Propane Question

[avanti]

Originally Posted by peteco

Thanks, this is a good read. First time I have heard that you should not use soapy water to test for leaks.

"The only acceptable liquid leak detector is commercially made for this purpose. Soap and water should never be used to look for a leak. The soap and water residue can damage the fittings. If you see green around a brass fitting soap and water has been used. Long term this can cause a leak. Only propane leak detector formulated for this purpose should be used."

Color me skeptical. I have no idea who this guy is. Yes, I see that he is a "Master Certified RV Technician" (whatever that means). Maybe he is right about not using soap and water, but this claim lacks face validity and an AWFUL lot of Internet BS comes from this kind of screed by self-proclaimed experts.

Here is a longish discussion from the jeweler community:

https://orchid.ganoksin.com/t/checki...py-water/31838

Many of these guys seem to believe that it depends on the kind of soap.

I have no data.

[GallenH]

Avanti: Probably true. But many people actually look for RV service centers that have certified RV technicians. It does mean that they have a certain amount of specialized training. I'd rather have my propane system serviced by someone with specific training than not. Whatever.

Regardless, I posted that PDF for InterBlog who said that she hadn't heard of pressure testing the system. The information concerning that aspect was what I was really trying to convey.

[Pam G]

Originally Posted by Wingeezer

Do you happen to know if it is common that generally most Uhaul places are set up to fill fixed RV tanks, or is it just some that do?

Brian

Brian,
I've only gone to the U-Haul near my house, so I can't say about other U-Hauls. Based on the other posts on this thread, it looks like a lot of U-Hauls must be set up to fill tanks.

Pam

[Pam G]

Originally Posted by avanti

I don't even know what "certification" means in this context. If the tanks don't need inspection, who is going to "certify" them, and for what?

I suspect that this is just internal miscommunication within the U-Haul system, with the actual intent applying only to DOT tanks.

Please look at the previous posts in this thread where other people are also talking about having the same experience at a U-Haul. This thread is the first mention I've seen about DOT and ASME certifications. It sounds like U-Haul is treating all propane tanks as if they're DOT. The staff at the U-Haul here didn't really tell me where to go to have the tank inspected. They just told me it had to have a date on it showing that it had been inspected and certified within the past 10 years. Prior to this, I had been going to this U-Haul for at least 10 years to buy propane, and all with old Class B's - a 1998 Coach House, a 2001 Coach House, and the 1999 Roadtrek.

[GallenH]

Hmm. Maybe I'll try sending U-Haul corporate an email and ask for clarification. This obviously isn't a policy of one U-Haul; it spans states. So it must come from corporate.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by Pam G

Please look at the previous posts in this thread where other people are also talking about having the same experience at a U-Haul. This thread is the first mention I've seen about DOT and ASME certifications. It sounds like U-Haul is treating all propane tanks as if they're DOT. The staff at the U-Haul here didn't really tell me where to go to have the tank inspected. They just told me it had to have a date on it showing that it had been inspected and certified within the past 10 years. Prior to this, I had been going to this U-Haul for at least 10 years to buy propane, and all with old Class B's - a 1998 Coach House, a 2001 Coach House, and the 1999 Roadtrek.

I understand that. But, I suspect that it is the DEALERS who are treating DOT and ASME the same. This is not unusual--I have had the kid at the pump ask for the inspection date at places other than U-haul. My point is that asking for an inspection date on an ASME tank is non-sensical. Almost certainly this is one of three things:
1) The kids at the pump have no idea what DOT or ASME means, so they can't understand the memo they received.
2) The lawyer who wrote the memo from Corporate to the kids at the pump deliberately wrote an overly-broad CYA memo just in case it is ever useful in future litigation.
3) The just don't want to fill ASME tanks because the tiny market is not worth the liability.

I am guessing #1.

[Doneworking]

Regarding using soap to find leaks in LP/NG systems: gosh, I have been using it for fifty years and have never had corrosion problems. Color me lucky. Or someone that doesn't freak out very easily.

Of course, if you used soap and were concerned you could always just flush it with fresh water after testing. I am sure someone selling something will say that will rust the connections. Hummmm? Brass and non ferrous metals rust with a little water? Well, you could always dry the washed with fresh water connections with compressed air of course.

Dumb as I am, I don't think I would try to dry them with a torch. Or match.

Personally, I'll just continue to use a little of the kitchen dish washing soap and enjoy my rig without going down the road obsessing. Just a dumb Okie with over a million accident free miles.

[GeorgeRa]

I used soap water and never had a problem; dishwater detergent could be better - it has less sodium.

I would view this opinion with a lot of caution, either a bad choice of words or lack of understanding in this statement - “purging pressure”, it should by purging air or specifically nitrogen, oxygen, and water vapor but not pressure. As far as I know pressure could be reduced, increased, eliminated but not purged. Am I picky, yes, but words do count.

[michaelingp]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

IMO the real risk with propane is not the tanks - it's the lines used on Class B rigs.

To make a long story short, according to the manufacturer with whose technical representative I spoke by telephone, those lines are only supposed to be in service for 5 years, then replaced. They have a finite lifespan by design.

I had a 2000 Roadtrek with remote filler. The lines to the remote filler scared me. If the lines to the appliances or the appliances leaked (which happened), I had the option of shutting off the propane at the tank and getting it fixed later, plus they were after the regulator which would limit the leaking. But I didn't know of any device that would shut off the propane if the hoses between the tank and the remote filler leaked. (There may have been such a device, but I never found out about it.) Anyway, I contacted Roadtrek and I was told that the neoprene lines between the tank and the filler did not have any specified life expectancy and stop worrying.

Note that these lines are not necessarily the same material as the lines in the quote above, so the 5 year life expectancy may not apply and what Roadtrek told me might be true.

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by michaelingp

...Anyway, I contacted Roadtrek and I was told that the neoprene lines between the tank and the filler did not have any specified life expectancy and stop worrying.

Note that these lines are not necessarily the same material as the lines in the quote above, so the 5 year life expectancy may not apply and what Roadtrek told me might be true.

Did you ask them for that declaration in writing? Because I suspect that such evidence would be pure gold to the inevitable plaintiff who will need that information in the most concrete form attainable.

Conversely, what is the manufacturer, make, and model of the lines being used on Roadtrek vans? Do any of you know this answer? That right there might answer the question as to whether the person you spoke to had a clue regarding what they were talking about.

Airstream is using Parker brand LP hoses on some (most? all?) of its rigs - they are a major manufacturer. It was a Parker rep to whom I spoke by phone. She reflexively laughed out loud when I told her that I was asking because I was trying to figure out when my 10-year-old hoses need to be replaced. She thought it was absurd that anyone would leave them in service for that length of time.

EDIT: At a certain point, whether it is Roadtrek or SOB, we have to weigh assertions against the evidence. And the evidence in the case of the Parker hoses on the Airstream Interstate is that we had several reports of old hoses leaking, including a fill line on a rig owned by a friend of mine. In other words, it wasn't a random anecdotal report - it was for real. That's what got me digging into the supplier's statements of product limitations in the first place. I didn't wake up one day and randomly decide to start screwing around with my propane hoses. I watched a friend danged near blow up because of this issue.