can i take both propane tanks off my casita?

[lpk49]

do i have to do anything else ? will everything that uses propane be ok? or do i have to do something to the lines ... or anything else.

if this is the wrong place to put this post please let me know where i should put it. thx.

[Thomas G.]

Are you taking the tanks off permanently?

[rabbit]

Unscrew the regulator; cap the threaded fitting on the flex line. It's either 3/8" or 1/2" npt. Can't remember which, think 3/8"? This will prevent insect entry, moisture in the lines to appliances.

As to whether everything will be OK, of course not. Very likely spiders will spin in the carburation tube of the water heater and mud daubers will fill up the intake and exhaust ports of the furnace with a little nursery. Gas range has no opening to the outside and will probably work fine 10 yrs. later. If you ever sell, tell prospective buyers that all items worked the last time you used them. I don't know if you will see the humor in the above statement but deactivated isn't quite the same as mothballed (or maintained and used).

jack

[Glenn Baglo]

Why don't you just run the propane aplliances until the tanks are empty ( might take a few trips ), and leave them in place?

[rabbit]

Baglo has the best answer. Don't have to restrain the flex line to the tongue and you can reactivate your propane appliances at a future date.

jack

[lpk49]

i'm glad i asked then. are all the propane tanks the same size? maybe i can find someone who will use them up for me. this propane has been in the tanks since the factory. it's a 2007 and the first owner didn't use any either. does it go bad? is there a safe way to just let it empty out?

i didn't get your humor cuz i don't know what i am talking about. i had no idea bugs could get in.

since i know so little about the propane i think it will be much safer for me to just do electric. except for my little propane camp stove and lantern. i understand them.

[lpk49]

but wait a minute...part of why i am getting rid of propane is to lower TW-so how much does propane weigh and how much does tank weigh?

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by lpk49

since i know so little about the propane i think it will be much safer for me to just do electric. except for my little propane camp stove and lantern. i understand them.

If you can light a propane camp lantern, then you can learn to operate the propane appliances in your trailer.
Lighting my propane lantern is the scariest thing I've done when camping.

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by lpk49

but wait a minute...part of why i am getting rid of propane is to lower TW-so how much does propane weigh and how much does tank weigh?

The propane in a full 20 lb. tank weighs 20 lb and the tank about the same.
There are better ways to lower the tongue weight, like packing heavy items aft of the axle. Get a Sherline tongue scale and you can measure the weight at the tongue and make adjustments.

[Mike Magee]

Don't be offput by the naysayers. It's your trailer, so if you want the tanks off, take 'em off. The world won't end.

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

Don't be offput by the naysayers. It's your trailer, so if you want the tanks off, take 'em off. The world won't end.

That's really helpful.

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

Don't be offput by the naysayers. It's your trailer, so if you want the tanks off, take 'em off. The world won't end.

I agree with Mike. Or, you could just take off one tank.

[Carol H]

I would take one of the tanks off to start with - a full 20lb propane tank usually weighs about 38 lbs and a little under 20lbs empty (mines 18 lbs. empty). Many of us only have one tank and I know mine will last me a long time even though I do use propane a lot.
As others have said there are people who dont use propane at all but for me personally I wouldnt be happy without the flexibility it gives me as to where I can camp and for how long.

[rabbit]

Pay no attention to the half measurers or the ayesayers either. Good grief what a crew! Kayak, do what you want for the reason you stated or the second reason you stated or both. Your thinking about the risks of propane may change in future as you observe what other owners do and what they're comfortable with. Do you know someone who could give you some tips on operation of propane appliances? That would be another option you may want to consider.

jack

[lpk49]

glenn-with my propane stove and lantern i can see and hear the propane coming out...its not in lines somewhere buried in the camper. and i dont have to freak and search every time an alarm goes off to figure out why it is going off..battery? or real leak? i use it outside on a sturdy table...and i'm used to it.

as far as packing things...i dont carry anything hardly at all. what i carry i can put in back seat of the car -that should not affect TW...correct?

so-if i have 2 tanks i am carrying 80 lbs right there on the tongue? no wonder my camper TW is 365. just taking out the propane will bring me down to 325?

mike and donna-thats what i thought too...but getting bugs in the appliances doesnt sound like a good thing. it never occured to me that would happen. i dont want to break things.

so-if i take only one off do i have to do what rabbit said-i havent used the water heater in 2 yrs. i did the thing so water wouldnt go in there during the winter and never put it back. does that mean it is full of bugs and ruined? is there really a thing called mothballing? will my rv guy know what that is?

i just spray around the vents on the outside if i see anything flying around...so far the only thing i have seen inside is one very large spider...in the bed...that was not good. but in 2 yrs that isnt much.

i do agree when i am around others using propane i might start to use it more. the first rv guy i had check out the camper and winterize it showed me everything and i used all but the water heater a little...but the alarms started going off and the heater kept coming on when it was hot already...i finally figured that out...but it was stressful.

until i understand it better i'd rather not have it. i'm almost always alone...so til things change i want to feel safer. and i really dont want to break things.

hey-listen-thanks for taking time to reply. my questions are real-even tho i guess these are things i should already know. i feel i am getting better answers here than from most of the rv shops around here...there are very few small campers here and everyone needs to make a buck to stay in business.

so thanks for being here and your time. k.

[Perry J]

Take them off but be carefull you don't lighten your tongue to much especially if your water tank is in the rear.

[ThomasE]

If you remove the tank you should remove the hoses too so they aren't flopping around. Removing both tanks won't take off 80lbs from your tongue weight, because they aren't sitting right on top of the ball, I would guess you will save 40-60lbs tongue weight for both. I had my tongue on a bathroom scale, and removing one propane tank reduced the weight by 20lbs. Removing the battery cut 40 lbs, but the battery is in front of the propane on my trailer.

[steve dunham]

Our Scamp came with dual tanks , one was 100% full the other 90% full . PO said he had filled them 3 years earlier . After our first year one tank was still 100% full other tank was 75 % full .We decided to remove one tank . Carrying around a full tank of propane for possibly 8 to 10 years made no sense . Used the gas up on our grill

[Thomas G.]

I'd take off the tanks and the hose, then plug the hole where the hose was attached with a pipe plug. You may well decide that you want the propane appliances once you get more comfortable with their operation.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by lpk49

so-if i take only one off do i have to do what rabbit said-i haven't used the water heater in 2 yrs. i did the thing so water wouldn't go in there during the winter and never put it back. does that mean it is full of bugs and ruined? is there really a thing called mothballing? will my rv guy know what that is?

.

If you have emptied the hot water tank & it has the plug in it its not likely full of bugs or ruined.

What can happen with propane appliances such as hot water tanks, furnaces and stoves etc is that spiders get into the propane burner or vent pipes. Just a little spider web can mean the appliance will not light or stay light. It is fixable - by taking them apart and cleaning them out- sometimes it takes nothing more than poking a pipe cleaner through those areas to fix the problem.