Adding 2nd Propane Tank

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My "new" 1996 scamp deluxe has only one propane tank. I'd like to add another one (you always run out at the most inopportune times...). Does the trailer have to have a whole new tongue put on it, or can the existing one be modified to hold 2 tanks? Michele
PS--I'm ALL ready to go! (yeah, I know, it's taken long enough...:wak)..... got the water system figured out, spent $1,000+ on hoses, power cord, adaptors, wiring, and "stuff," passed the final exam on hookup and pulling :wine (with son as coach..). Now need to work on the dreaded "backup":omy. Final big obstacle is going to be coming up with an ungodly sum of $$ for state sales tax when I switch the title :weep After all the money I've spent on hoses, cords, adaptors, wiring, and everything else, this is getting to be a pretty expensive hobby, but oh well. Worth it I hope....:huh

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With your hand on the bottom of the steering move your hand in the direction you want the trailer to go..

My translation.

Start with small movements to see what the trailer is doing.

If you get crossed up just pull forward and start over.

With a little practice you wlll be backing like a pro.

You can put two propane bottles on the tongue. Most late Casitas come that way. Just a pretty simple mount and an auto change over regulator.You probably could change the existing regulator from bottle to bottle.
:) :)

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Hi Michele,
Not to worry! One propane tank lasts for a remarkably long time!
I'm always amazed when we come back from a two week trip and I take my two tanks to be filled. So far, every time, my propane station always says ''One of these tanks is full. Why did you bring it in?''
Also, there is a little $3 LP Level Indicator that you can stick on the side of your tank to show you the level of gas in the tank. Those are available at most RV stores, campingworld.com, camperschoice.com, etc. Sounds like something that you and I both could use, huh?;)

http://www.camperschoice.com/cgi-bin/more_...=&group_id=2043

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I left with 13 pounds in a 20 lb tank 14 days on the road . about 7 days with reefer on gas Furnace ran every night . I ran out of gas After i got back home.

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Thanks for the great advice! $3 is a lot better than having to have my trailer re-done for a 2nd tank! I don't expect to be taking long trips in it anyway. My son told me a lot of service stations will just fill the tank and you don't have to trade it in... is that right? That way it would be no different than filling the gas tank of your car.

As for the backing up, I got another piece of advice from a friend of mine--a veteran rv'er... which is to put a small piece of colored electrical tape on the trailer, centered above the hitch, another centered on the rear window directly above the hitch, and line them up when backing up. I plan to try that one. Michele

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Michele, I'm sure there are a couple places there in Hibbing that can/do fill propane tanks. I'm sure Ferrellgas (in Hibbing) will fill your trailer's tank. As for servcie stations doing that...not many around this "neck of the woods" altho' I know Lucky Seven (on Hoover Road in Virginia) just started filling propane tanks (if you can ever get one of the cashier clerks to help). I fill my tanks up at Range Coop LP (also on Hoover Road in Virginia). Most of the Holiday Stations up here on "Da Range" exchange propane tanks but it costs maybe 10 bucks more than a standard refill. I'd recommend checking with Ferrellgas in Hibbing and just have them fill you tank when it's getting low.

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It comes as a surprise to read of exchanging tanks at a service station rather
than just having the tank filled. I have not run into a service station in
Alberta where you can exchange the tank - if they carry propane (and many do)
they just refill your own tank provided the date stamped on the tank is not
more than 10 years old. After that time the tank must be re-certified.

The Co-op in Calgary only charges for the gas they put in it, so if you bring
it in half full, you only pay for 1/2 a tank. Also I don't think there is any
restriction on the type of valve required on the tank, whether it is just the
standard barbeque valve or the new OPD type.

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Thanks for the tips, Rob. I have a Lucky-7 right down the street and will check there first. I know it costs about $10 more to exchange tanks, so it seems way more practical to find a place that will refill. I'm going to check the campingworld website for a gauge thing.... Michele

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Orginally posted by Rock MacRaeAlso I don't think there is any
restriction on the type of valve required on the tank, whether it is just the
standard barbeque valve or the new OPD type.

Rock, in the U.S. it has been illegal since since early last year for the propane guy to fill your LPG tank unless it is equipped with the new OPD (Overfill Protection Device). OPD valves were mandated on newly manufactured tanks starting back in 1998, so most newer trailers already had them. (Applies to tanks from 4 lbs. to 40 lbs. capacity)

That being said, in a few exchange places you may be able to trade an old tank for one with the new valve. I asked about that recently at Wal-Mart when I saw a person doing just that. The associate said that their supplier just takes the old tank, retrofits it and eats the cost of the new valve. As you say, an exchange costs about $10 more than a fill of gas, so they probably can afford to do that occasionally. I don't know whether this method prevails in other areas. I imagine most everyone in the U.S. has changed out their old tanks/valves by now.

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Michele,

If you have your tank refilled, you'll have to remove it from the trailer first. At least that's true wherever I've had one refilled.

It's easy to do. Turn off the valve. Unscrew the hose from the tank. Loosen the clamp and turn it out of the way. Lift the tank and set it on the ground. Reverse the process to re-install the tank.

If the fitting screwed into the tank takes a wrench, the threads are left-handed, turn to the right to loosen. If there is a hand knob, the threads are right handed, turn to the left to loosen.

If the valve handle is triangular, the tank is equipped with the new OPD valve.

Here's the $CW URL for the tank gauge: Gauge

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Some people carry a small disposable tank for a spare and change it out with the big one when it runs out to get you to the next refill place. Haven't tried it. I'm not a heavy propane user.

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Michele,

Regarding your first question, a fellow Scamp owner will have to answer but you probably don't have to modify the mounting to add a second tank. If you have room where the single tank sits for two tanks side-by-side, it's simple.

You'll need a different hold-down that clamps two tanks. You'll need a new regulator that has two input lines. One kind automatically switches when the first tank is empty. You'll need a second hose to connect from the tank to the regulator.

Can one of you Scamp owners with dual tanks post a picture for Michele?

Another possibility is to call Scamp, they're just down the road from you.

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:yep

This is all pretty good advice, Michele. I've done it both ways: had a single, 20 lb. tank that I thought took forever to run empty (the trailer had no furnace); and now have the dual 20 lb. tank setup that Morgan described.

I gotta say I prefer the dual setup, for the peace of mind of not running out... and our current trailer does have the furnace, so we do use a bit more propane (esp. when we boondock in the mountains).

You ought to at least call Scamp and investigate what it would take to get the dual tank system installed. It might not be that expensive or much of a hassle.

Then, at least, if you decide to keep just the single tank, you'd know it was/is really the best option for you.

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Hey!!

Thanks for posting!

Just remind me to find my adaptor and put it in the trailer along with a 1 Lb disposable propane bottle.

There, it is done! This will take care of "emergencies" :)

<img src=http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/uploads/3ef72039d9ebfadapteur.jpg/>

For the little bit I use propane, I would not put an second tank. With this adaptor, I feel pretty safe anyway and I prefer to save that extra 30 pounds or so for other cargo.


Alain

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My old Starcraft had two 20# tanks. It had the gamut of propane appliances, except for a water heater. Stove, oven and furnace. We took a two-week trip every year, plus weekends a couple times a year, and I found I could get 2-3 years out of a tank. The 2nd tank was just redundant. We had just a single line and regulator, and could manually switch over to the other bottle if needed. Happened once in the entire time we've owned the camper.

I prefer to do most of the cooking outside on the little propane BBQ. By the way, although the camper didn't have a water heater, we did heat all our dish & rinse water on the stove. Probably close to half our meals still involved use of the stove or oven, plus dish water three times a day.

I am now parting out that Starcraft, and if anyone wants a two-bottle mount for their camper, I've got one I'll sell.

My Scamp carries a single bottle, and I almost didn't re-install it during my renovation. Our water heater is electric only, and we don't have a furnace, so only the 2-burner cooktop and fridge are on propane. I could probably go a whole season on a couple of 1-lb bottles. But, I put it on.

If you go to add a second bottle, keep in mind that the 20# rating is the approximate weight of the bottle EMPTY. Add about four gallons of propane to that, which is approximately 20# more, and you are adding 40# to your tongue weight. Considering a Scamp 13 has an unloaded tongue weight of 95#, an additional 40# is quite considerable, particularly if you like to horse the trailer around by hand.

Refilling your present bottle is by far the most economical way of obtaining propane, and also the most hazardous. Consider: it was mentioned that you could get a bottle refilled "if you can ever get one of the cashier clerks to help". Most of the time (I speak from the experience of one of my previous lives here), these refill places have inadequately trained staff doing the refilling, with inadequate safety procedures in place. Locally, I've seen people smoking while refilling customers tanks. Meanwhile, 30 feet away, a car backfires at the gas pump... Personally, I'd prefer to be a couple miles away in this situation.

The tank exchange companies are better regulated, and run by people who do this for a living. Plus, in case of accident, they're a couple counties away! When you exchange, you get a tank that has been (supposedly) inspected and qualified. It will come with an OPD valve installed, as well, which is nice if you still have an old tank. By the way, I still have a couple old BBQ tanks around with the old valves, and I personally GUARANTEE I could get them refilled locally if I chose to do so. The cashier down at the gas station doesn't want to upset a customer, so she'll just figure, "What the hey, nobody'll know..."

No, I don't work for Blue Rhino, and I'm not trying to discourage refilling. Just be careful. If the person helping you doesn't seem completely competent, or if the refill station is close to likely ignition sources, or if you see them fudge the rules for the customer ahead of you, don't hesitate to say "No thank you" and go on to the next place. I like to save a few bucks as much as anyone else, but not at the expense of my life. And, as long as a 20# bottle lasts, the added cost of exchange just isn't that expensive per campout.

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Most u haul places i have stoped at on the east coast can fill your propane tanks . local propane distributor like Suburban can also fill you up. Gas stations that fill your tanks seem be a diminishing item but number of gas places that exchange sam to be poping up all over. Dont forget to check Rv parks for fill or exchange.
enought about gas lol

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There are a couple of local propane distributors here--do you think that an actual propane distributor would be more knowledgeable and careful about the safety stuff than a gas station?

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Anybody thats not careful around propane isn't goimg to be around long;)

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EEEEEEeeeeeeek! Now you're scaring me to death. :omy I'm getting the message that exchanging tanks is safer than having them filled. I just wanted to know if a Propane distributer would know what they're doing, as opposed to the clerk at the gas station.... I think I'm convinced to stay with the 1 tank in favor of the extra 30-40# of cargo. Where do I get a 1# temporary replacement tank? And is that adaptor thing what I would need to hook up the gas line to the smaller tank?

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Hi!

Around here, in the last 40 years, at least, I never heard of an accident at any filling station for propane gaz. It is a safe procedure. And you don't need to be in the immediate vicinity when they are filling your tank (I never heard of a self serve station for propane gaz. I may be wrong.).

Having your tank refiled is a good idea. It is cheaper and personally, I prefer keeping my own tank than exchanging every time for another used tank that I don't know the condition and history. They are suppose to inspect them but I will always put more trust in my own tank.

Yes, the adaptor will permit you to hook up the gaz line to an easy to find disposable 1 lb bottle.


Alain