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10-10-2015, 05:04 PM
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#1
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New Camper
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: MA
Posts: 8
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Propane Tank Gauge
Anybody have any info on Propane Tank Gauges? Do they work ? Worth the money? Trying to figure out how much I have in the tanks...
Thanks
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2015 Crossroads Zinger 32 QB
2012 GMC Sierra 2500 HD 6.0 L 4WD
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10-10-2015, 05:49 PM
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#2
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Full Time Camper
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: SC
Posts: 679
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bcbnogueira
Anybody have any info on Propane Tank Gauges? Do they work ? Worth the money? Trying to figure out how much I have in the tanks...
Thanks
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The clearest indicator is the humidity-caused sweat line on the operation tank. I too get nervous and have them refilled when one feels "light." This time I'm going to wait to see the automatic switchover occur. We have three days planned in Tybee Island and we're sure to run the heater!
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10-10-2015, 07:57 PM
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#3
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Weekend Camper
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Southern califorina
Posts: 39
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MartyinSC
The clearest indicator is the humidity-caused sweat line on the operation tank. I too get nervous and have them refilled when one feels "light." This time I'm going to wait to see the automatic switchover occur. We have three days planned in Tybee Island and we're sure to run the heater!
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What I do... one propane tank valve is shut the other in use when I run out switch to the new one. Have the other refilled.
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10-10-2015, 08:05 PM
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#4
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Full Time Camper
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: SC
Posts: 679
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Randy68
What I do... one propane tank valve is shut the other in use when I run out switch to the new one. Have the other refilled.
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Yes, but I want to see that changeover work; like it says in the manual. The rig is less than one year old. I like the idea of uninterrupted changeover in the middle of the night for fridge and heater. Our upcoming trip will be in cooler weather. It's hard to tell the "red flag in the window", right now, I can only see a bit of red in the corner. I want to see it fill the window, then manually flip it to the other cylinder, then see it go out. Then I'll refill the first cylinder.
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Marty and Martha
2015 Z-1 211RD
2012 Nissan Titan
Dalzell SC
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10-10-2015, 08:07 PM
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#5
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Family Vacation Member
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Colorado
Posts: 220
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Why not just get the automatic switchover unit? Mine came with it and if pointed to one tank it will automatically switch over to the full one when you run out and then light up as red I do believe letting you know that one is empty. Then flip the switch to the other side letting it turn to the white color and then fill up your empty. If pointed down it runs both tanks at the same time, leaving you no reserve...
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2015 Z-218TD (sold)
2001 6.0 2500HD Gasser (sold)
2009 Ram 2500 6.7 QCLB Cummins Power
2019 Grand Design Imagine 2800bh
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10-11-2015, 08:39 AM
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#6
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Seasonal Camper
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Tn
Posts: 384
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I thought leaving the switch in the middle position allowed it to bleed from the other tank?
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10-11-2015, 08:52 AM
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#7
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Full Time Camper
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: SC
Posts: 679
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Burgy
I thought leaving the switch in the middle position allowed it to bleed from the other tank?
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No, Morphrider is correct. The middle drains both tanks simultaneously.
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10-12-2015, 06:25 PM
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#8
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Weekend Camper
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Florida
Posts: 17
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Just purchased 2 dial type gauges for my tanks from CW (tired of the guessing game). Have no idea how accurate these will be. Anyone else have these, if so how well do they work?
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Jerry, Jannette and the Pups Casey & poco
2015 Sunset Trail 250RB Superlite TT
2016 GMC Sierra SLT Z71 4x4
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10-12-2015, 07:21 PM
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#9
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Full Time Camper
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Nv
Posts: 628
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Funny this was brought up. My wife and I were looking at ours today and can see some red but I'm sure it's not the red indicating it is empty. The trailer is three weeks old and I don't believe I have used a tank yet. I have the selector on one tank so I don't drain both. I would love to hear from someone that has seen the red "empty" indicator so that they can say it is obvious when it is lit.
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Steve & Sue
2017 Grand Design 297RSTS Travel Trailer
2017 Ford F-350 Lariat Crew Cab diesel 6.7 SW LB 11,500 lb GVWR package
Former: Crossroads ST26RB
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10-12-2015, 07:31 PM
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#10
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Full Time Camper
Join Date: May 2013
Location: So IL
Posts: 1,811
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JJC
Just purchased 2 dial type gauges for my tanks from CW (tired of the guessing game). Have no idea how accurate these will be. Anyone else have these, if so how well do they work?
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It has been my experience they don't work worth a damn unless you have a float type gauge. Propane tanks put out a constant pressure till almost empty. I have tried them on my grill at home only to go empty before I was done. Those of you that have gas at home, those gauges are the float type. It reads a percentage not pressure. The percentage is the amount of liquid in the tank. The gas pressure remains fairly constant till the liquid runs out!
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Tim
13 ST25RB
08 F-250 SC 6.8L XLT 4x4
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10-12-2015, 07:42 PM
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#11
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Full Time Camper
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Nv
Posts: 628
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But if you have a two tank system and the red indicator comes on (assuming you can read it), there should be time to refill while running on tank number two...
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Steve & Sue
2017 Grand Design 297RSTS Travel Trailer
2017 Ford F-350 Lariat Crew Cab diesel 6.7 SW LB 11,500 lb GVWR package
Former: Crossroads ST26RB
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10-13-2015, 06:46 AM
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#12
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Weekend Camper
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Florida
Posts: 17
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Tim, I just read several articles that said the very same thing...the gauges are not accurate. Guess I will be returning the ones I just bought in the meantime I will be hunting for a simple solution to this problem. If anyone has any proven (EASY) methods let me know.
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Jerry, Jannette and the Pups Casey & poco
2015 Sunset Trail 250RB Superlite TT
2016 GMC Sierra SLT Z71 4x4
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10-13-2015, 07:25 AM
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#13
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Full Time Camper
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: MS
Posts: 2,746
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Spray water on the tank it will show you how full the tank is
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Frank and Janet Henn
2000 Monoco Lapalma
being pushed by a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee
Traveling with Rainbow the wonder dog and now with Sunshine the rescue Schnauzer.
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10-13-2015, 08:54 AM
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#14
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Full Time Camper
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Winchester, ON
Posts: 1,177
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When ours are both open and the indicator is to one of the tanks, it still drains from both tanks. This is evidenced by the fact that I checked every week to see if there was propane in both tanks (by running the water heater, then turning one tank off, then back on, then the other one, this tells you if there is propane, not how much) and wouldn't you know it, we ran out in both tanks!
I now keep one closed, but if I run the oven I have to open them both because I don't want to run out in the middle of baking or cooking something in the oven. You cannot turn the oven back on because it would be too hot to stick your hand in to light it.
A friend suggested using a laser thermometer (we have one) to check the temperature on the outside of the tank in various spots. This should tell you the level of fluid. We are going to try that for a while.
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2012 Cruiser Sahara 330SS
2015 F250 Super Duty diesel
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10-13-2015, 02:02 PM
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#15
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Weekend Camper
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: virginia
Posts: 40
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I have the auto switchover. Works great. Start with both tanks full. Open both tanks, point arrow to one tank. When indicator window shows red, flip arrow to other tank and disconnect empty tank and fill it. Repeat process for life of RV.
If the selected tank runs out, the switchover gets to to the full tank seamlessly, no worries in the middle of the night. Just don't forget to fill the empty one and to flip the selector to the other tank when you disconnect the empty to fill it.
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2014 ST32RL
2012 F250 XLT 6.2L
EQUAL-I-ZER HITCH
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10-13-2015, 02:06 PM
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#16
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Full Time Camper
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Winchester, ON
Posts: 1,177
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Ours looks like it has a similar set-up, but for some reason both tanks drain at the same time.
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2012 Cruiser Sahara 330SS
2015 F250 Super Duty diesel
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10-13-2015, 04:43 PM
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#17
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Site Team
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: WI.
Posts: 9,153
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zrxkuma
I have the auto switchover. Works great. Start with both tanks full. Open both tanks, point arrow to one tank. When indicator window shows red, flip arrow to other tank and disconnect empty tank and fill it. Repeat process for life of RV.
If the selected tank runs out, the switchover gets to to the full tank seamlessly, no worries in the middle of the night. Just don't forget to fill the empty one and to flip the selector to the other tank when you disconnect the empty to fill it.
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X2
That is exactly the way it's suppose to work guys.
Mine has been functioning that way for almost 8 years now. It can't get any simpler. Don't try and make it complicated, it's not.
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10-16-2015, 02:43 PM
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#18
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Weekend Camper
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: CO
Posts: 13
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Measuring the weight of the tank is probably pretty accurate. Weigh it empty and full, somewhere in the middle would tell you how much propane is in the bottle. Definitely a pain to remove the bottle just to weigh it however.
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2015 Sunset Trail 240BI
2003 Escalade AWD 6.0
Eaz-Lift Trekker Hitch
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10-16-2015, 06:34 PM
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#19
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Family Vacation Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: PA
Posts: 177
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Our Weber has a weight gauge wish these did also. It works great. just hang the tank on them and you can tell the level a yellow mark shows through what the weight is. when it says empty it is empty.
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John and Julie
Dubois, PA
2015 Zinger ZT31SB- 2008 Toyota Tundra
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10-18-2015, 02:45 PM
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#20
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Full Time Camper
Join Date: May 2013
Location: So IL
Posts: 1,811
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Just drained a tank this weekend. Furnace quit. Turned other tank on and switched valve. May not be ideal but at least I know when a tank runs dry.
__________________
Tim
13 ST25RB
08 F-250 SC 6.8L XLT 4x4
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