Propane question

butterbean · 04-12-2019, 04:29 AM

I have a 2010 Cougar Xlite 26BHS that I bought from my father about 3 years ago. I went to fill the propane tanks to get ready for camping season and had a quick question. I have dual 30 or 40 pound tanks and noticed what looks to be a tank selector between them. I was told that these tanks would both run without switching between them but now I’m not so sure. Can anyone tell me if this is a tank selector or exactly what it is if not a tank selector? Thanks in advance! This forum has been a wealth of information for me.

**chuckster57** · 04-12-2019, 04:41 AM

That is the tank selector. The green dot indicates which tank your drawing from. You can test if it’s an automatic switchover by closing the valve on the cylinder the indicator is pointed to. Open the other cylinder, light the stove and watch the flame for a minute. If it stays strong then it is an automatic switchover.

butterbean · 04-12-2019, 10:13 AM

So it’s possible to have a tank selector that will automatically switch tanks? That seems rather silly!

**chuckster57** · 04-12-2019, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by butterbean

So it’s possible to have a tank selector that will automatically switch tanks? That seems rather silly!

Not when you think about it. Imagine its 3AM and your furnace is trying to keep you warm. The tank your using goes empty, now you have to either be COLD or walk outside and turn the selector and open the other tank.

With an automatic switchover, both tanks can remain open, then when the one cylinder goes empty the selector will start drawing from the other cylinder, NO NEED to get up and go out in the cold. BTDT ONCE!!!

**sourdough** · 04-12-2019, 10:28 AM

I can't tell from the pic but when mine switches over and the arrow is pointing to the empty tank I have a red indicator telling me that tank is empty. Slowly move the indicator to the full tank and the red indicator goes away.....and I go fill a tank.

RoscoeV · 04-12-2019, 10:46 AM

You can also buy the Mopeka Tank Check sensors/monitor. I have these and they work great.

https://www.campingworld.com/mopeka-...0aAjtSEALw_wcB

butterbean · 04-12-2019, 11:18 AM

I get the automatic switch over if one tank runs empty. What doesn’t make sense is why put a switch in it at all? If it draws from both tanks, great. I will have to look into those sensors. They are sweet.

**JRTJH** · 04-12-2019, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by butterbean

I get the automatic switch over if one tank runs empty. What doesn’t make sense is why put a switch in it at all? If it draws from both tanks, great. I will have to look into those sensors. They are sweet.

The bolded part is where I think you're "missing the point"...

It doesn't draw from both tanks. It draws from ONE TANK, the tank that the selector valve is "pointed to" until that tank is empty, then it closes that valve and draws from the other tank. The indicator changes from green to red to give YOU (the operator) a visual indication that it has changed tanks, so you can then remove the empty tank and take it to be refilled, continuing "uninterrupted propane service". When you remove the tank for refilling, it's customary to switch the valve so it is pointing toward the "full tank" and the indicator will again change from red to green, indicating the 'selected tank is operable and providing propane to the system.

The sensors are "OK if you want TMI" but totally unnecessary if you fully understand and use the available propane automatic changeover valve/regulator as it's designed.

**chuckster57** · 04-12-2019, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRTJH

The bolded part is where I think you're "missing the point"...

It doesn't draw from both tanks. It draws from ONE TANK, the tank that the selector valve is "pointed to" until that tank is empty, then it closes that valve and draws from the other tank. The indicator changes from green to red to give YOU (the operator) a visual indication that it has changed tanks, so you can then remove the empty tank and take it to be refilled, continuing "uninterrupted propane service". When you remove the tank for refilling, it's customary to switch the valve so it is pointing toward the "full tank" and the indicator will again change from red to green, indicating the 'selected tank is operable and providing propane to the system.

The sensors are "OK if you want TMI" but totally unnecessary if you fully understand and use the available propane automatic changeover valve/regulator as it's designed.

Well stated. I was starting to respond when I got a customer in the driveway. When I came back you had explained it...Thank you

travelin texans · 04-12-2019, 11:40 AM

If it pulled from both tanks simultaneously then at 3am (which is when it will happen EVERY time) when you're freezing cause you've ran totally out of propane you will have NO heat & no reserve bottle to switch to.

Pull Toy · 04-12-2019, 12:20 PM

I'm with Danny on this one!

If #1 tank goes empty, and then t#2 runs out without me knowing that I'm on my second bottle... I have to tough it out till the store opens at 9:00 next morning, to get LP.

If one bottle is held in reserve (turned off), I still get cold at 3:00 am, BUT just have to turn on bottle #2 and go back to bed. I now have 30# to empty, which gives me more leeway in my choices. Seems like campgrounds are always more $$$ than Agway or Tractor Supply.

Good Luck,

FlyingAroundRV · 04-12-2019, 12:25 PM

We have LPG for cooking, heat and hot water in our S&B and we have a dual tank setup with an automatic changeover. But we leave one tank turned off.
Why? Because then we know when one tank has gone empty. With the auto changeover and both tanks on it will seamlessly switch over and unless you check your tanks regularly you won't be aware that one is already empty and needs filling. In that case, the first you realize you need gas is when the shower goes cold and there's no reserve tank to switch to!
On an RV this is not such an issue because you might move periodically and when you hook up, you'll likely see the state of the tanks (assuming a TT type setup. Don't know how 5W trailers do theirs) and make a mental note to refill.

jsb5717 · 04-12-2019, 12:39 PM

I hear a lot of experience. I've been pulling trailers for over 35 years and completely agree. Always keep one tank turned off until the other runs out. You always want to know when it's time to refill while still running your heat, etc. I tend to also carry a couple extra 20# tanks for BBQing, etc, and have, on occassion, used one of those in the trailer while I refill the 2 RV tanks.

Running out of propane leaves me with a grumpy wife.

Experience = lessons learned the hard way

**chuckster57** · 04-12-2019, 12:44 PM

And I have left both open, just make it a point to check since 1989 so if my math is right that’s 30 years.

Whatever floats your boat.

jsb5717 · 04-12-2019, 12:54 PM

There you have it...experience. Either a good, disciplined routine or a backup. Whatever keeps you camping and the wife happy

**JRTJH** · 04-12-2019, 03:05 PM

I suppose if you're the kind that forgets to buy toilet paper or napkins, then yeah, you ought to leave one propane tank off so when you're "in a fix" you will have hot water to wash your hands.... For those who do have the capacity to "walk and chew gum at the same time" (IOW, have their crap together) then knowing that the propane tank lasts about a week, and then every week, checking for a red indicator makes a heck of a lot more sense than getting up at 2AM to go out in the rain and switch a "darn propane tank"...

Most of us wouldn't have a dual battery system and "save" one battery for when the first one is dead. Imagine, in the middle of dinner, running outside to switch batteries so you could finish eating with lights. If that seems "not quite right" then why do it with propane tanks?

Of course, if you're out of TP, I suppose you really need to not also be out of propane. YMMV, but for me (and a lot of others) the industry gave us a tool, why not use it as it's designed to be used? On the other hand......

**sourdough** · 04-12-2019, 03:35 PM

Yep, I think it's either what one if familiar with or what makes a person comfortable. I have left both tanks on literally the entire time we've used an RV. I know what the weather is, how much the furnace runs etc. so I know when to check the tanks. Walk outside, or if I'm outside, just pop the 2 retaining straps, pull down the cowl a bit and look at the indicator...probably 15 seconds. It's a mindset for me since I've always done it. I do however now tell my wife to remind me to check the tanks on such and such day as a backup because these days "such and such day" may come and go without me remembering.

When we first started camping in a trailer I was in the "one tank off" group. It didn't take me long at all to determine I hated the interruption of a tank running out; the lower sooty flame etc. and...it will ALWAYS be at 3am (or the most inconvenient time) as a previous post mentioned.

HitFactor · 04-13-2019, 03:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by butterbean

I get the automatic switch over if one tank runs empty. What doesn’t make sense is why put a switch in it at all? If it draws from both tanks, great. I will have to look into those sensors. They are sweet.

Use your propane anyway you want. I get it, the total amount of propane doesn't change, use half at a time or all of it.

Ignore the insults.

MarkEHansen · 04-13-2019, 06:22 AM

When doing the PDI on my first trailer with an auto switch over valve, the tech told me that when it's on tank A and tank A runs out, it will draw from tank B, but at a reduced rate. He said you can tell it's running from the "backup" tank by observing a reduced flame on the stove burner.

Is this not how it works? I guess I can turn off the tank manually and test this...

HitFactor · 04-13-2019, 06:29 AM

I don't believe reduced pressure is correct, check the manual for your regulator/valve assembly for the definitive answer.

This is the manual for the unit on our TT.

https://manuals.heartlandowners.org/...tec%206020.pdf

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