1984 Skamper 072S

[dvdswan]

Looks like the perfect spot for the 90* fitting.

 

[Shran]

Great, another thing I need to address on my camper. My propane reg/hose/enclosure looks identical to yours and is also kinked. Did elbows not exist back then or something...?

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Great, another thing I need to address on my camper. My propane reg/hose/enclosure looks identical to yours and is also kinked. Did elbows not exist back then or something...?

Kinda wonder if the two stage regulator was an update thing. A single stage would fit beautiful.

With the hose routed in the band I hope somebody has monkeyed with it at some point and that it didn't leave the factory like that.

I don't know the history of rv propane legalities at all.

 

[Uncle Gump]

If I remember correctly... the way you got it from me was exactly the way I got it when I bought it. I remember the kink you have being there... but it all worked for me just fine. I don't remember the hose being routed through the band though.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

If I remember correctly... the way you got it from me was exactly the way I got it when I bought it. I remember the kink you have being there... but it all worked for me just fine. I don't remember the hose being routed through the band though.

I think it would have taken time for the hose to collapse so that is pretty plausible.

It's been like this for a long time.

 

[bilbo]

When I replaced the regulator on mine I remember reading that the only benefit to the two-stage was the high pressure side could run grills and stuff. Some campers have a stove that you can take outside and mount to the camper, with a coupling there. I think those might use HP gas. If that's true and you don't need that functionality, maybe a single stage would work for you. I need to get an elbow on mine due to a goofy bend in the hose. I didn't have an elbow when I put it together and wanted to leak test it, so I just made it work and said I'd grab an elbow and replace it later. That was 5 years ago...

 

[Fast Eddie]

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

Get a gas detector. You'll be mounting it close to the floor. Propane is heavier than air and will sink, then spread out. It could save a life.

 

[Fast Eddie]

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...

Shouldn't he use the same metal type that's there to prevent cross corrosion in using different metals?

 

[Snoranger]

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.

Do you have any place that works on forklifts or stuff that runs on propane near you? They could make you a hose any length you want with the correct ends.

 

[scotts90ranger]

Shouldn't he use the same metal type that's there to prevent cross corrosion in using different metals?

Propane is pretty stabile, the fittings on the end of the hoses now are likely brass which is very corrosion resistant which threads into the cast aluminum housing of the regulator...

They use 2 stage regulators because they are more consistent and safer if memory serves, it's hard to drop from ~200psi down to less than 1psi consistently...

Yeah, a forklift company would likely have something, or if you are in an industrial area look for places that handle hydraulic hose, they'll likely be able to make you a hose...

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Found a Mr Heater hose, it is 5' long so it is way too long... thats great.

Anyway I got it all plumbed in and didn't even have to go back to town! (I also had to change the adapter fitting on the camper side of the hose from JIC to NPT)

It passed both the soapy water and sniff test with flying colors though!



Hose kinda does a barrel roll in the back of its compartment. I don't think it will hurt anything though.



I was poking around with my multimeter looking at the different voltages... the thing took off and ran twice. Wouldn't do it again though. Stove still works awesome too.



I question the wind switch that monitors the air the fan moves, I was poking at that one.

I did it twice, it won't cycle on its own though. My wife snagged her space heater from work and that made it uncomofrtably warm pretty quick (it was 60 out) so maybe that might work, I don't know.

 

[Fast Eddie]

I was poking around with my multimeter looking at the different voltages... the thing took off and ran twice. Wouldn't do it again though. Stove still works awesome too.



I question the wind switch that monitors the air the fan moves, I was poking at that one.

I did it twice, it won't cycle on its own though. My wife snagged her space heater from work and that made it uncomofrtably warm pretty quick (it was 60 out) so maybe that might work, I don't know.

It's called a sail switch and has multiple functions in relation to the heater's operation. You are correct in that it monitors air flow. The fan should run a little while before it lights to clear any leftover gas and a little while after the flame shuts off to do the same. The sail switch tells the control board that air flow is present. The process starts with a 'call for heat' and ends when the thermostat 'thinks' the desired temperature is reached. What happens in between is an article in itself.

The sail switch could be be bad or it could just be corroded connections. Check the 12v supply going to the control board and clean them then test. The control board can be bad and this is a common problem; particularly where moisture may be a problem. It's a very expensive thing to replace so save it as a last resort.

Go here: Furnace not working - Thor Forums . You do not have to be a member to read their posts. You can also use their search function as a non member. Use the keywords 'sail switch' (without quotes), click the reCaptcha and complete if necessary (you would not see this if a member). Good luck and let us know.

 

[Curious Hound]

It's called a sail switch and has multiple functions in relation to the heater's operation. You are correct in that it monitors air flow. The fan should run a little while before it lights to clear any leftover gas and a little while after the flame shuts off to do the same. The sail switch tells the control board that air flow is present. The process starts with a 'call for heat' and ends when the thermostat 'thinks' the desired temperature is reached. What happens in between is an article in itself.

The sail switch could be be bad or it could just be corroded connections. Check the 12v supply going to the control board and clean them then test. The control board can be bad and this is a common problem; particularly where moisture may be a problem. It's a very expensive thing to replace so save it as a last resort.

Go here: Furnace not working - Thor Forums . You do not have to be a member to read their posts. You can also use their search function as a non member. Use the keywords 'sail switch' (without quotes), click the reCaptcha and complete if necessary (you would not see this if a member). Good luck and let us know.

That makes sense.

I've never worked on a heater like that before, but it should be similar to the big gas burners for our ovens at work. The general idea is this. When you want to start the burner, a fan needs to come on to "purge" the combustion chamber. There must be verified airflow for a certain time. Basically enough cfm of air for enough minutes to replace the volume of air in the combustion chamber several times. This ensures that you do not have an explosive mix of air and fuel in the chamber before lighting the burner. That is probably what that switch is for. When the purge is complete, the burner can be lit.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Yeah, my house furnace does the same sort of thing. It is a little more advanced though.

For as good as it worked when it worked I doubt it is a circuit board problem.

 

[Curious Hound]

It is a little more advanced though

Yeah. I gave the abbreviated version just to get the principle out there. At work, I deal with 17 large burners, all computer controlled with numerous safeties and alarms, electrical gas valves for pilot gas train and main burner gas train, pressure sensors, infrared flame detectors, etc. Yuck.