1984 Skamper 072S

[85_Ranger4x4]

Hard to add the holes but if something goes south in the middle of night I just as soon know about it. Combo smoke/carbon monoxide alarm.

Acts like I am just not getting enough gas, I can get one burner to barely light. It goes out if I try to light a second.

 

[bilbo]

Hard to add the holes but if something goes south in the middle of night I just as soon know about it. Combo smoke/carbon monoxide alarm.

View attachment 66645

Acts like I am just not getting enough gas, I can get one burner to barely light. It goes out if I try to light a second.

View attachment 66646

Is the regulator original? Maybe that's toast. I just recently had an issue with my furnace pilot and it was an orifice that was clogged. It could be something like that, but I would think it would only affect one burner. Given this and the issue with your heater I'd check out the regulator. They're not too expensive to replace anyway.

Another thing to think about in addition to the CO/smoke alarm is a gas detector. I think newer RVs are required to have them, mine does not but I'll be putting one in. Propane is a bit scary, had an incident in a fish house when I was young so I'm a bit apprehensive. They're $50 or so. While messing around with the heater I found there are a lot of ways I could have propane leak into the camper, and it doesn't take much to make a boom.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Is the regulator original? Maybe that's toast. I just recently had an issue with my furnace pilot and it was an orifice that was clogged. It could be something like that, but I would think it would only affect one burner. Given this and the issue with your heater I'd check out the regulator. They're not too expensive to replace anyway.

Another thing to think about in addition to the CO/smoke alarm is a gas detector. I think newer RVs are required to have them, mine does not but I'll be putting one in. Propane is a bit scary, had an incident in a fish house when I was young so I'm a bit apprehensive. They're $50 or so. While messing around with the heater I found there are a lot of ways I could have propane leak into the camper, and it doesn't take much to make a boom.

The one in the first picture of my last post was a $39.89 smoke/carbon monoxide combo.

 

[fastpakr]

I think Bilbo meant a gas detector in addition to what you've got.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I think Bilbo meant a gas detector in addition to what you've got.

Oh, never heard of such a thing.

One thing I like about it is the gas is all external aside from where it goes into the camper for the appliances

 

[Shran]

I need to get a CO/smoke detector for my camper. Now that I'm thinking about that, I'm not sure why I didn't buy one years ago.

Stove in my camper is a little odd too. It always takes forever to light but once it's lit all is well. Except one burner that seems to smoke and covers the bottom of pans with soot - weird for propane to do that, wonder if it's partially clogged somewhere.

 

[bilbo]

Oh, never heard of such a thing.

One thing I like about it is the gas is all external aside from where it goes into the camper for the appliances

Yes, that's what I meant. The piping for mine is all external as well, but after screwing around with the control valve and seeing what's actually holding the gas back (a couple springs and o-rings), and seeing how much can come out without my noticing if it's not all aligned perfectly, and seeing the flame that can ensue, I think it's a good idea anyway. Cheap insurance at $50. I was going to order this one.

Years ago I was ice fishing with a buddy in the shanty his Grandfather had built. It had a heater in it from a mobile home that was waaaaay too big. Even on low and all the windows open, it would be miserably hot. So you'd have to turn it on and off. The gas valve in the heater didn't hold, so it would have to be turned on/off at the tank outside so it took two people, and was finicky to get it lit and stay there. I was manning the valve and my buddy was inside with the heater, and he said good to go so I opened the valve up the rest of the way and went inside. He was still lying on the floor messing with the stove, but I figured he was adjusting the flame. The door had one of those hook latches like campground toilets have, and I no more than latched the door and BOOM! It was similar to the movies when a shell lands nearby and everything's blurry and quiet, with a ringing noise, and time slows down. After what felt like an hour, but was probably a few seconds, we came to, and my buddy had soot in the pattern of the grille on his face, no eyebrows, and fused up hair on his head. The windows were lying 10 feet away in the snow, and the door was swinging open, latch pulled from the wall. Apparently it lit for a few seconds and he said it was good, then went out, and he tried to relight it. Still not sure exactly what happened; the feed line was just soft copper through a hole in the wall and may have cracked due to fatigue, who knows. We decided the fish weren't worth it, packed up, and went home.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Swung by the lake last night to try to stake a claim... weekend is booked.

 

[Uncle Gump]

Well that's a bummer...

Do you have a plan B?

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Well that's a bummer...

Do you have a plan B?

Not really, we both have to work Saturday so we can't go too far.

 

[bilbo]

Not really, we both have to work Saturday so we can't go too far.

There's always camp driveway!

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I have been trying to wrap my head around the propane hose routing, with the big two stage regulator it has to go out so darn far it hits the side and put a hard kink in the hose.





So I pulled it out and stuck the tank on a stand so maybe I could get a little more fire air flowage.



Lit a burner, it took off with a vengeance.



Well lets see how many can eat...



Before one burner would barely run and would fade out if I turned on another burner (which wouldn't really light)

Tried the heater again, I think the pilot light looks better but it still won't do anything.



I did find THIS to troubleshoot the electrical on that.



Going to try to find a hose tomorrow, I don't have super high hopes as all I have is regular home heating/AC places to pick on, nearest camper place is over an hour away. I tried to snag a BBQ grill hose tonight and everything about it is way smaller.

 

[scotts90ranger]

Get yourself a 1/4" NPT street 90 fitting for the outlet of the regulator so the hose doesn't have to go straight out of the regulator, you could put the 90 at the inlet of the regulator too, might make things nicer... In plumbing lingo "street" means male to female so you only need one fitting... You'd be safe with brass or galvanized, the working pressure of propane is like 350psi max which is in the realm of everything but nylon fittings...

 

[Curious Hound]

A 45 degree fitting may be a good choice also.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I need to find a hose first, this one has seen a better day... and that was a few days ago. Doesn't leak though.

For some reason it was routed up through the band that secures the tank too so it also got smashed flat in there.