Thoughts on Leaving Propane On for Furnace at Night?

[CampyTime]

Hi Friends,

I'm a big stickler on safety and always turn my propane tank off immediately after cooking during the day. But it's been so darned cold and damp again while camping here I woke up freezing last night.

Was wondering how everyone feels about leaving propane tank turned on during the night in case you want to throw heat on for a minute? I have the regular suburban furnace. I can keep the thermostat off (digital) and then just slide heat button to on if need be?

Unfortunately I didn't bring my sleeping bag this time as weather report looked great but now I wish I would have. Thoughts?

Cheers!


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[Ziggy]

I leave mine on all the time... It's a good idea to have a propane detector just in case.
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&key...l_7gq8oiiv1e_b

[C&G in FL]

I open the valve prior to leaving home and do not close it until retuning home, and sometimes use no propane at all. So it's on all of the time the trailer is in use. On the other hand, if I leave the campsite, I will shut off the valve at the water supply. I worry more about a water leak than a propane leak.


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[Bob Miller]

And when you turn the propane ON, turn it all the way ON, there is a seal for full open that seals the stem as well as one for full closed that seals the tank.

[Carol H]

I leave mine on while camping and leave the furnace set so that it will automatically kick in if temps get to low.

[Evergreengirl]

Yep, we do the same as Carol. That's what you have a furnace for!

[Daniel A.]

I leave mine on, it's nice to have hot water.

[CampyTime]

Ok I feel much better hearing from all of you. I do turn the propane all the way on and last night before I heard from everybody I decided to just turn the furnace on once before bed, up to 70 and then I turned everything off. I have propane detector hard wired and scamps CO2 detector. I won't worry anymore. Thanks for your support.


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[Bob Miller]

Keep in mind, when you are running on battery, that the furnace is a power hog. I moved the thermostat so that it was within arms reach of a nice warm bed. You can also just put a small switch in series with the thermostat next to the bed to turn ON 5-10 minutes before getting out into a nice warm coach.

[CampyTime]

Thanks Bob. I'm always plugged in to shore as I camp at state parks. I'll get in trouble for creating another thread here, but quick question: in my 2012 standard 13er, does battery charge when driving with 7 pin plug, as well as when on shore power? I don't have one of those smart charger thingies, just the standard progressive dynamics converter that the trailer came with. Cheers!


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[Bob Miller]

It' supposed to be charging, but you will have to verify that yourself. Just measure the battery voltage when the7 pin is disconnected and then connected with the engine running. It will jump up at least 1.2 volts when the TV is connected and running. If not, it's not charging from the TV. Let us know what you find.


BTW: We have a very small electric heater that we put on the floor when we have shore power. Saves LP and uses the power you are usually paying for.

[steelypip]

If you've leak tested your gas lines and connections and verified that your regulator is in good order, it's exactly as safe as having municipal natural gas turned on in your house all the time.

The difference, of course, is that houses don't bounce around on roads. A periodic rechecks of everything is prudent, but if you have done so, it's fine, and is meant to be left on when in use.

There are propane gas detectors, btw. Newer RVs come with them. Mount it near the floor inside.

[CampyTime]

Steelypip, I bought the trailer in 2013 and haven't had a check of lines, etc. I do have a propane detector.

Bob, I have a digital volt meter plugged into a 12 volt receptacle in trailer now on shore power. It says 13.8 V. I have a little volt meter with needles. Black and red, don't know which side is pos or neg on that? Assume the red is pos and I would put that on pos terminal on battery and vice versa for negative?


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[Bob Miller]

You didn't mention the year of your Scamp, but getting the LP system checked out should be at the top of any list for buying a used FGRV, especially if it is more than 5 y.o.

While a propane detector inside will offer you some protection, an external leak can be a bigger problem if undetected and LP pools under the trailer and a casual smoker happens to walk by one night on a trip to the loo.....

About the leads. Don't worry about which lead is which. If you connect backwards it will just read as a negative number.

The 13.8 volt value indicates that the battery charger is working. Disconnect the shore power, run some DC appliances to remove the "Surface Charge" voltage and read again, then connect the TV cord and run the engine and see what you have.

[Bob in Mb]

The newer propane regulators have a safety valve intended to shut down the gas flow if a leak is sensed . However , as I experienced recently , if you have a full tank and you crank the valve wide open the regulator will sense a leak and shut down the flow to almost nothing , and everything has to be shut down and the tank disconnected to allow the regulator to reset . This will also happen if an appliance is left on and the tank valve closed , the next time you use it the regulator will shut down and need to be reset .
Just for interest , welders are taught to only turn on the valve far enough to get a gas flow and if there is an emergency the tank can be closed quickly.

[steelypip]

I've also used a little electric 'brick heater' when hooked up to shore power to keep the chill off overnight. If nothing else, the furnace is loud, and a little whirring electric heater is much better to sleep with. Find the smallest one with coils or ceramic heating element that you can. I had a cheapie 1000 Watt unit I used for years when I was van camping.

Our year range Casita actually comes with the furnace thermostat mounted on the side of the cooktop/sink cabinet facing the larger bed. You just reach out and flip the switch and on comes the furnace. Nice for warming up on a cold morning.

[Darwin Maring]

Propane gas and Carbon Monixide detectors are a must when using Propane in a camper.

[Elly G]

Propane on the whole time we are hooked up to shore power. We use DC for the fridge when underway - but not all tow vehicles can handle that. Just remember propane should be OFF at gas stations and going through tunnels.

[Bob Miller]

Originally Posted by Bob in Mb

The newer propane regulators have a safety valve intended to shut down the gas flow if a leak is sensed . However , as I experienced recently , if you have a full tank and you crank the valve wide open the regulator will sense a leak and shut down the flow to almost nothing , and everything has to be shut down and the tank disconnected to allow the regulator to reset . This will also happen if an appliance is left on and the tank valve closed , the next time you use it the regulator will shut down and need to be reset .
Just for interest , welders are taught to only turn on the valve far enough to get a gas flow and if there is an emergency the tank can be closed quickly.

I have installed several new LP regulators in the past 6 months and have never came across the problem you mention.

I hope you are not suggesting that LP tanks not be opened fully.
From my personal experience and from many, many posts on RV'ing sites, most LP tank leak occur at the stem seal and opening these valves fully prevents that from happening.

A welder is usually stationed a few feet from a tank, not so with RV'ers. And again, stem leaks are a known issue with consumer LP tanks, both on RV's and on home BBQ's etc.

[Evergreengirl]

Went back and read Wendy Lee's original post and a couple of things come to mind for me to add. Wendy, another reason to not mess with turning your propane on and off once you've set up camp is that if you leave it on then you always have your stove ready to go. Who wants to go out first thing in the morning in the rain, for instance, to turn on the propane just to heat up some water for coffee or tea? And if you keep your propane on you will also always have hot water available. You didn't mention it in your OP, but if you're camped with electrical hook-ups, just use a small electric heater like others have suggested. That saves propane. Also, as others have mentioned, running the furnace a lot can run your battery down, but that's only a problem if you're boondocking with no hook-ups to recharge your battery. We set the thermostat on the lowest setting and sleep well knowing the furnace will kick on if the temps drop really low. And yes, get your propane lines pressure tested about once a year.