PSA - Propane leak or something else

[RVwife]

Well, today we started to get the MH ready for our planned southern road trip only to discover that our onboard propane tank, that was 75% full when we came back from our last trip 6 weeks ago, was now bone empty. Yes, totally empty.

Propane makes me nervous anyhow and this was not sitting well at all. We had had no problems with our stove or refrigerator. Nor had we smelled that tell-tale warning when we've been in and out of the rig in the last few weeks.

We double checked all the appliances and they were shut off. We had also shut off the valve at the tank before we hit the road at the end of our last trip.

We had absolutely no clue where any leak was evident.

Of course it was half an hour before closing time at the propane depot around the corner (and a Saturday too). I talked to the fellow on the phone and decided we would head over to have him put just a little bit of propane in to see if we would at least smell a leak.

Once we arrived, he was kind enough to fiddle with all the obviously visible fittings because he was surprised a rig as new as ours would have a leak. Sure enough, "the spitter" (a fancy word for the pressure release valve I think) was quite loose. He tightened it up and we decided to fill the tank, given he was pretty sure that was the problem. After filling, he leak tested.
No obvious leak. No odor of leaking propane.

We didn't even know what that "spitter" was, let alone that we should check it regularly. He said they work loose quite easily, especially on bumpy roads. Ya, the washboard to that beautiful remote lakeside campsite we had enjoyed could barely be called a road, but it would explain a lot.

We will check daily for odor or the tank going down for the next few days. Hopefully we will still be able to take off after our $27 "learning experience." If not, the beast is getting the winterizing treatment and headed to the shop for a fix so we can try again in the spring.

So all you newbies (us included)... one more thing to learn and check. Hope this saves a few of you a similar education.

(Bob no "clueless" jokes. We already know we are that in the MH department.)

[Budman]

Thx for info. Could you please post a pic of the valve you speak of?
Not sure of the terminology he used and a pic would definitely help.
It sounds like the valve they open when they fill the tank!!! Thx, Dennis.

[lwmcguire]

The valve in question is the vapor/liquid bleed valve typically at 80% tank volume. This type valve is on larger tanks where the small tanks have the screwdriver slot valve.

You open the valve to let vapor out when filling and close it when liquid appears and stop filling at that point. This method is used on larger tanks as they can't be filled by weight.

[saddlesore]

ASME permanently mounted tank..

[RVwife]

Originally Posted by lwmcguire

The valve in question is the vapor/liquid bleed valve typically at 80% tank volume. This type valve is on larger tanks where the small tanks have the screwdriver slot valve.

You open the valve to let vapor out when filling and close it when liquid appears and stop filling at that point. This method is used on larger tanks as they can't be filled by weight.

Yes, I believe you are correct and gave a good explanation of the valve and it's function as I understood it after talking to the pro at the propane depot.

Our Axis has a permanently mounted 10 gal (?)/40# tank, so that all makes sense.

Budman, I'll try to get you a photo (but don't hold your breath, I'm slow at posting them. DH is out there now, so maybe I can get him to take a quick shot with his phone.)

For now, our valve is located sort of in the right upper quadrant of the panel and what you have on view when you open the basement door. It's quite small, almost like a little hexnut with a small flange on the side. It was quite easy to turn (loose). After the tank was filled, the fellow tightened it again. No tools involved, but a good firm finger tight.

And as follow up, the tank is still full this AM. No odor. Stove top lit right up, so hopefully we are safe and set to still take our trip.

Now I'm curious, has anyone else had this valve loosen up on them just from road vibration?

[m1noel]

Originally Posted by RVwife

Yes, I believe you are correct and gave a good explanation of the valve and it's function as I understood it after talking to the pro at the propane depot.

Our Axis has a permanently mounted 10 gal (?)/40# tank, so that all makes sense.

Budman, I'll try to get you a photo (but don't hold your breath, I'm slow at posting them. DH is out there now, so maybe I can get him to take a quick shot with his phone.)

For now, our valve is located sort of in the right upper quadrant of the panel and what you have on view when you open the basement door. It's quite small, almost like a little hexnut with a small flange on the side. It was quite easy to turn (loose). After the tank was filled, the fellow tightened it again. No tools involved, but a good firm finger tight.

And as follow up, the tank is still full this AM. No odor. Stove top lit right up, so hopefully we are safe and set to still take our trip.

Now I'm curious, has anyone else had this valve loosen up on them just from road vibration?

I haven't had one loosen on the road, but an attendant failed to close ours after he filled it once on our last coach, and but the time we reached our destination (about 300 miles) our tank was virtually empty.

[RVwife]

Originally Posted by Budman

Thx for info. Could you please post a pic of the valve you speak of?
Not sure of the terminology he used and a pic would definitely help.
It sounds like the valve they open when they fill the tank!!! Thx, Dennis.

Got as far as DH taking photo and uploading it to my album, but have to take care of some other stuff now. How the devil do I actually post the photo here? Couldn't figure that out on the quick.

[lwmcguir]

Go advanced and select it

[RVwife]

Originally Posted by lwmcguir

Go advanced and select it

??? guess I'm not tech savvy enough. Iv'e searched for how to do that with no success. The FAQ's don't list Chrome, which is the browser I use.

Walk me through if you would please.

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by RVwife

??? guess I'm not tech savvy enough. Iv'e searched for how to do that with no success. The FAQ's don't list Chrome, which is the browser I use.

Walk me through if you would please.

Posts #21 and #24 in this thread:

https://www.thorforums.com/forums/f3...sue-23790.html

[RVwife]

Hope this does the trick.

... or not. I am at a loss. This should not be so hard.

[Oneilkeys]

I’ve never had one “loosen” in 12 years and five different RVs. But it certainly is a possibility. I would guess that the person who filled it did not adequately tighten it and that’s why it was able to loosen. Always a good idea to check the valve and the indicator. I had an idiot overfill my tank once - he didn’t loosen the valve adequately before he started the fill. Took half an hour to bleed it off.

[JoeDS]

When I first got my 24.1 vegas the the tank has a very minute leak. No propane smell ever. After loosing a full tank twice after being parked for a month or longer. Found the leak. Had to have it replaced. Took awhile. They are made in Mexico.