LP extension for grill

[Effy]

I have a small foldable LP grill we use and either have to resort to small bottles or a 20 pounder. We also have a campfire in a can. Again they use small bottles or the 20#. Is there an easy way to attach an extension to the on board tank on the MH? If so, what do I need, what's the process and how long of an extension can I add on? Not sure if there is a loss in pressure over distance etc. Thanks

[Lobstah]

If the device you want to connect has it's own regulator, you need a "T" installed between your tank outlet and your rig's regulator.
If the device you're using does NOT have a regulator, you need a "T" installed AFTER your rig's regulator.

Pretty much every device will fit into one of those categories.

I use a Camp Chef propane stove as part of my outdoor kitchen. It has it's own regulater, easily visible when you look at the stove. So I use a "T" installed between the outlet of my tank and the regulator for the MH.

Jim

[Clay_L]

Extend a Stay (Marshall Brass) and Stay A While Tees (Mr Heater)both have two ports, one for an external tank so you don't have to move your motor home to get propane and one for an external grill with regulator (which most have).
We have used one (Stay A While) for ten years and wouldn't be without it.

[hipower]

There are numerous ways to achieve what you desire when adapting gas supply points or appliances to our intended uses.

Bottom line to me is simple. Talk with a reliable, experienced propane supplier. If possible take your coach/trailer and your appliances along so everyone knows what they are dealing with. Their advice is very inexpensive (free) and their parts are reasonable. Do things right once and don't worry.

Just remember, over the years the loss of qualified technicians employed by propane suppliers has seen a lot of turnover. If you don't feel comfortable with someone's advice find another source. A lot of todays young techs don't know half of what the old guys have forgotten. They'll learn, it just doesn't have to be you they learn on.

[Shadow_Catcher]

We have a 25# tank on the tongue of our teardrop and we have a Holand small grill that I use both at home and with our tear, since the galley is in the rear I added a gas point from Bullfinch in the UK http://www.bullfinch-gas.co.uk/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=16&Itemid=1 this is plumbed in next to the water heater and had a 10' hose with quick disconnect. I also have one of their exterior shower points which can be used with a shower/potty tent. Both are great quality.

[Community Alumni]

Before you jump in and connect to the high pressure side of your propane tank, you better do a little research. There are many considerations when designing a SAFE propane fuel delivery system. I will just go into enough detail to ward off potential hazards. The propane gas system in our RV is a VAPOR delivery system. A pressure regulator that is located close to the storage tank(s)reduces and regulates pressure to about 11" WC, that is less than 1/2 PSI. Most common is a two stage regulator. The first regulator takes the tank pressure that can vary from below 10 PSI to more than 200 PSI and down to about 10 PSI. The second stage regulator delivers a steady flow to the various gas appliances in the RV at 11" WC. Some of the appliances may have an additional regulator as well. Here is where the trouble starts. Our RV may not have a factory installed connection for an auxiliary appliance. To illustrate, here are two examples. I had a RoadTrek van camper that had a connection for a BBQ grill. The quick connect hose was connected to a separate high pressure regulator (15 PSI)to provide enough working pressure so that the built-in regulator found on most portable propane gas grill would operate properly. When I moved into an Itasca Navion class C camper I wanted an outdoor connection just like my RoadTrek. At the tank I installed a tee just before the dual stage regulator where I connected a 10 PSI regulator. From there I installed a 20 foot hose to a quick connect at the rear of the RV. Using an adapter hose of about 15 foot in length I can place the grill anywhere convenient. Question: Is that hose and quick connect rated for 200+ PSI? Here is an actual experience that I had. The high pressure regulator on my RoadTrek failed and vented nearly a full tank of propane. To get by, I removed the regulator and connected the pigtail directly to the tank. Since the daytime temperature at the lake in Northern California was in the triple digits, the pressure in the hose to the grill was insane and above what it was rated. I could turn off the tank and the grill would continue to operate for a couple of minutes. A week later we were at Lake Louise in Canada where it was quite cold. Now the unregulated propane is condensing in the hose and the grill is acting funny. Then I got ambitious and installed the new regulator I bought at a propane supplier in Washington State before we crossed the border. Back to normal. So, when it got to my new RV, I wasn't going to screw around. I learned by example why the regulators are there. The next example is a friend bought a new fifth wheel that had three outside gas connections. His old rig had a setup like mine that we made up. He connected his grill and it barely lit. The connections on his new rig are behind the regulator so there is not enough pressure to operate the built in regulator on the grill. There are not a lot of choices in grills that he liked so plan B: modify a portable gas grill by removing the regulator. Tough to do when you have a regulator with a built in control. There are several Coleman grills that lend themselves to modification. We opted to modify the Weber 200 portable. The regulator is a separate unit and easily removed and replaced with a short pigtail and quick connect. That bad boy does the job and then some. In many cases it is easier to use or add a connection to the existing gas lines. If you choose to have a separate high pressure line, make sure it has a regulator in it regardless of the length of hose off the tank. A 10 or 15 PSI regulator will suffice for most BBQ grills and stoves. But, there may not be enough flow to handle the higher BTU output of a fireplace or cooker. There are a variety of fixed and variable regulators that will deliver the necessary pressure. Be safe. A propane tank at 130 deg. is over 300 PSI. :E

[workhardplayha1]

I built mine. Got all the parts at Tractor Supply. I looked at the kits but some had funky angles on the connections that wouldn't work. Note I made connection before the house regulator.

[Halmfamily]

We bought our "t" connector and 12' hose from Amazon. As others have said make sure you tie in before the regulator. My "t" hooks directly up to my street side tank and the hose that normally connects to the tank is on one side and I boom up my new extension to the other. Works great for us. Good luck

[hotbyte]

I have an extend-a-stay from our 5'er that I moved over to the MH when we got it. But, I eventually bought a small 5lb refillable tank and Coleman Tee adapter that allows connection of grills and camp stoves that use the disposable bottles. I like the 5lb tank because it is easy to move around and can be situated anywhere in campsite vs right next to MH with the extend-a-stay. A full tank will last quite a while and local Ace will top it off when filling MH tank. The empty tank wasn't cheap, about $45 empty but with the way we've used it I feel worth it. Good luck and smart move getting away from the disposable bottles.

[dan-nickie]

Here's one that will help with the grill.
Propane adapter

But the campfire in a can has the large connector on it, so you would need to change that to the small 'one pound' type connector.

[wny_pat1]

Effy wrote:
I have a small foldable LP grill we use and either have to resort to small bottles or a 20 pounder. We also have a campfire in a can. Again they use small bottles or the 20#. Is there an easy way to attach an extension to the on board tank on the MH? If so, what do I need, what's the process and how long of an extension can I add on? Not sure if there is a loss in pressure over distance etc. Thanks

Yep, but where you hook up is dependent on whether the grill/campfire unit has a regulator or not. If they have regulators, you have to hook before the tanks regulator, but if they do not have regulators - you need to hook after the tanks regulator. And you can get the extension lines from any RV dealer or a Propane dealer will make them up for you. Usually the later is priced much more reasonable. Considering your small grill can use the small 1 pound canisters, it probably has a regulator, so the extension would be hooked pre tank regulator.

[past-MIdirector]

We use the fitting off our extend stay valve on the MH. You can buy the whole kit at Camping World. It's easy to install and it allows you to attach and run off a bottle and/or run a hose to your grill or other gas appliance. No pressure lose to worry about.