint I couldn't be sure. Yesterday I was remounting the wheels (just had new tires put on) and I keep noticing it. While trying to figure out where it was coming from I stuck my nose in the vent for the furnace and the smell seemed pretty strong, so my first thought was the gas valve must be leaking through a little. I ran the the furnace a few times turning it on and off, I thought perhaps the valve hasn't been used much, if ever ( I did test the furnace before I bought it), and it was just sticking a bit. Checked it again in a few hours, smell still there, so I ordered a new valve for the furnace and shut the gas off to the camper.
Today I stuck my nose in there with the gas being off and pressure drained (I turned a burner on the stove on long enough to drain the pressure yesterday) and the smell is still there. Maybe not quite as strong but certainly still there.
My question is, is that smell normal? I never noticed it before on our previous trip nor on the popup we used to have. I'm planning on replacing the valve either way as I don't want to risk a problem.
Thanks for your input.
I've been testing things out over the past few weeks, running the fridge on propane etc. just to make sure everything is ready to go. A couple of times while walking past the side I thought I could smell gas (propane) but it was so faint I couldn't be sure. Yesterday I was remounting the wheels (just had new tires put on) and I keep noticing it. While trying to figure out where it was coming from I stuck my nose in the vent for the furnace and the smell seemed pretty strong, so my first thought was the gas valve must be leaking through a little. I ran the the furnace a few times turning it on and off, I thought perhaps the valve hasn't been used much, if ever ( I did test the furnace before I bought it), and it was just sticking a bit. Checked it again in a few hours, smell still there, so I ordered a new valve for the furnace and shut the gas off to the camper.
Today I stuck my nose in there with the gas being off and pressure drained (I turned a burner on the stove on long enough to drain the pressure yesterday) and the smell is still there. Maybe not quite as strong but certainly still there.
My question is, is that smell normal? I never noticed it before on our previous trip nor on the popup we used to have. I'm planning on replacing the valve either way as I don't want to risk a problem.
Thanks for your input.
