Water won't boil??

[misteramx]

1995 Cobra Sandpiper 30T. It has the magic chef 4 burner stove. Two full propane tanks, both in the open position. My refrigerator and hot water heater are working fine off the propane. But none of the 4 top burners will get water hot enough to boil?? I have checked for kinks and leaks, none to be found. Is there a separate regulator for the stove different from the regulator at the tanks? Also, I don't think the oven is getting hot enough either...biscuits wouldn't rise all the way.

Any suggestions??

[Racefan1]

Water will not boil in our pots unless we put cover on.

[rrupert]

You may save yourself time and money by taking the rig to a dealer that can check the pressure and the regulators. Parts changing can be more expensive when you don't really know what the problem is. We had a problem with our fridge not cooling with no apparent problems with anything else. It turned out that the regulator was only giving 4" of pressure instead of 11". A new regulator did the trick and "oh wow" how much stronger the stove flame was than before.

[beemerphile1]

You need a manometer. It is used to measure water column inches of the LPG. There is a website that describes how to make a DIY manometer with a piece of wood and plastic tubing.

[misteramx]

Thanks BB TX....that is it!! Nice work! That is what I'm seeing under the hood of my stove. Now, do I spend the big $ for that...or significantly less for the tank regulator, or both???

[Gau_8]

cpaharley2008 wrote:
Are you camping in high altitude? This will affect cooking and results.

Water boils at a lower temp at higher altitude. Not the problem here.

[BB_TX]

clicky

[misteramx]

Beemerphile, you are correct...I popped the lid to the stove and sure enough, there is a regulator there as well...and in researching THIS regulator...$$$. So, how do I know which regulator is bad...the one under the stove...or the one at the tanks?? I'm trying to post a picture...but what I see under the stove matches this...

https://www.google.com/search?q=magic+chef+22RA+4Z+regulator&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=5jCsUf3lMIva8wS-9IHICQ&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAQ&biw=1294&bih=670#facrc=_&imgrc=DXax2fPTblwgIM%3A%3Bw3Bb9qeJzjXwOM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fcdn.appliancepartspros.com%252Fimages%252Fproduct%252Fcache%252Fwhirlpool-regulator-kit-12001285-ap4009952_01_l.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.appliancepartspros.com%252Fwhirlpool-regulator-kit-12001285-ap4009952.html%3B640%3B480


And anyone know an easier way to post a picture??

[beemerphile1]

Old-Biscuit wrote:
No separate regulator.....the one at the tanks regulates ALL propane to rig.
It should be set to 11" WC with flow to an appliance...

Not exactly correct. Many RV stoves have a separate regulator under the stove top.

[misteramx]

Well, this is the original regulator it would appear, making the tank regulator over 15 years old. I likes Fred's thinking...I'll put on a new regulator and see what happens.

Any suggestions on brands or styles? I have twin tanks up front.

Thanks alot guys!

[ScottG]

I had the same problem on my last TT. The tank regulator was failing and had dropped the pressure. Everything seemed to work ok but the flame on the stove was low.
I replaced the reg. and the flame was instantly back up where it should be.

[RCMAN46]

Actually water will boil at a lower temperature at altitude. At 7000 feet water boils at 198 f vs 212 f at sea level. The problem at altitude it will take longer to cook something like beans due to the lower temperature.
There is a joke how Cimarron Colorado got its name. At 6800 ft an old timer was trying to cook some beans. After several hours of simmering the old timer said cimmarron on you $%& cimmarron on. There are many places in the old west that do not have the correct spelling as the people of that time were often poorly educated.

[Tom_M1]

The Suburban brand three burner cook-top that was in my RV had a regulator. This is in addition to the main regulator on the propane tank. When my stove started acting up the flame would increase and turn orange and soot up my pans. I replaced it with a small residential cook-top stove. The Suburban piezo igniter seldom worked and when the regulator started acting up, I decided to replace it with a real stove.

[Golden_HVAC]

My guess is that you can take the RV to a dealership, and have it checked out. Any service should be a minimum of 1/4 to 1 full hour at the shop rate, usually in the $75 per hour to $120 per hour.

Or you can buy a new propane regulator, replace it yourself in about 15 minutes, turn on the propane, spray on a little soapy water to check for leaks, and pat yourself on the back for a job well done. Cost of parts is only going to be about $35.

Some say to replace the regulator about every 10 years or so, because the internal rubber seals can start to leak over time.

Some regulators can be adjusted, but the cost might be 1/2 to 1 full hour of shop time, and replacement (if you can do it yourself) will be less expensive. And the shop might tell you to drop off the RV, then they will have a tech look at it, they will write a report, then call you with a estimate - 1 hour to install a new regulator, and cost is $75.65 (yes they mark up the price from what they paid for the parts) and another 1/2 hour that the tech spent diagnosing the problem and writing up that estimate. For a grand total well above $150.

Fred.

[prolandsurveyor]

What does the flame look like?