Burro gas lines

[Ian-Vicki]

Just a heads-up to Burro owners out there. Our newly imported 2000 Burro has a heater hiccup that required a trip to the RV doctor. To our horror we were told that they couldn't work on the gas system since the Burro had rubber hoses for gas lines, something that's a no-no here in B.C. (perhaps all of Canada). Their potential liability meant they couldn't do the work unless the lines were first converted to copper and the gas system recertified. We felt we had little choice but to have the proceed and were dismayed at the almost $1,800 bill that enused.
But the good news is that the furnace now works (the issue was with a too-short exhaust pipe that allowed air to be drawn back into the furnace, dousing the flame) and the unit is safer to use — no chance of the copper lines chafing and leaking.
If you don't want the expense of changing the lines, then make sure you check the rubber ones regularly for any sign of wear. Propane on the loose can be pretty sccary.
Cheers
Ian

[Pete Dumbleton]

Maybe that's one reason the company went under... I doubt that anywhere allows rubber hose; in fact my Jayco 16's line ran under the trailer and was iron pipe on all the parts exposed to the road, with copper at the start and finish.

[Chester Taje]

Maybe that's one reason the company went under... I doubt that anywhere allows rubber hose; in fact my Jayco 16's line ran under the trailer and was iron pipe on all the parts exposed to the road, with copper at the start and finish.

Thats also how my previous 17 ft Boler was.

[Roger H]

I'm pretty sure my '87 Burro was all copper too!

Roger

[Ian-Vicki]

I'm pretty sure my '87 Burro was all copper too!

Roger

Yes, it may have been a retrofit. Bad idea though.
cheers
Ian

[Donna D.]

That or a Burro kit and that's what the owner decided to do.

[Gina D.]

My 99 is all pipe. The only rubber is the regulator hoses to the tanks.

[Per Walthinsen]

Thanks for the heads-up. My 2000 has a rubber hose from the regulator to a long steel pipe which runs from the front of the body to the manifold under the sink. Rubber hoses from the manifold to heater, hot-water heater, cooktop, and frig.


The front rubber hose loops out too much and I have thought of replacing it and rerouting it as it seems vulnerable. Did you have to replace all the hoses from the manifold to the appliances also? If so, the $1800 bill seems more understandable. What kind of copper did they use?

What a bummer!

[Charlene Urso]

Thanks, Ian, for sharing the information. I am so glad that you caught it before it was a bigger problem. Although we have now converted to all electric, I assumed our hoses were all copper because that is what you could see in the front. After reading Per's post though, I'll check to see what the rest of the hoses are.

Mike --Perhaps this would be a good addition to add to the checklist of what to look for when buying a used trailer?

[Roger H]

Per... most trailers I've seen are copper throughout the body to all of the appliances, and then have a rubber hose from the end of the copper at the front bottom of the body to the regulator, and rubber from the tanks to the regulator. If the rubber fails, the LP vents (hopefully harmlessly) to the outdoors, but the rubber in and around the tanks and regulator allows you to remove the tanks and lay the regulator aside for service as necessary.

I don't think I'd be too excited about the steel/rubber combo inside the trailer either.

Rog

[Per Walthinsen]

In a brief survey of RV parts houses I have yet to see any reference to copper (or steel for that matter) but plenty of rubber gas hoses available in a variety of lengths.

Could be that Canadian regulations are different. I am going to keep my eyes open for info on this subject, but Roger is probably right, no need to get my shorts in a bunch, at least not here in the U.S. Maybe Reace could chime in on this subject?

The large hose loop on the front on mine sticks out too much, so I'll probably figure out a way to rerout and shorten this item. I've had no problems with the propane system, so I likely will leave it pretty much alone.

[Ian-Vicki]

Per:
Yes, the lines inside the unit were all replaced with 3/8 flexible copper tubing. As you say, the hose from the regulator to the pipe leading to the manifold was and is rubber, and it was the wrong regulator, so that was changed too. I'm not arguing about the size of the bill for the amount of work, though it was much larger than I wanted, just wanted others to have a heads-up. And the regulations could well be different here in Canada. We live in one of the most regulated countries in the world, which can be a good thing or a pain depending on which side of an issue you stand.
The rubber hoses to the appliances worked fine, it was just the safety issue that was raised.
cheers
Ian

[Jim Hovind]

I doubt that rubber propane lines past the regulator are legal or safe anywhere.
I had a crack in the copper tube where it went throught he floor when I bought mine and the line caught fire, burnt the hair off my face ( I wear a full beard ) and lucky for me the coffe pot on the stove was full of water or I would have lost the trailer too.
Propane is nothing to go second rate with.

Jim H

[Brian B-P]

Every trailer obviously has rubber hoses from the tanks to the regulator, since the tanks are moveable.

My Boler has rubber hose from the regulator to the start of the iron pipe, just before it goes under the front of the trailer. While this could also be done in rigid metal pipe in my Boler's case, many trailers have the regulator mounted on part of the tank hold-down assembly which moves, so they would need this part to be flexible hose.

It has iron pipe under the floor. Although I personally dislike the tapered pipe threads used in fittings for this type of pipe, the choice still makes sense to me from the point of view of durability and resistance to impact by road debris (rocks).

Each appliance has bendable copper tubing (I wouldn't really call it flexible) from a tee in the iron pipe right under the floor up to the appliance, generally with a shutoff valve along the way. Here, I wouldn't want rubber because I would be concerned about long-term degradation, and iron pipe would not be compliant enough to accommodate the movement of appliance installation or operation.

These choices all seem appropriate to me, and (judging from the CSA approval sticker on the trailer) meet at least Canadian standards. The under-floor and indoor parts are comparable to natural gas installations in houses, which also seems appropriate.

[Pete Dumbleton]

There's rubber and there's rubber -- Some may be just plain rubber and some are higher pressure hoses covered in rubber for damage protection (typical LP 'rubber' hoses are the latter type). Take another look at a SCUBA diver's 'rubber' regulator hoses...

[Ian-Vicki]

[b]Each appliance has bendable copper tubing (I wouldn't really call it flexible) from a tee in the iron pipe right under the floor up to the appliance, generally with a shutoff valve along the way. Here, I wouldn't want rubber because I would be concerned about long-term degradation, and iron pipe would not be compliant enough to accommodate the movement of appliance installation or operation.

These choices all seem appropriate to me, and (judging from the CSA approval sticker on the trailer) meet at least Canadian standards. The under-floor and indoor parts are comparable to natural gas installations in houses, which also seems appropriate.

It's the copper lines to the appliances that our Burro didn't have, thus no CSA sticker, until now. BTW the gas certification sticker shows it's a provincial jurisdiction.
cheers
Ian

[Greg A]

I replaced the rubber hose to the regulator on mine with the flexible steel gas lines they sell next to the water heaters in Home D.
Felt much better with those than the rubber hose.

[Bob Cupp]

Greg-I would not be in the habit of moving that flexible metal line around very much. I think that they are meant for easy installation of permenant appliances. I would think that the proper rubber hose from the regulator to the iron pipe would be more durable.

[Brian B-P]

BTW the gas certification sticker shows it's a provincial jurisdiction.

Good point. The entire trailer is subject to CSA Z240 (for a Recreational Vehicle - Single Axle Trailer or Slide-In Camper). While I haven't looked it up, I expect that Z240 probably covers the propane installation, among other things, but the propane installation is also covered by provincial regulations (at least where mine was made, in British Columbia) as indicated by the sticker on the front of the body (right above the propane tanks and regulator).

The U.S. equivalent to the CSA in this case is the RVIA; I can only guess that individual provinces and states each have their own rules for the propane system, but generally following national standards.

[Roger H]

Greg-I would not be in the habit of moving that flexible metal line around very much. I think that they are meant for easy installation of permenant appliances. I would think that the proper rubber hose from the regulator to the iron pipe would be more durable.

Greg, I'm with Bob on this one. Those "flexible" steel hoses are meant to be bent once, in one direction. That stresses the metal, but it's soft enough to accommodate it. Just like bending a piece of wire back and forth, if that stressed point continues to be stressed, either through bending, or potentially vibration and movement, it could fail as well. Copper, while more difficult to work with initially, is a much better choice for RV applications.

Roger