Well, the camper has been living in the back of my truck for a bit. My oldest and I have been taking it out for hunting season. Camper has worked well, hunting not so much.I want to improve the connection for the gas tank. The way it is now, the regulator screws into the valve for the gas tank and then a flexible hose goes from the regulator to the connection to the gas system. I have to hook and unhook the tank to go anywhere and the door won't shut when the tank is hooked up. What do I need to know about regulators and hoses to get this set up correctly?Single stage vs dual stage regulator.Horizontal vs verticle regulator.Potential issues with fittings on a 1995 camper. I would prefer to switch over to the tank fitting which I can just screw on by hand unless there is a reason not to.The propane is used in the water heater, stove/oven, fridge and furnace.

Can you post a picture of what you are talking about? It would be helpful for people to see what you are dealing with in order to make suggestions. Most likely your current setup is some cobbled-together mess from a previous owner, which would explain why you can't close the door with it hooked up. Or maybe you just need to turn the tank 90 degrees?In my original setup there were two 20lb grill tanks sitting upright and a changeover valve hung between them. The hoses were cracked and I barely use a tank of propane in a season, so I replaced the whole works with a simple grill regulator. Works fine. Probably won't flow enough propane if I ran the water heater, furnace, and stovetop simultaneously, but I would never do that.You need a regulator that is rated for whatever BTUs you expect to need. The furnace, stovetop, and water heater are all rated in BTUs. Add up what you think you'll be running at one time and get a regulator at least rated for that if not more.

Agreed a pic would help. Mine has 2 20 lb tanks laying down with the regulator hanging in between. In my rebuild I replaced the regulator with a Marshall auto changeover along with new hoses too. I've only got one battery but two gas tanks so I run what I can with them.You should be able to at least close the hatch on your cylinder, but you need to be sure it's properly vented because regulators are vented and do expel gas from time to time. Propane is heavier than air and will blow if it accumulates in low places.

http://photoposting.is-great.net/

I'd just go and get a replacement grill regulator and install it. A little bit of soapy water in a spray bottle, or even a shot of windex, on the connector to make sure it's not leaking.What you've got there is a dual stage regulator if I'm not mistaken. Does not appear to be original to the camper, as you should be able to leave it hooked up to run the fridge during travel.

Replacing gas regulator and hoses | Good Sam Community

Killingsworth
Explorer
Oct 25, 2020
Just last week had a hose fail, not leak, but would not allow propane to go through the hose. There must be a check valve in the connection or near the end of the hose that, on mine was stuck closed.
And... it sure seems these hoses have gone up in price from when I bought a couple for my TT.
jimh406
Explorer III
Oct 24, 2020
That’s too bad that it didn’t fit the other way, but glad you got it fixed.
silverbullet555
Explorer
Oct 24, 2020
Just to close this thread out. I tried to turn the bottle and it wouldn't fit.

So, I bought a new hose to go from the regulator to the tank with an acme valve on it. Made it long enough to make it easy.

Swapped it out, sprayed with some soapy water. All good.

After hunting season I'd like to move the regulator a bit because it is on a long hose too meaning there is just too much going on. But, that'll need to wait until the freezer has some meat in it which isn't going so well this year.
silverbullet555
Explorer
Oct 08, 2020
towpro wrote:
how about turn the bottle 1/8 turn and see if regulator allows door to close than.

the point from center to the corner of box is longer than from center to side of box.

It's worth a shot.
silverbullet555
Explorer
Oct 08, 2020
time2roll wrote:
This looks a bit shorter and should attach direct.
Yes 11" WC

https://www.amazon.com/Cavagna-Group-890-0030-Pressure-Regulator

Thanks.
AnEv942
Nomad
Oct 08, 2020
I'd agree with others, just use existing regulator, remove the brass fitting on outlet and replace with hose thats long enough to be easily threaded to bottle.
amazon/Camco-59843-Pigtail-Propane-Connectors
Mounting the reg to wall would be nice.
towpro
Explorer
Oct 08, 2020
how about turn the bottle 1/8 turn and see if regulator allows door to close than.

the point from center to the corner of box is longer than from center to side of box.
time2roll
Nomad
Oct 07, 2020
This looks a bit shorter and should attach direct.
Yes 11" WC

https://www.amazon.com/Cavagna-Group-890-0030-Pressure-Regulator
ticki2
Explorer
Oct 07, 2020
silverbullet555 wrote:

Is there a definite pressure that RVs are supposed to use?

RV regulators are 11 inch water column , approx 0.4 psi . BBC grill regulators are from 10-15 psi . That's why BBQ doesn't work very well on rv gas system unless you bypass the rv regulator .
Kayteg1
Explorer II
Oct 07, 2020
I've been dealing with 30 yo propane regulators and they work just fine.
Obviously they can fail any time, but seems they don't age like tires.
Hoses do age, but most of them have triple layers of rubber & reinforcement, so if you don't see cracks on the outside layer it is still good.
Than the "new technology " female thread connectors do have baby teeth.
The build-in push valve often misaligns and the propane just drizzle.
On my BBQ I had to scarp new connector and dig the old, male type from box in my garage.
Newer connectors need oring replacement every few years, when old system had brass to brass sealing who last for 1000 years.