Propane tanks

[Integritas]

Okay I have several questions and am going to post them as different topics in case others have these questions too and they don't just get lost in a general post.

Propane tanks....... I have 2 on the front of my trailer. I do not know how to tell how full they are. Can I put gauges on them? they seem to be linked so do I open both of them when we are going on propane or just one?

When you fill them do you have to take them off the trailer or can the fill station do it when we are on our way out while they are on the trailer?

I smell propane when I get up towards the tongue of the trailer, should I take the tanks and have them fixed or is that normal? It is not crazy overwhelming but I know I am by the propane tanks.

I think for now that is it for propane questions.

[time2roll]

SoundGuy wrote:
That will change the first time you run both tanks dry in the middle of the night. :W

Don't count on that.
I would simply buy and carry two additional 30# cylinders if that became an issue.

And yes I have camped in the cold and burned some serious propane. If the regulator is checked at least once a day in harsh conditions you just don't run out.

[Bobbo]

SoundGuy wrote:

hawkeye-08 wrote:
My Dad laughed at me when I told him I keep one tank turned off, that I manually switch over when one runs out, even though I have an automatic changeover gizmo.

time2roll wrote:
No thanks. After a few times swapping tanks in the middle of the night I installed an automatic and life has been wonderful ever since.

That will change the first time you run both tanks dry in the middle of the night. :W

If he is using that much propane, it won't matter whether it is manual transfer or automatic. The manual transfer just makes him get up twice, once to transfer to the second tank, and again to cuss because he ran both tanks dry.

[SoundGuy]

hawkeye-08 wrote:
My Dad laughed at me when I told him I keep one tank turned off, that I manually switch over when one runs out, even though I have an automatic changeover gizmo.

time2roll wrote:
No thanks. After a few times swapping tanks in the middle of the night I installed an automatic and life has been wonderful ever since.

That will change the first time you run both tanks dry in the middle of the night. :W

[time2roll]

hawkeye-08 wrote:
My Dad laughed at me when I told him I keep one tank turned off, that I manually switch over when one runs out, even though I have an automatic changeover gizmo. He doesn't laugh now as he had a propane leak, had it on auto and when the furnace died in middle of the night, both his tanks were empty. Ruined his trip (his wife was not happy).

Please note, we don't camp often enough or cold enough to run out of propane most years, so handling the switch over manually is not a big deal.

No thanks. After a few times swapping tanks in the middle of the night I installed an automatic and life has been wonderful ever since.

[SoundGuy]

hawkeye-08 wrote:
My Dad laughed at me when I told him I keep one tank turned off, that I manually switch over when one runs out, even though I have an automatic changeover gizmo. He doesn't laugh now as he had a propane leak, had it on auto and when the furnace died in middle of the night, both his tanks were empty.

I've always run dual tanks the same way - manually, one at a time. He who laughs last laughs best. 😛

[OleManOleCan]

Lwiddis wrote:
I just use one until it’s empty and switch over. Then I remove the empty one, load it in the Tahoe and find a place to fill it. No one uses that much propane. If you smell propane anytime except when filling or removing a tank, get it fixed pronto.

I had the same problem when I bought my latest camper.
Close examination showed the hoses were only half assed screwed into the tanks.
I removed them, put a little plumbers tape on the threads and installed them correctly. No problem... (Cheap fix)

[Hannibal]

Not too long ago my neighbor came over to tell me my TT was hissing and smelled strongly of propane. The auto switchover regulator was leaking. I shut off both tank cylinder thingies and ran drove 44 miles to the nearest Camping World for a new one. Oddly, they didn't have the yellow tape thread sealant for gas connections. Had to find a Home Depot for that. We got lucky that day as the fridge was on gas and the wind was blowing the leaking gas toward it. No gas smell now. The new regulator works great. I have both cylindrical shaped portable tanks on and rely on the red flag to refill, checking every three or four days. Get that leak fixed. A propane explosion can obliterate a TT and it's occupants.

[hawkeye-08]

My Dad laughed at me when I told him I keep one tank turned off, that I manually switch over when one runs out, even though I have an automatic changeover gizmo. He doesn't laugh now as he had a propane leak, had it on auto and when the furnace died in middle of the night, both his tanks were empty. Ruined his trip (his wife was not happy).

Please note, we don't camp often enough or cold enough to run out of propane most years, so handling the switch over manually is not a big deal.

[myredracer]

When we got our TT new, the factory had installed the regulator facing the rear so you couldn't see what tank was being used. Wan't until I flipped it around I discovered the rubber hose was too short to reach the bulkhead fitting at the front of the frame. I guess the factory was too lazy to figure it out.

At first I thought of getting a longer hose but were expensive. In the end, all I had to do was move the propane tank tray rearward a couple of inches. That was something the factory could have easily done at no extra cost to anyone. Typical... :M

[time2roll]

I recommend Cavagna brand regulator. (amazon)

[jjinatx]

My auto switchover has started acting weird. Now, if I point the switch to a full tank, the indicator shows red, even after running appliances for quite a while. If I turn off that tank, it will switch over to the other tank like it should, but the indicator turns green. So now, green is the new red

It used to work like it should and if the tank (cylinder) pointed to ran out, it would turn red, but now it turns green. So the indicator somehow got out of sync, backwards. Anybody else have this same issue and know how to get it back in sync?

And no, I'm not an ignorant newbie, I've had RVs with auto switchover regulator for 20 years, so I do know how they work.

The switchover function works OK, so I don't think I need to change out the regulator. But getting used to green meaning empty is kind of weird.

-jj

[LVJJJ]

I loosen the hold down wing bolt, lift each tank. If real heavy, full, if light weight, empty. Done it for so long I can tell if half full , third full etc.

Tried the stickers, didn't work

[marcsbigfoot20b]

LScamper wrote:
TankCheck does a sound check and shows results on a monitor or a smart phone in percent or inches.

Have had a set for over a year. One was bad the other, the sensor came out of the body. They are very finicky. They did send a new one but it’s hit or miss to get them to work.

[GrandpaKip]

The 2 tank/cylinders I got with built in gauges cost less than $80 and not another freakin’ app.

We used to call applications software, so shouldn’t they be called softies?