LP Gas

We hope your holidays were filled with family, joy and peace. This month we will discuss the dangers of L P gas and a few easy test that you can perform to make your R V and yourselves safe. The first thing you need to know is L P gas is extremely flammable and when contained highly explosive. If at any time you should smell L P gas in or around your R V immediately turn off the supply of gas and vacate the premises till the smell of gas has completely dissipated.

All R V appliances that operate on L P gas with the exception of the oven and stove top burners are equipped with a thermo coupler or sensor probe that relays the necessary information to the appliances gas control valve in turn shutting the supply of gas off in the event that proper ignition did not take place. This said most of the interior L P leaks that we find are due to either a top burner knob turned on, stove tops with a pilot assembly not lit (located under the stove lid) or the most frequent of all the oven control left in the pilot on position and the oven pilot not lit. For leaks located on the outside of your R V , first R V 's equipped with a permanently mounted L P tank very rarely do we find any problems with this type of system.

If you do smell L P gas around one of these tanks it is usually due to the failure of your L P regulator, this is easily tested with a solution of dish soap and water. Mix about 25% soap to 75% water and spray or brush solution over the vent hole located on the face of the L P regulator. (note this is a very small hole a little larger than a pin) If bubbles appear have your regulator replaced. On units equipped with removable tanks most leaks are located where the tank is removed from your R V. After each time you remove and replace your L P tanks you should check the connection with the aforementioned solution. Travel trailers equipped with a dual change over unit can be used to check for possible leaks in your R V . Make sure all appliances are turned off then turn your L P tank on, light stove burner to purge lines turn off burner, than turn off tank. If the red indicator on top of your change over stays silver or green which ever the case may be for 10 minutes it usually means your camper is safe at the time of the test.

For units not equipped with this change over an annual L P leak test should be performed by a qualified R V service facility. At no time should you or any of your friends (who mean well) attempt to repair any L P operated appliance in your R V as one little mistake could cost you or ones you love their lives. Be safe, have fun, as always were here to answer any questions that you may have about this or any other R V related problems you might have. Hoping your New Year is blessed.

Roger A. White