Couple questions on my Thor ACE. Hopefully right forum? Bunk ladders and Propane

[pinballandvodka]

RE: Bunk Ladder My 2015 Thor Ace has a 61 1/4" high bunk which I guess is high for an RV bunk. 95% of the ladders on sale on Amazon are 60-something inches. It occurs to me I need at least a 72" ladder accounting for the angle but I can only find a few and they are CRAZY expensive (like $140 retail). I understand these didn't come with a ladder so I'm trying to figure out the best solution that doesn't piss me off when I buy it. I'd prefer non-skid and actual steps instead of bars for a kid. I can hack that though if needed. The ACE doesn't really have a hook area on the bunk top (it's flush). So not sure exactly how to rig that?

Re: Propane. The math isn't adding up to me when it comes to propane being feasible except in an emergency. This tank cost $50 to fill up empty and in three nights of using it on only chilly nights (50's) it's burned through close to half of it. Now, there may be a leak or it's not burning efficiently or something, I'll give it that, but still....I've read that people augment with space heaters and I tried that idea the other night and it took the edge off but the propane is still going way too fast (say leave the thermo at 65 and space heat it the rest of the way). Propane for my rig seems like a non-starter and especially annoying if you're far off the grid and can't cruise to the Ace to fill up every three days. I'd rather not run the generator but...I know that with 30A and 115v I'd be stupid to run > 1 1500 watt heater and that's not cutting it in not even freezing temps. Am I learning/facing the facts or doing something wrong?

Thank y'all!

 

[ghnl]

In our ACE a full propane tank lasts for many weekends. Not all require heat but many do. Is your furnace staying 'on' all night or does it cycle on & off as the T-stat calls for heat? The latter is how our's works. I set the T-stat for ~ 65*F (my wife doesn't like to be cold).

When we bought our ACE (used) the salesman noted to his boss that there wasn't a ladder in the rig so he was told to go grab one out of the store. So, I don't know the brand name but it has (narrow) treads and hooks at the top. IIRC, it was a little too long so I cut it down for a better angle. We store it on one hooks I installed behind the fold out couch.

It looks like this one: RV Bunk Ladder or maybe this one. If need be I can go measure the length of the one we have. Here's a better price: 66" Bunk Ladder

 

[Jimbo57]

As for the propane you can take a soapy water solution and a tooth brush start at your tank and start brushing on , scrub till you have bubbles, go to each connection, regulator, valve . If you see bubbles getting bigger then there is an leak.Amazon have a small pen about $20 that sniff for propane leaks. Are there any roof vents open or cracked , windows open that let out heat. How old is your rig because insulation maybe not in top condition. As for ladder they usually hook toward the bottom of bunk or if you know someone that is good with wood I made one out of 1x4 pine that hooks over top edge of bunk

 

[16ACE27]

Propane tanks are only filled to 80% so to be at 50% on the 4 lights is misleading. What does the gauge on the tank say? How fast you go through propane with the furnace depends on how cold it is outside and how much the RV leaks air. Otherwise, even with occasional use, our propane can last almost a year.

The ladder should have been included - did you look under that master bed? Ours looks like the "cheap" one referenced above by GHNL except it is brown in color. We have clips/hooks that the top of the ladder's hooks drop in to but they can also hook over the bed rail. There isn't a lot of tilt to the ladder.

 

[pinballandvodka]

Propane tanks are only filled to 80% so to be at 50% on the 4 lights is misleading. What does the gauge on the tank say? How fast you go through propane with the furnace depends on how cold it is outside and how much the RV leaks air. Otherwise, even with occasional use, our propane can last almost a year.

The ladder should have been included - did you look under that master bed? Ours looks like the "cheap" one referenced above by GHNL except it is brown in color. We have clips/hooks that the top of the ladder's hooks drop in to but they can also hook over the bed rail. There isn't a lot of tilt to the ladder.

I'll check on the ladder! The previous owner shrugged about a ladder tho. Yeah 80% cuz expansion and stuff on the propane. Tank says 3/4'ish and I've run it for maybe 8 hours total. The Auto on the thermo seems to work so it goes on off for the most part (I'm not going to go so far as to say that thermo works perfectly though, I have to mess with the dial sometimes to get the blower to go off?!). This rig def spills some gas when I open it but nothing shocking. And as a rule I try not to trust gauges unless I can see it I didn't know what you were talking about on those lights so I had to look that up ha.

 

[ghnl]

I don't think our ACE ever came with a ladder. We just got a nice salesman...

What do you mean by 'spills some gas'? Gasoline or propane? Neither should be spilling but especially not propane!

 

[pinballandvodka]

I don't think our ACE ever came with a ladder. We just got a nice salesman...

What do you mean by 'spills some gas'? Gasoline or propane? Neither should be spilling but especially not propane!

Little gassy around the propane handle- like more than a bbq grill...nothing crazy though..it can smell slightly 'propaney' right around there. You know, like by the gas meter. That's normal right? lol.

 

[Jimbo57]

Little gassy around the propane handle- like more than a bbq grill...nothing crazy though..it can smell slightly 'propaney' right around there. You know, like by the gas meter. That's normal right? lol.

No smell is all right, how old is the tank

 

[ghnl]

The only time I smell propane (actually propane is odorless but they add something to make it detectable to our nose) is immediately after having the tank filled. You should not smell it under normal use. As mentioned in reply #3 you can (should) use some soapy water to search for leaks. Use a small paint brush or an old spray bottle (window cleaner type) to soak any suspect areas (joints, seams, etc) and watch for bubbles.

 

[Jimbo57]

2 things if it’s the tank 1- in the side of the tank valve check to see that the slotted screw( bleeder screw) is tight and 2- is right under knob on top ( should be a three sided shape) there is a nut if you see notches its reverse thread you can try to snug it a little, the more you snug it the harder the valve will be to open and close . Safer thing would be replace tank if that’s where the smell is coming from.

 

[Jimbo57]

Also do soapy water on hoses because they get old and leak

 

[MJC68]

Hmmm, shouldn't smell propane after the tank is filled. There is a bleeder valve on your propane tank that is opened during the fill to bleed off air. When the tank is full liquid propane appears at the vent and the attendant should close the bleeder and the fill valve.
When looking for a seep check the obvious first. One fill I had my bleeder left slightly loose. The odor led my nose to the source

 

[ghnl]

Hmmm, shouldn't smell propane after the tank is filled.

I meant for a moment after after the tank is filled - because the attendant always vents a small amount of propane when they disconnect the fill hose.

 

[pinballandvodka]

I meant for a moment after after the tank is filled - because the attendant always vents a small amount of propane when they disconnect the fill hose.

Exactly what I was about to say- they'll bleed it out if it's empty before filling it.

 

[pinballandvodka]

Hmmm, shouldn't smell propane after the tank is filled. There is a bleeder valve on your propane tank that is opened during the fill to bleed off air. When the tank is full liquid propane appears at the vent and the attendant should close the bleeder and the fill valve.
When looking for a seep check the obvious first. One fill I had my bleeder left slightly loose. The odor led my nose to the source

Not to brag about my nasal capacity but I definitely smell propane always around, propane.

 

[pinballandvodka]

As for the propane you can take a soapy water solution and a tooth brush start at your tank and start brushing on , scrub till you have bubbles, go to each connection, regulator, valve . If you see bubbles getting bigger then there is an leak.Amazon have a small pen about $20 that sniff for propane leaks. Are there any roof vents open or cracked , windows open that let out heat. How old is your rig because insulation maybe not in top condition. As for ladder they usually hook toward the bottom of bunk or if you know someone that is good with wood I made one out of 1x4 pine that hooks over top edge of bunk

Literally was gonna do pine but- just so much **** to do...but yeah, that's the smart and cheap way.

 

[16ACE27]

There is a bleeder valve on your propane tank that is opened during the fill to bleed off air.

How would air get in the propane tank?

That bleeder bleeds propane gas and when liquid propane exits, the tank is full to capacity (80%)

 

[MJC68]

Ok scuse me for my misstatement. Yes, the bleeder bleeds propane vapor not air.

 

[pinballandvodka]

I have a TVOC meter that I use for other things that among other things detect Co and I got an output of something like 0.002 Co. That

How would air get in the propane tank?

That bleeder bleeds propane gas and when liquid propane exits, the tank is full to capacity (80%)

Dump answer meant excess Propane

 

[pinballandvodka]

Well I got my nerd TVOC tool and I'll test it tonight when the propane is ON to check for too much Co in that general tank area. I don't think my TVOC meter cares about propane itself so won't bother checking it while it's off. I will say that I noticed the yellow plastic (screw) cap was loose on the input fitting and screwed it on tight. I came back ten mins later with my TVOC meter and for fun unscrewed it again and the Co meter went through the roof briefly. But all the valves were closed so that's sort of like
P.S. Already checked for Co in the rig and that's a -
I'll still do the soapy water test !