TheSamba.com :: View topic

Thu Jun 09, 2011 6:53 pm

Just wondering about then propane system. We bought our Westy about a month ago, and are just firing up the stove and trying out the fridge before we go camping this weekend.

Anyway, the stove works fine, but I notice every once in awhile a faint scent of propane when I walk past the tank. Is it normal to have a faint smell, or is there a leak I need to take care of somewhere? We sprayed the tank/fittings with soapy water and didn't notice any leaks, but is the smell normal?

I don't really want to blow ourselves up while camping.

Thu Jun 09, 2011 7:17 pm

Leaks are not normal. However, in my westy whenever i am running out of propane i can smell it for some odd reason. Cant explain it, i have no leaks at all, BUT, when running the fridge and the tank is on its last bit of gas, the smell is noticeable. Been like this for years and have never figured it out.

Thu Jun 09, 2011 7:18 pm

I've experienced the same thing,never found out from where the smell was coming,even behind the fridge, and I had resealed everything.

It stopped when I replaced the filling valve ,I guess it was coming from there?

A smell is not normal,but propane is heavier than air,so it can come from inside too :wink:

Thu Jun 09, 2011 7:46 pm

Thanks for the responses.

We've sprayed the soapy water around a couple weeks ago, and then today. No leaks to be found anywhere. I'll look into the filling valve and see if that may be the culprit.

Good news. Stove works. Bad news, we can't get the fridge to work.

Thanks again.

Thu Jun 09, 2011 8:42 pm

Mumoautumn wrote: Thanks for the responses.

We've sprayed the soapy water around a couple weeks ago, and then today. No leaks to be found anywhere. I'll look into the filling valve and see if that may be the culprit.

Good news. Stove works. Bad news, we can't get the fridge to work.

Thanks again.

Yep leaks are bad. A while ago my service valve (the valve with the knob you turn) was leaking and I changed out the o-ring.

Thu Jun 09, 2011 10:00 pm

Since you notice the leak "every once in a while", maybe it's an ambient temp related thing? Like as the heat of the day increases, LP expands, pressure increases slightly and the smell appears (?)

I don't know about the square OEM old style regulators but the more modern ones do have a vent valve. Maybe the diaphram has a pinhole leak that is exacerbated by ambient heat allowing minute amounts of gas past and out vent?

http://www.propane101.com/regulatordetails.htm

Close the shut off valve and see if smell persists.

Edit: if smell persists, look towards something other than reg, lines, etc.; stuff post valve. Look toward fill valve, bleeder (if manual fill) or auto fill valve (yetch)

Search "dometic" "refer" "fridge" here. You'll see lots about how to deal with a non lighting fridge.

Neil.

Sun Aug 26, 2012 8:37 pm

presslab wrote: Yep leaks are bad. A while ago my service valve (the valve with the knob you turn) was leaking and I changed out the o-ring.

Is the o-ring behind the nut that is exposed when you remove the on/off knob?

Sun Aug 26, 2012 10:29 pm

tomkay wrote: Is the o-ring behind the nut that is exposed when you remove the on/off knob?

Yes. The tank must be completely empty. Remove the knob, remove the nut, and then put the knob back on temporarily and turn the knob until the stem is removed. The o-ring is on the stem.

Mon Aug 27, 2012 6:19 am

FWIW -- some find that the tank has a small leak there only when the valve is not fully open or fully closed.

IOW, if the valve is opened all the way it can go, the leak stops.

Good idea to replace that o-ring but this is someting you might check.

Mon Aug 27, 2012 8:23 am

I had a regulator that developed a smell. It was apparently venting and would not stop. Most noticeable after a fill up.

The vent is under the big white plastic cap. None of the places your are putting soapy water would reveal that.

For a while it was intermittent. Then one day after a fill it was so bad it would not stop. The station attendant who did the fill called me over, and at that point not only was the smell obvious, we could also hear the sound of gas escaping.

I went to an RV shop, and they replaced the regulator. No more smell.

Mon Aug 27, 2012 6:41 pm

Thanks for the info.

That nut was sure a bugger to get out. Replaced the o-ring and when at the propane shop getting the tank filled, I mentioned it to propane Bob.

He too said to make sure the valve is all the way open to prevent that small leak/smell. I never crank it open all the way so that could have been it.

Either way, it has a new .39 o-ring to improve the situation.

Mon Aug 27, 2012 6:51 pm

tomkay wrote: He too said to make sure the valve is all the way open to prevent that small leak/smell. I never crank it open all the way so that could have been it.

Some valves are like this, but I don't remember the valve in question being like this. On some valves (like your garden hose supply) the packing washer seals around the stem. Opening the valve all the way seals the top of the stem against the washer, and also squeezes the washer sealing it better.

On the Westy tank valve, there is no packing washer. Instead there is that o-ring on the stem. Opening it fully won't have much benefit, I would think. I could be wrong as it's been a while since I had mine apart.

Mon Aug 27, 2012 6:58 pm

He made it sound like the o-ring is the only thing creating a seal when the valve is open or closed, and that is why he said to open up the valve all the way.
I guess I should go outside and test these things out.

Mon Aug 27, 2012 7:13 pm

Well, that's kind of funny. Kind of.

When I pulled the nut out this morning it was a real bugger to get out and when I did so I noticed that the threads were bunged up on it a little and I wondered how they got that way and if that could have been the cause for the smell when I opened the service valve.

I put it back together and it threaded in real easy initially and then got more challenging as I got to the bunged up part. After the fact I wished I had left it apart and checked to see if the propane place had a replacement piece.

I mentioned all this to the tech guy at the propane place and he wasn't concerned but said that they would pressurize the tank and spray it with soapy water and check for leaks. They did so and called it good.

So, I went outside just now, opened the valve and the hissing noise was more noticeable than the smell of propane. All kinds of bubbles now.