RV MONITOR PANEL FOR WINNEBAGO ERA

[Karsty]

I have the 2012 Winnebago ERA. I recently discovered that the inside monitor panel is not recording the levels in the propane tanks. I found this out when the propane tank was empty while the monitor was showing FULL. Fortunately I was home at the time and was able to get it filled immediately.

My question is ... where might the problem be with the monitor panel. I presume there is some kind of wire running from the propane tank to the monitor panel inside?? It's just too darn cold and nasty to crawl underneath and try and look right now ... but I would like to get a head start when I start looking in the spring.

The BATTERY gauge and the holding tanks appear to be working properly. It's only the propane.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[markopolo]

More than one problem could cause that.

Try to look at the small gauge wires at or near the propane tank to see if any are corroded or have broken loose.

Another fix could be that the gauge on the tank is out of sync with the tank sending unit. If you can read the brand name on the gauge that is on the tank and see that it is Rochester then it might be an easy adjustment. Basically you remove the gauge on the tank and adjust it with a magnet. You set the gauge to match what you know is in the tank after filling it. The gauges can be snap on or held in place with two small screws. DO NOT REMOVE THE SENDING UNIT - as propane would likely escape! The on-tank Rochester gauges that I've worked with use a magnet to "communicate" with the tank sending unit. The gauge is separate from the sending unit.

You can search http://www.rochestergauges.com site for more info.

Specifically, when the indicator reads full at all times (tank empty) I found the following on their site:

[Karsty]

Thank you so much "markopolo". Based on the information you have provided, I feel fairly confident that a lose or broken wire might be the issue and will certainly check it out. When I went to fill the tank the last time the attendant confirmed that the gauge on the tank read EMPTY. While on the monitor it still showed FULL. ( I couldn't believe what great usage I was getting out of my propane even with using the furnace a lot. ) LOL

As soon as the weather permits I will get down there an take a look see and report back with any results.

Thanks again.

[markopolo]

You're welcome Karsty. The broken wire or loose connection could be at the monitor panel inside as well.

Do you have a gauge on the propane tank? If so, you can check it once in a while to see what the propane level is until you get a chance to inspect the wires.

[Karsty]

Originally Posted by markopolo

You're welcome Karsty. The broken wire or loose connection could be at the monitor panel inside as well.

Do you have a gauge on the propane tank? If so, you can check it once in a while to see what the propane level is until you get a chance to inspect the wires.

Yes ... I did pull off the panel inside but all the wires seemed to be OK. There is a gauge on the tank and I will rely on that till I get the problem resolved.

Thanks

[booster]

Are the gauges tied together, or separate? We had a very odd issue, where ours said it was 2/3 full for 4 years, both on the panel and the tank gauge. We use very little propane, so we didn't much worry about it. Another issue made me bleed the tank down to near empty (stuck excess flow valve, it appears) and the gauges stayed at 2/3 for a long time an then dropped quickly to less than 1/4. Both went back up to just over 2/3 when I got the tank filled. Obviously, ours stuck, and both gauges look to have been effected.

[markopolo]

The gauges are tied together on the ones I have experience with. The actual sending unit is a float in the tank. The sending unit communicates magnetically with the tank gauge and then the tank gauge transmits the info electrically to the monitor inside the RV.

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These photos are probably unrelated to the problem on Karsty's RV but they show how a magnet effects a gauge when it is removed from the tank. The gauge stays in the position you choose after removing the magnets influence.

This is just a basic tank gauge I have on hand. The "twinsite" or "twin site" gauges will have wires attached.







You can easily calibrate the gauge if it ever gets out of sync with the actually level in the tank. The best time to do the calibration is after you get the tank filled.

[Karsty]

As to whether my gauges are tied together or not ... I have no idea. All I know is that the monitor inside is just showing FULL even when the tank was completely EMPTY. How did I know it was empty? I tired to start the generator one day and no go. Never had a problem with it before, so I tried both the furnace and stove ... BINGO, none of the propane appliances are working.

Went to the local propane dealer to fill it up and he confirmed that the gauge on the bottle showed EMPTY while the inside panel still showed FULL. And it still does show FULL even after a month of using the appliances. I'm guessing it is getting near empty again. I just looked outside an it is still too nasty and cold and miserable to go lie out in the driveway to check. When the weather is better I will post a photo and try and see what's going on.

Here is a picture of a 2013 ERA that I took off the Internet. You can see the tank gauge with what appears to be a set of wires coming from it ... going to who knows where. I presume my setup is similar. Now I'm getting curious and might have to drag my sorry butt out in the cold to have a look see.

[markopolo]

Looks like a Rochester TwinSite gauge.