LPG help, morning coffee depends on it!

[Tanqueray]

I recently had an issue with my LPG tank….

Tank was empty. I carry a spare, so I changed to the spare. But I could hear gas coming from the quick hose connection. I think I damaged the fitting while yanking the tank out of the locker…

Replaced the hose, no leak, but no gas at the stove

Turns out the new hose has a check valve in it, and opening the tank valve too quickly would pop the check valve. I tried it a few times and hear the check valve pop.

I closed the valve, let the check valve reset, and then S-l-o-w-l-y opened the valve, watching the pressure gauge. Opening the valve slowly prevented the check valve from popping closed…and I had gas at the stove.

Not sure what sort of connection hose you have at the tank, but if it is newer, maybe it has a check valve in it.

By now, I am sure you have gone crazy without your caffeine…man, that is rough.

Good luck,


Greg

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by midnightlace

I do have trident equipment and a problem I had that stopped the flow of gas was the failure of the micro switch that turned the solenoid on. I solved it by hot wiring it to a lead for one of the gas detectors. The only disadvantage is that the solenoid is virtually always open since the unit is on the galley circuit breaker.

I think if you go put your hand on that extremely hot solenoid ... you'll be prompted to fix that.

[wholybee]

Originally Posted by Tanqueray

I recently had an issue with my LPG tank….

Tank was empty. I carry a spare, so I changed to the spare. But I could hear gas coming from the quick hose connection. I think I damaged the fitting while yanking the tank out of the locker…

Replaced the hose, no leak, but no gas at the stove

Turns out the new hose has a check valve in it, and opening the tank valve too quickly would pop the check valve. I tried it a few times and hear the check valve pop.

I closed the valve, let the check valve reset, and then S-l-o-w-l-y opened the valve, watching the pressure gauge. Opening the valve slowly prevented the check valve from popping closed…and I had gas at the stove.

Not sure what sort of connection hose you have at the tank, but if it is newer, maybe it has a check valve in it.

By now, I am sure you have gone crazy without your caffeine…man, that is rough.

Good luck,


Greg

That is a safety feature. In case the other end of the hose is disconnected, you can't open the tank and let it discharge into the atmosphere. If the hose is very long, or if the stove is on, then it could activate by accident, which is probably what happened.

[MV Caroline]

Originally Posted by djousset

The galley stove is non-responsive. Naturally this was discovered while at anchor in ideal setting REALLY looking forward to coffee. I checked the power to the solenoid, all good. I took the solenoid apart, it appears fine but can’t be certain (it’s old). Ran ashore and refilled the propane tank just in case it was low and not providing enough pressure (?). One hint perhaps is that I tried the oven pilot for kicks and it lit, although this was short lived, perhaps leftover gas in the line? I imagine it's best to replace both the solenoid and the regulator? Anything I am missing? It's not ideal to heat water for coffee on the grill....

In my experience, modern regulators fail with regularity Lol, unlike the older ones that lasted about 10-20 years

[foufou]

All the above information is spot on. One additional problem I have encountered is that current propane tank valves have a safety feature that prevents discharge of gas by opening the tank valve while no hose is connected. This feature is accomplished by the connector to the tank valve pressing against the valve opening to release gas. Twice I have encountered regulator fittings that did not press firmly enough against this safety device to let the gas flow. I was able to remedy the problem by glueing a thin washer onto the tip of the regulator connector. I do not suggest that you try this. Foufou

[Nicholson58]

Foufou and others are correct. If you’ve been swapping exchange tanks you probably have run into possession of the new stuff with various automatic safety features. It may be necessary to replace the connecting hoses (current geometry) to get things to work. Expect to do this every three years. Valves, hoses and regulators fail. Even the tank valves fail. If you have permanent tanks they need periodic hydro testing. Always change the valve. It’s cheap.