STILL CONFUSED - Need Help!

[jq1031]

Regarding the propane cylinders & the red & green dots on the regulator, when its red is that empty or is green empty. Also after filling one tank is it ok to keep it turned off so I'll know when the other tank is empty & does the regulator red & green automatically turn to the tank in use. HELP!!!

[Handysam]

Joe, red is empty or off. I like to keep my tanks alternating, as in using one at a time. When one tank empties I switch over to the other and fill up the emptied tank. That way I've got one full tank at all times.

[LeeMedic]

Shoot I just pick it up and shake it! LOL

BTW, we be camping in Osprey (Oscar Scherer SP) in November. I volunteer with Golden Retriever Rescue of Southwest Florida, and we are having a big event in Osprey the weekend of Nov 12th.

[hankpage]

Originally Posted by jq1031

Regarding the propane cylinders & the red & green dots on the regulator, when its red is that empty or is green empty. Also after filling one tank is it ok to keep it turned off so I'll know when the other tank is empty & does the regulator red & green automatically turn to the tank in use. HELP!!!

Joe, The red dot means that the selected tank is empty and the valve has switched to the other tank. Turning the lever on the regulator will change the dot to green providing the newly selected tank has gas and is turned on. I usually leave both tanks on and check for a red dot daily. Waking up to a freezing cold trailer because the second tank was not turned on is not pleasant. And I know momma ain't getting out of bed to switch the valve. This may not be a problem in sunny Venice but if you run your fridge on gas and go away for the day you could return to spoiled food or worse yet warm beer and no ice for cocktails. Hank

[SLIMSHADIE]

Most of the season I only turn one tank on just so I know when it runs out. Late in the season like now, I may turn both on just so we dont wake up freezing in the middle of the night. With only 3 seasons under our belt I've ran 1 tank out completely. I also picked up a ceramic heater this year to help out the furnace and use the free electricity.

[Handysam]

I might add that a gauge for the running tank is a must and will save you from running out.

[jq1031]

Originally Posted by LeeMedic

Shoot I just pick it up and shake it! LOL

BTW, we be camping in Osprey (Oscar Scherer SP) in November. I volunteer with Golden Retriever Rescue of Southwest Florida, and we are having a big event in Osprey the weekend of Nov 12th.

I've been to Oscar Scherer State Park many times, not camping but riding my bike. It's a nice campgroung, alot of trees so all the sites are shaded & private. Narrow roads make for tight turning & backing in. If you have a bike you might want to consider bringing it as the Park attaches to the Legacy Bike Trail which runs for many miles both north & south. The trail was a former rail line thats been paved & refurbished for recreation use. Enjoy your stay!

[hankaye]

Howdy All;

I full time in mine and the past 2 winters here in Central Utah have been brutal enough to drive me South this winter.

1st. winter here I was in a 1995 TT, bought a 3rd. 30lb. tank. had to swap out tanks with great regularity that winter. Having the "spare" allowde me to keep things going while I refilled the other 2 (local refill spot gave a discount of 0.10 cents /gal. if you bought more than 10 gals.). Temps. hit -40 in Early Dec. and we didn't see +10 till almost the end of Feb. Had to swap tanks (load the spare), in the middle of the night ( - 0 temps.) a few (2 or 3), times. NOT recommended.

Last winter I got smarter and leased a 125 gal. tank from a local propane Co. It would last about a month. No going out in the cold to swap tanks .

This year I have a 13 year younger 5th wheel. I'm headed to Southern N.M. for the winter. Think I'll take my old "spare tank" with me and see how well I do.

hankaye

[JRTJH]

Hank, We had a 1972 Jayco 20' Jayraven. there was a goucho/bed on the front wall with a fold down bunk over it. The water tank sat under the bed and there was a big storage door on the street side of the goucho. On the inside, it was a shelf/headboard for the goucho. There was no insulation in the storage door or in the inside shelf. We had a 16,000 BTU gravity furnace, a 3 burner range and a bunch of blankets. We were in Colorado at the time. Went up to our property north of Steamboat Springs for elk season. It got cold, and we had ice on the inside of the floor, all the windows were 1/2 inch thick in ice, the toilet froze, and we did as well.... LOL Back then, I think there might have been 1" of fiberglass insulation in the walls, no ideal what was in the ceiling, but the floor was 3/4" plywood with a black tar spray on the bottom. There was no insulation in the floor at all.

I remember my wife putting clay flower pots on the stove during the evening to keep it warm enough for our daughter (age 2) to play on the goucho while we played cards at the dinette wrapped in blankets. Once she got tired enough to go to sleep, we'd put her in the top bunk (warmer up there) and we'd crawl on the goucho and shiver all night.... We had 30 lb tanks and used 3 in a 5 day hunt LOL

I can't blame you for heading south, it's just not "civilized" to stay cold when you don't need to..... And, yeah, we're staying in northern Michigan again this winter.... So far, we haven't grown tired of the snowmobiles, snowshoeing and cross country skiing..... But one of these winters, I'm sure we'll hook the boat behind the fifth wheel and head for "thawed water" and bass

[hankaye]

JRTJH, Howdy;

Years ago (the '70's), I was in the Navy stationed in Fla. I thought about a houseboat ... then I realized I was restricted in my travles to only places I could reach by water.

Likin' these RV's alot more ...

hankaye

[Festus2]

jq1031:
Have we managed to answer your original question regarding the function of the propane regulator.... red and green dots... full and empty? We seem to be going adrift here.... possibly in one of Hank's houseboats?

[jq1031]

Originally Posted by Festus2

jq1031:
Have we managed to answer your original question regarding the function of the propane regulator.... red and green dots... full and empty? We seem to be going adrift here.... possibly in one of Hank's houseboats?

Well answered Festus, I'm now more intelegent than I've ever been, however it's to damn bad that I'm colored blind as I'm still at square one!!

[Festus2]

Joe:
If your have the Marshall 254-00 regulator (auto change over), this is taken from their manual which states:
"Make sure there is propane in both cylinders before you start. Rotate the black lever on the top front side of the regulator toward the cylinder you want to use first. This will be the "service" cylinder and the other will be the "reserve".
Slowly open both valves. The indicator on the top of the regulator will turn green. This will stay green as long as there is gas coming from the service cylinder. When the service cylinder empties, the regulator will start drawing from the reserve tank providing an uninterrupted flow to the system.
When it switches over, the indicator will change from green to red. The red color shows that the service tank is empty and needs to be refilled.
To remove the empty tank, rotate the black lever all the way over to the reserve tank. The indicator should now turn green and the reserve tank now becomes the service tank.
Now, shut off the cylinder valve on the empty tank. Then disconnect this cylinder and have it refilled. After refilling, reconnect the pigtail and slowly open the tank valve. The full tank now becomes the reserve tank."

Not sure if this helps at all or will leave you, still frustrated, on square one.

[jq1031]

Originally Posted by Festus2

Joe:
If your have the Marshall 254-00 regulator (auto change over), this is taken from their manual which states:
"Make sure there is propane in both cylinders before you start. Rotate the black lever on the top front side of the regulator toward the cylinder you want to use first. This will be the "service" cylinder and the other will be the "reserve".
Slowly open both valves. The indicator on the top of the regulator will turn green. This will stay green as long as there is gas coming from the service cylinder. When the service cylinder empties, the regulator will start drawing from the reserve tank providing an uninterrupted flow to the system.
When it switches over, the indicator will change from green to red. The red color shows that the service tank is empty and needs to be refilled.
To remove the empty tank, rotate the black lever all the way over to the reserve tank. The indicator should now turn green and the reserve tank now becomes the service tank.
Now, shut off the cylinder valve on the empty tank. Then disconnect this cylinder and have it refilled. After refilling, reconnect the pigtail and slowly open the tank valve. The full tank now becomes the reserve tank."

Not sure if this helps at all or will leave you, still frustrated, on square one.

Festus, I was just trying to be funny, very sorry if it sounded sarcastic, as that was not my intent. No I'm not colored blind & I now understand how the red & green work. Please except my appoligy & thank you & others for the imput

[Festus2]

No apology needed. Now that you know the difference between red and green, full and empty and you know how it all works, we can move on to more challenging topics. Should have picked up on your sarcasm and humor. Maybe someone else can make some use of the information.
Cheers

[hankpage]

Joe, I'm glad you were only kidding about that red and green thing. I was getting nervous about going through traffic lights on 41 in Venice. , Hank