Propane Leak and Stove Issues FIXED! 🛠🔥 (Plus Tips!)

2021-09-19
Chad

Our propane stove has been acting up for a while now and recently got bumped up on the honey-do list. But, first, we needed to fix an obvious leak.

Leak At Tank

The last time we swapped out LP tanks, the driver-side tank connection was leaking badly. Enough that I could hear it and smell it. Luckily, the problem and the fix were both very obvious and simple. I picked up two GASPRO 15-Inch RV Pigtail Propane Hoses from Amazon and simply replaced the bad one. The second one is now a spare. 😊

Time Pressure Drop Test

Any time the propane system is worked on, it's a great idea to do a time pressure drop test on the propane system. This is a very simple process that checks for leaks anywhere in the system using a Manometer. I learned how to do this test during my week at the NRVTA, taking the RV Fundamentals course. The process:

  1. Remove a single burner from the propane stove and connect the monometer to the burner's propane source.
  2. With the LP source (tank) open, charge the line with pressure by turning that burner on. The system should read arond 11 iwc (Inches of Water Column – a measure of pressure).
  3. Shut off the LP source (LP Tanks). This just leaves the gas lines charged (pressurized) with no source.
  4. Bleed the pressure down until it stabilizes at 8 iwc. This will take some patience as the high pressure side will keep repressurising the low pressure side (where the monometer is). This repressurization is why we test at 8iwc and not 11. We need the high pressure side sitting at 8iwc also so the regulators “relax”.
  5. Set a timer for 5 minutes and re-check the pressure. If the system is good, there will be no drop in the pressure.

If the pressure does drop, then there's a leak somewhere. Test again and try to eliminate the manometer and its connection. From there, it's anybody's guess where the leak is but at least you know there is one.

Stove Troubleshooting

Now that I know for sure that we have no leaks in the system, it's time to start troubleshooting our stove's burner lighting problem. I just used the process of elimination, swapping good and bad parts until finally getting to the issue which was a simple spark gap issue. I thought gas plus spark would equal flame. But, apparently, it's more complicated than that and the spark gap needs to be large enough. 3/16 of an inch to be exact. Had I known this, I could have skipped taking the stove apart and swapping burners around.

Propane Tips

While on the topic of propane, we wanted to cover a few tips and give an update to tour Blackstone propane connection.

GasStop

Believe it or not, if your propane lines are cut, the EFV valve built into the tank will NOT stop the flow of propane gas. It will slow it down, but not stop it. That's where GasStop comes in. If a line is ruptured for some reason, the GasStop will completely shut off the flow of gas!

UPDATE! If you have a propane fuelled generator: Many propane fuelled generators consume a large volume of propane, meaning they draw a high rate of flow. GasStop is designed to shut off when that rate of flow exceeds 70 SCFH/75,000 BTU/hr (this is what happens during a major leak). Larger generators may ‘mimic’ this high flow rate scenario, thus effectively tripping GasStop into ‘major leak mode’. It is therefore advised that, if you have a propane fuelled generator, you check its propane rating (rated no higher than 70 SCFH/75,000 BTU/hr) before purchasing or using your GasStop.

Regulators

After a few years of use, our LP regulators got noisy! When the temps got low, they would hum enough to keep us up at night. I replaced the regulators on both the driver and passenger sides. Links below to the parts we used.

LP Tank Levels

While there are a few ways to determine how much LP is in your tanks, we've been using AP Products LPG Tank Check Propane Monitors since day one! These things are great and all we have to do to check our LP levels is press a button.

Blackstone Quick Connect

About 2 years ago, we made a video about an easy propane mod for our Blakcstone. Since then, we've moved to a more reliable (and cheaper) system using a variable regulator (links to parts below). The great thing about having a variable regulator is the ability to really crank up the volume of gas flow on windy days (see video).

Products 🛒

Propane Quick Connect Setup:

  • Gauge Master Premium Propane Splitter: amzn.to/31B5jvp…
  • 0-30 PSI Adjustable High Pressure Propane Regulator and Hose: amzn.to/3Ewco3d…
    NOTE: You are responsible for regulating the PSI down. At its full 30PSI, it's like a bonfire under our griddle and likely dangerous to leave that way. USE WITH CAUTION!
  • Anderson Metals Brass Tube Fitting, Half-Union, 3/8″ Flare x 1/4″ Male Pipe: amzn.to/2H6zGjP…
    This is to connect the quick-disconnect to the hose from the regulator.
  • GASPRO 1/4 Inch RV Propane Quick Connect Fitting: amzn.to/2H2VJbd…
    This connects to the regulator hose using the fitting above.
  • MENSI 12FT Male/Female Quick-Connect RV Propane Hose for Blackstone Griddles: amzn.to/379rLg9…
    To connect to the Blackstone.

Links 🔗

Some of the links/codes on this page are affiliate links, meaning if you choose to purchase using our links, we will earn a commission.  This commission comes at no additional cost to you but helps us keep providing the content we love to share.  We recommend these products because we have found them helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions we make. 
Every product we recommend, we use ourselves.

Subscribe! (FREE!)

Youtube

RV Trip Wizard