Should I smell propane outside?

Disconnect and open it. Prolly some haters but i had some tanks leak out on me before. Its a natural gas. I wouldnt let that stop me. If you have electric hotwater go camping. Use charcoal to cook. Its fun when things go wrong, its a story to tell later on.

westend wrote:


Edit: reread your initial post and see you have a MH so the tanks are fixed, right? Here's what I would do: call the outfit that filled it, tell them to roll a guy to your location with the necessary connections and tank to bleed yours off.

If you have any spark producing devices, make sure they are off. This means, if you're connected to shore power, turn the power off at your pedesatal or inside the load center at your house. DO NOT attempt to remove the cord from your coach. If you have a battery disconnect switch, turn it off to all banks. Wait for the cavalry and stand back from the coach. If you can open a door or window to the coach without creating a spark, you might try. It might be better to just keep away.

If the outfit that refilled your tank won't come to the rescue, call the Fire Dept..

It's in our driveway not connected to anything. I was gonna move it away from the house but maybe not. I drove it 15 miles yesterday from the fill station. I'll call them and see what they are willing to do. The tank is bolted to the MH.

Don't build a camp fire, happy-camping

So I got a bucket and some soap and water and found the leak. Unfortunately it is coming from one of the welds. It had crusted in that area so when I ran the soapy rag over it, it made it a little worse. It looks like we're gonna have to cancel our trip because I cannot locate a replacement. Camping world says 3-5 days to get one. :( Was gonna be our first trip to Myrtle, kids are gonna be disappointed when they get home from school.

So next question. How do I get the propane out? I have 14 acres so I could put it in a field and open the bleeder but not sure how comfortable I'd feel doing that. Can the Carolina fuel station suck it back out? Not sure I should drive it when it's venting gas but what are my options?

Thanks in advance, everyone. You've been great help.

And whats this stuff about a pressure relief going off all at once ?? In 50 yrs I have never seen one do that, and I don't believe they are designed to do that, as that would cause a very dangerous an explosive situation. The valves are designed to bleed off no faster than the propane is expanding. And that is seldom dangerous, unless there is an open flame very nearby, and/or being in an enclosed area.

I had a leak in the hose from the tanks to the rig; possibly from rodents chewing thru the rubber. It's unlikely but it is another place to check.
The clue was when the tanks were shut off the green/red indicator would go red immediately due to the leak in the piping.

dougrainer wrote:

westend wrote:
Be very careful. I would disconnect the tank if it's currently connected to your rig. Place the tank in the closest open area around your location. It would be good if that area is secure and you can monitor who passes by, hopefully no one.

Here's the deal: there is an overfill release valve on every tank, even the old ones. If the emergency pressure relief valve fully opens, there may be a big, sudden release of both gaseous and liquid propane. Call whoever filled the tank and have them deal with it.

I had a 20lb cylinder that was overfilled inside my work van. When the relief valve released, I couldn't see my hands on the wheel. Luckily, I was able to turn the key off and glide to a stop onto the shoulder of the road while holding my breath and looking out of the open driver's side window.

Not to get too worried, though. If the tank is in an open area where the propane can't accumulate, all will be good. As someone mentioned, wear gloves. FWIW, I have a Federal License to handle LPG and in my seafaring days we used to cool our beer by placing it under a 3/4" pipe fitting and releasing enough propane to form an iceberg over the beer cases. In 5 minutes the beer was cold and the propane ice was gone.

EXPLAIN this so called Federal License to "Handle LP". I AM licensed by the State Of Texas to work on and Fill LP appliances and systems. In the 30 years I have been licensed and the education training every 3 to 4 years, I have NEVER heard of a FEDERAL LP license OTHER than to transport BULK (semi tanker type). There is NO Federal License I am aware of that encompasses RV and such type LP systems. Your last beer statement, shows you have a severe lack of safety when it comes to LP, as the ONLY way you could do that is to release Liquid instead of vapor and that is a very dangerous thing to do in ANY circumstance. Doug

U.S.M.M Document endorsed Tankerman Class A and all lower grades, LPG, LFG. You guessed correctly, it is for bulk transfer of those classed products. I mentioned it to show that I have some background in handling propane.

The beer thing: Yes, it was not safe, I don't recommend it. I guess you needed to be there to understand the situation. The propane was drawn from a sampling valve into a containment tank. The remaining 200K barrels of propane remained in the tanks. I mentioned it to add some levity to a potentially dangerous and, possibly, frightful situation.

If you read the entirety of my post, I think the seriousness of what I understand to be the situation is conveyed.

To the OP, ANY smell of LP is dangerous.
1. IF the valve is turned off and tight, spray soapy water over it and see if you get bubbles, IF so, CANCEL your trip or drain and get it fixed.
2. The fill port can sometimes NOT seat. Spray soapy water on the inside after removing the yellow cap. IF it bubbles, take a wood dowel and "pop" the spring loaded screw inward to try and reseat. The GASKET you can see is ONLY to seal the fill nozzle.
3. IF the 80% valve is leaking, it will show bubbles and you can try the plier on it, That usually works, but it needs replaced as it is designed for hand opening and tightening.
4. Your motorhome ASME tank has an OPD valve that should have shut the LP OFF at the 80% level. But, a qualified filler should have had the 80% valve open while filling and IF the 80% spews Liquid BEFORE the OPD shuts down you manually stop the fill. I doubt he overfilled more than 85 to 90%. That amount would NOT trigger a auto release valve. Also, the rest of the tank you can spray with soapy water, but I doubt the tank integrity is bad. Your best bet is the On/Off valve-the 80% valve and the tank fill area.
5. Usually, a defective On/Off valve will not leak when fully closed and fully open, but they can when fully closed sometimes. Doug

westend wrote:
Be very careful. I would disconnect the tank if it's currently connected to your rig. Place the tank in the closest open area around your location. It would be good if that area is secure and you can monitor who passes by, hopefully no one.

Here's the deal: there is an overfill release valve on every tank, even the old ones. If the emergency pressure relief valve fully opens, there may be a big, sudden release of both gaseous and liquid propane. Call whoever filled the tank and have them deal with it.

I had a 20lb cylinder that was overfilled inside my work van. When the relief valve released, I couldn't see my hands on the wheel. Luckily, I was able to turn the key off and glide to a stop onto the shoulder of the road while holding my breath and looking out of the open driver's side window.

Not to get too worried, though. If the tank is in an open area where the propane can't accumulate, all will be good. As someone mentioned, wear gloves. FWIW, I have a Federal License to handle LPG and in my seafaring days we used to cool our beer by placing it under a 3/4" pipe fitting and releasing enough propane to form an iceberg over the beer cases. In 5 minutes the beer was cold and the propane ice was gone.

EXPLAIN this so called Federal License to "Handle LP". I AM licensed by the State Of Texas to work on and Fill LP appliances and systems. In the 30 years I have been licensed and the education training every 3 to 4 years, I have NEVER heard of a FEDERAL LP license OTHER than to transport BULK (semi tanker type). There is NO Federal License I am aware of that encompasses RV and such type LP systems. Your last beer statement, shows you have a severe lack of safety when it comes to LP, as the ONLY way you could do that is to release Liquid instead of vapor and that is a very dangerous thing to do in ANY circumstance. Doug

I did not wear gloves when I attached the fill connector but I will get a good set to keep in the coach in the future. I didn't expect to attach it myself but he said he couldn't get it started and I felt bad.

I'll run soap and water over the tank tomorrow to see if it is in fact from the little plastic bleader. Hopefully I can get it to stop with a channel lock until we can exhaust the propane and then I'll replace it. I really don't want to cancel our trip. I was able to inspect the gauge on the tank and it is at 80%. The next marker would be 85% and the label on the tank states do not fill beyond 80% so I think he got that right. It must be that little plastic bleeder as you guys think.

I'll report back tomorrow when I find the leak. I appreciate the quick responses from you all. I'll sleep a little better tonight. It's a 96 Class C Tioga and the tank is outside so it probably won't accumulate anywhere.

Thanks.