propane tank whinning...

[tanglemoose]

Hello, new format! Will have to explore this.
Woke up yesterday, clicked on stove to make coffee... noise outside.. went out, coming from propane tank area.. hummm. So, these are facts of weirdom...
It is 46 degrees, tank was filled by dealer, new RV, on its second week of use, is not out. Fridge is working off gas, no whinning... only when I start necessary coffee. Switched tanks, no whinning. After coffee.. go out and switch tank back.. no whinning.. hum...
Next morning, today, get up, 50 degrees out, click on coffee... you guessed it. Whinnning is back.. go out, switch tanks, make coffee... switch back over, click on stove. NO noise again...

So... what does that black dial on regulator do. If you point it to one tank, you know you are using that tank. IF you have both open, does black dial move by itself to other tank... I am thinking not... what is function or purpose of black lever indicator??

Might turn on hot water tank and see if noise then... fridge running.. so..
Also, pure blue flame on propane stove or a little tiny amount of orange once in awhile okay..???

 

[Rene T]

Hello, new format! Will have to explore this.
Woke up yesterday, clicked on stove to make coffee... noise outside.. went out, coming from propane tank area.. hummm. So, these are facts of weirdom...
It is 46 degrees, tank was filled by dealer, new RV, on its second week of use, is not out. Fridge is working off gas, no whinning... only when I start necessary coffee. Switched tanks, no whinning. After coffee.. go out and switch tank back.. no whinning.. hum...
Next morning, today, get up, 50 degrees out, click on coffee... you guessed it. Whinnning is back.. go out, switch tanks, make coffee... switch back over, click on stove. NO noise again...

So... what does that black dial on regulator do. If you point it to one tank, you know you are using that tank. IF you have both open, does black dial move by itself to other tank... I am thinking not... what is function or purpose of black lever indicator??

Might turn on hot water tank and see if noise then... fridge running.. so..
Also, pure blue flame on propane stove or a little tiny amount of orange once in awhile okay..???

The black knob is the indicator telling you which tank you’re working off. When you rotated it to the other tank, this allows you to remove the empty tank to have it filled. You may have a indicator telling you the tank is empty. Most regulators have a indicator. Green means there is still propane in the tank you’re working off and red means it’s empty. The regulator will automatically switch over to the full tank when the working tank becomes empty.

 

[tanglemoose]

Okay, thanks, what would cause whinning noise??

 

[John From Detroit]

What causes the "Whine or Buzz" is the regulator.. Imaine a pressure controlled valve.
The valve is trying to hold a pressure just under 1/2 PSI roughly the presser exerted by a column of water 11" high (in fact that's the precise pressure).. Well when the pressure drops to 10.95" the valve opens and when it gets to 11.05 it closes Now you are drawin gas so this happens hundreds of times a second.

The only made up part of this is 10.95 and 11.05 not sure what the delta is but I do know its not much.

Option 2:
you know how a water faucet will "Sing" if only slightly opened. Well if that regulator valve is only SLIGHTLY opened.. Same song.

At higher flow rates. No song. (Actually there may still be a song but way way way sub sonic)

 

[tanglemoose]

But wouldn't both propane tanks sing... and why does shutting tank to close and then open.. it quits the noise?

 

[Utclmjmpr]

Try shutting the tank off,, then very SLOWLY turn it back on..>>>Dan

 

[Ex-Calif]

But wouldn't both propane tanks sing... and why does shutting tank to close and then open.. it quits the noise?

Vibration "can" create noise - in fact vibration is what noise is. Imagine a reed instrument. You might be able to make a tone, I may not. Different valves will react differently and different tank pressures will react differently, hence different tanks behaving differently.

The thing is that to get an audible tone something needs to vibrate. On the offending tank, when it is singing light another stove burner or all of them to see if the valve "stays" open and stops resonating.

 

[Old_Crow]

I have the Stay a While setup on my RV and carry 3 30lb bottles which I use 90% of the time. All 3 of my bottles sing, especially when both furnaces and the water heater are burning at the same time.
I figure it's the result of the propane gas passing through a series of restrictions(valve at tank, hose, fitting on coach propane line)on it's way to the regulator. I don't seem to hear the onboard tank singing when I'm using it instead of the external tanks.