Propane auto shut off valve

[Rod SFGiants]

I have a 2004 Fleetwood Expedition.  I parked the RV for approximately 2 months now all propane devices don't work.  I checked the stove and there isn't any propane or air coming thru the burners.  The CCI LP sensor is working correctly.  When I turn on the propane with the shut off switch by the fill port I can hear a click but the propane still doesn't flow.  As I understand it the auto shut off valves were installed until 2006.  Could this valve be stuck and if so can it be removed or replaced and is this a simple procedure or does it have to be done by a professional?

Thanks in advance,
Rod

 

[Just Lou]

You may not even have an "auto shut off valve" installed. The auto shut off solenoids were installed long before 2006, and may have been discontinued prior to 2006.  (Sorry, I misread your post)

If you have one, you should be able to see a solenoid as the very first device in the line from the LP tank.  It will have two wires on it.

Try turning off all propane (close the valve at the tank).  Slowly turn it back on, very slowly.  I'm not familiar with any switch in that area.  Is that an after market modification?  Someone may have installed a switch to control the solenoid.

If you do have the aforementioned solenoid, (and it's still controlled by the LP detector) cmake sure both your battery disconnect switches are ON (battery in USE position).  Cycle the LP detector OFF and back ON. 

 

[billwild]

Are you sure you have propane in the tank?? You did not mention this.

 

[Bushbunny62]

turn your CO2 sniffer on it controls the propane tank solenoid...after it quits beeping the propane valve will open

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Need to correct some misconceptions in this thread...
(1) There are no CO2 sniffers in an RV. There are CO detectors (different than CO2) but that has nothing to do with propane.

(2) All RVs have propane (LP) detectors but those no longer have a propane shutoff valve tied to them. The propane valve has not been part of an LP detector for at least 12 years, i.e. well before this 2004 coach was built.

Rod apparently has an electronic switch for the main propane shutoff valve. This arrangement is used when the coach layout does not provide convenient access to a manual valve on  the tank. It opens/closes the tank valve via a solenoid which is operated by the switch. Sounds like the solenoid may not opening, but it is also possible the regulator is clogged or otherwise defective. First I would disconnect the gas line  just downstream from the regulator to see if I had gas at that point.  The regulator output is very low pressure (under 0.5 psi), so very low risk there.  If no LP at the regulator outlet, try again at the regulator inlet. That will be higher pressure, so quickly cycle the valve on/off to see if gas is reaching that point. If the regulator is bad, it is easily and inexpensively replaced. It is a standard LP regulator, not an RV specific part.

To answer the original question, yes the solenoid valve can be replaced. I'm hesitant to say how easily, since I can't see it and am not familiar with the specific set-up. There should be a manual shutoff valve right at the tank outlet, and this can be shut off to work on the solenoid valve, which should be immediately downstream from the manual valve. Should not need more than a  couple wrenches and the usual care needed when working on soft tubing or metal pipe. Once the new valve is installed, test for gas leaks.

 

[Jammer]

I guess I was under the mistaken notion that LP solenoid valves were almost always installed downstream of the regulator.

 

[Just Lou]

I guess I was under the mistaken notion that LP solenoid valves were almost always installed downstream of the regulator.

Actually, the opposite is true.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The shutoff should be as close to the tank as possible, so that it shuts off the gas  from the entire system.

 

[BoatCop]

I own a 1999 Four Winds Infinity 34 foot motorhome.  The propane tank has a small leak.... Is there any way that can be fixed or do i just have to buy a new tank...????  Thank You for your help...

Randy

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The tank can be welded by an LPG tank-certified technician, but it has to be removed from the RV, emptied and residual LP displaced with an inert gas first.  It's probably just as cheap - or cheaper - to replace it.

Unusual to have a leak in the tank itself in only 13 years. Could it be a valve or other fitting?

 

[Just Lou]

I just noticed that earlier in this thread I had made the statement that the solenoid shutoff valve (controlled by the LP detector in some older units) was usually mounted upstream from the regulator.  I was certain that on my Bounder it was installed that way.  It also  seemed to make sense... However...... 

After looking closely at mine, plus a nudge received from Richard Shields , it appears I had the solenoid placement confused with the LP gauge.  (I did remember that they both had wires attached.)

The progression of items in the LP path, from tank to line, on my Bounder is as follows:
[list type=decimal]
[*]Hand operated open/close valve
[*]gauge (visual with sending unit)
[*]Extend-a-stay adapter
[*]Regulator
[*]Auto shut off solenoid
[/list]I don't know if this was usual or not, but it is what it is.

 

[kjansen]

On my Montana, if I turn off the gas for a couple of months my regulator seems to stick close and it will take several hours or the next day before
it clicks open and I get a gas flow.  Turn your valves open and see if this works

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Lou: I think your set-up is typical for those with a shut-off wired to an LP detector, but you know me - I would hesitate to say that ALL of them are like that. 

And of course, newer ones are not wired to the LP detector at all but some will have a remote shut-off switch because the manual shut-off valve is difficult to access. I would suspect, but do not know, that those rigs with a remote switch have the auto-shutoff very close to the tank itself.

 

[Jammer]

The reason they are plumbed downstream of the regulator is that it is more costly to manufacture a valve capable of withstanding 200-250 PSI propane present on a hot day upstream of the regulator, than it is to manufacture a valve capable of withstanding the roughly 0.5 PSI propane that is present downstream of the regulator (regardless of the weather).

There are also significant differences in the regulatory approval requirements.