No propane appliances working

[Upstater]

Have tried a bunch of troubleshooting including phone guidance from Thor. Here’s what we’ve tried after confirming that the tank was full and the propane solenoid switch and 12V system were on:
- two propane valves near the tank are on
- tapped on the regulator with a plastic mallet
- bled the propane lines for some time

Essentially no propane is getting to the appliances. We tried the cooktop, combo water heater/furnace and the rear outdoor LP grill port.

No clue but thinking bad regulator? Anyone else have this problem? Any suggestions? Thanks.

[Upstater]

Should have mentioned that this is a 2021 Thor Tellaro 20AT

[chunker21]

Assuming this is new and new to you, did the propane appliances work during your inspection before you bought it and/or have they ever worked?

[dkoldman]

I never had that problem, but from what you have described, I would quit trying and just do a drive by to the Dealer to have a look. If they don't address, I would go to a full service propane facility to asked them to ensure you have full tank and no leaks. If you have verified both, I would think it is impossible for all of those propane appliances to NOT work. Despite what you have done, my money says a valve is still shut off. Likely at the tank. Something a facility will see in 10 seconds.

[taylorbob1]

There’s so much to learn in running an RV, especially if you don’t have the experience.

I agree with dkoldman:
- is tank full (or enough full to work)?
- is valve “open”
- then test each propane location

It could be a faulty valve at the tank, but I doubt it.

It’s not rocket science.

[16ACE27]

Well if you have done all you said, and closed the tank valve and reopened it slowly, then you either have a bad regulator or you went off-roading and crimped the propane distribution line under the RV. That's assuming it worked properly before. If it has never been demonstrated to work then you have multiple other possible causes.

[OldWEB]

Originally Posted by Upstater

Have tried a bunch of troubleshooting including phone guidance from Thor. Here’s what we’ve tried after confirming that the tank was full and the propane solenoid switch and 12V system were on:
- two propane valves near the tank are on
- tapped on the regulator with a plastic mallet
- bled the propane lines for some time

Essentially no propane is getting to the appliances. We tried the cooktop, combo water heater/furnace and the rear outdoor LP grill port.

No clue but thinking bad regulator? Anyone else have this problem? Any suggestions? Thanks.

So how and where had you bled the lines? What was the outcome, smelly gas or nothing?

[dkoldman]

Originally Posted by OldWEB

So how and where had you bled the lines? What was the outcome, smelly gas or nothing?

The Torch Method is pretty reliable to verify propane is in the tank; you can also grill the steaks faster

[taylorbob1]

Get out a couple of good wrenches

Start by turning off valve
Then remove the fitting next to the valve
Turn on valve. Is propane coming out?

If so, move down the line past the regulator
And so on

[Pillbox]

Looonnnngggg shot, but just maybe the dealer filled the tank with bad oily propane.
The oil clogged your valve….
Just a long out of the blue guess.
Terry

[Kenneth Neal]

Maybe the gas in the propane tank is not propane. A friend took delivery of a new RV and the owners manual said the propane tank is filled with an inert gas and must be purged and filled with propane. Smell the gas and if you don't detect the odorant then it's not propane.

[Upstater]

Thank you for all of your thoughts and suggestions. Some new ideas in here. the issue is clearly one of propane supply not reaching the appliances. One follow on since the RV is brand new: if the tank were filled with an inert gas (I had the tank filled and it took 20 lbs to fill it so I assume it was ‘empty’), how would one purge the inert gas. There was no pressure in the tank when we will filled it. Thanks again for all of the suggestions. Very helpful.

[Kenneth Neal]

If there was no pressure in the tank then it wasn't filled with inert gas. In the case I cited above, there was pressure in the tank and it had to be released before propane could be added.

[paulwadley]

Have you tried turning on your stove top long enough to allow the propane to flow through the lines. Since it is a brand new coach, you need to purge all of the air out of the lines.

Paul

[Travelin' Texans]

Not familiar with your motorhome, but I thought most had onboard propane tanks permanently mounted? If so & you say it was empty when filled & only held 20lbs that's not nearly enough, that's the size of the ones (5 gallons/20 lbs) you swap out at the convenience store. Yours could possibly hold 12-15 gallons which is considerably more than 20 lbs.

[dkoldman]

Originally Posted by Travelin' Texans

Not familiar with your motorhome, but I thought most had onboard propane tanks permanently mounted? If so & you say it was empty when filled & only held 20lbs that's not nearly enough, that's the size of the ones (5 gallons/20 lbs) you swap out at the convenience store. Yours could possibly hold 12-15 gallons which is considerably more than 20 lbs.

He has a 2021 Thor Tellaro 20AT so he only has 5 gal with 20 lbs total capacity. But on the same note and my point....given he has a 2021 Thor Tellaro 20AT how easy is it to just drive to the Dealer / Propane facility to verify everything is open and regulator working properly? I assume it is under warranty, and I assume he did not conduct PDI, or at least a thorough one to very everything on propane worked, take it back to the dealer because if something is wrong they will need to fix anyway. Or just keep trying some of the suggested ideas hoping to get lucky, or until something blows up

[OldWEB]

Have you tried to bleed the lines of the "new vehicle smell" gas until you get the "rotten egg smell" gas?

[lwmcguire]

As already noted

Turn off the propane tanks completely

Check your splitter manifold

Set it for the known full tank

Open the tank valves slowly

Bleed air at the stove top until you smell the mercaptan

Light the stove

[MLP]

New empty propane tanks need to be purged prior to filling. There is a bleed valve that must be opened and allow propane to purge the air out. Otherwise there could be a small amount of water and it will freeze. That can clog the line as well as the pressure regulator. Did they purge the tank(s)? Most places charge to purge the tank even though it takes less then ten to twenty seconds.

If a tank valve is opened quickly to a non pressurized line, it can shut off the gas flow. It is a safety feature. Storing or transporting a filled tank in a non standing position can also cause the internal shutoff valve to close. It does not always happen, but it can and has.