Propane flow problems!!

[tbirdkeys]

Hello, I have a propane stub out on my Avalanche 395BH. I have plugged into it with a small BBQ and now most recently with my new Blackstone griddle and all I can get is about 1/4 flame.

I did some research online and found the Blackstone needs about 1psi of flow. I read on one website that stated most RV appliances only require .4psi of flow so that is what the regulators at set at. This seems right given the small flame amount I get at wide open. I have made sure that my regulator was NOT on safety mode by turning it on too fast.

Is anyone else experiencing this? I bet there are many many people trying to use their Blackstone grills and other appliances with their trailer stub out. It would seem the stub out would be useless if the pressure is too low.

For info: Neither the Blackstone grill or my small BBQ grill have an additional regulator on the unit.

Thanks

[Northofu1]

Hey Tbird,
Two things.
Did you check the female quick connect for debris? Wasps or a mud dauber?
Is the regulator attached to your appliances?
It won't work with two regulators.
I would also check the extension hose, the valve for the quick connect.
That's all I have.
Good luck sir

[Northofu1]

Sorry, didn't see the last paragraph, damned phone.

[flybouy]

Most LP female quick connects that are installed at the factory have a shut off valve built in. The valve must be off to connect then must be turned on to allow gas to flow. Have you turned that valve on?

[bobbecky]

Actually, most RV appliances require 11 inches of water column pressure, which is not flow. The regulator is designed to maintain it’s rated pressure within it’s rated flow capacity. What is happening is, you are trying to operate your grill, which has it’s own regulator, on a system that has already reduced the pressure, so with a second regulator, you are not getting enough gas to be able to light the flame. If you intend to operate one of those grills using the low pressure quick connect, you need to remove the regulator from that grill so only the regulator in the RV system is controlling the pressure. We have an adapter hose that I connect directly to one of our propane cylinders to connect to our grill.

[KimNTerry]

Originally Posted by bobbecky

If you intend to operate one of those grills using the low pressure quick connect, you need to remove the regulator from that grill so only the regulator in the RV system is controlling the pressure. We have an adapter hose that I connect directly to one of our propane cylinders to connect to our grill.

Originally Posted by tbirdkeys

For info: Neither the Blackstone grill or my small BBQ grill have an additional regulator on the unit.

Thanks

Bob, I think you missed the last paragraph of the original post. I modified my grill and removed the regulator and have similar issues myself, just not enough gas to cook with especially when I get to altitude. (I live at 5,000 ft and go up from here) It lights but won't warm a hot dog let alone cook it. I went back to using the regular propane regulator and use either the one pound bottles or an extension hose on a larger tank. I'm done throwing money and time at using the low pressure quick connect.

For those of you that got it to work Great. for me the convenience is no longer worth the hassle. Just my $0.02 on the subject.

[JRTJH]

Have you tried a different "quick connect hose" ???

Sometimes, when hoses are built, the interior lining of the hose gets "occluded by inserting the QD fitting improperly". I've had numerous hydraulic hoses on my tractor and on other hydraulic equipment stop working when a hose is damaged, breaking the lining and causing that "flap" to fall down, preventing the hydraulic fluid from flowing beyond the "damaged lining of the hose"...

Is it possible that your QD hose has a blockage inside it ???

Or, is it possible that the QD fitting on the trailer is blocked and there's no propane flowing through that fitting? It's easy to check by inserting a "compressed air fitting" in the end of the hose and/or in the trailer QD fitting to see if propane is flowing through those parts.

DO NOT RELY ON A COMPRESSED AIR FITTING FOR NORMAL USE, ONLY FOR TESTING PURPOSES.....

[travelin texans]

Originally Posted by KimNTerry

Bob, I think you missed the last paragraph of the original post. I modified my grill and removed the regulator and have similar issues myself, just not enough gas to cook with especially when I get to altitude. (I live at 5,000 ft and go up from here) It lights but won't warm a hot dog let alone cook it. I went back to using the regular propane regulator and use either the one pound bottles or an extension hose on a larger tank. I'm done throwing money and time at using the low pressure quick connect.

For those of you that got it to work Great. for me the convenience is no longer worth the hassle. Just my $0.02 on the subject.

I had a rv in the past that was the same, no matter what it wouldn't work.
Buy the Y fitting for you big bottles & a hose if whatever length allows the grills to be placed wherever is convenient & forget the QD that you have stand on your head to connect & turn on.

[KimNTerry]

I have not tried a different hose it may yet be worth a try. Checking the fitting is a good idea, I did not think of using an air fitting to test (for testing purposes only of course).

One more thing on my to do list for the trailer.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by KimNTerry

I have not tried a different hose it may yet be worth a try. Checking the fitting is a good idea, I did not think of using an air fitting to test (for testing purposes only of course).

One more thing on my to do list for the trailer.

I've seen some (not a lot, but if yours is "the one" it's too many) QD valves that get rust in the black iron pipe under the trailer and for some reason, it seems to "migrate to that valve". It may be because most of the other propane appliances are "above the black iron pipe" and when the propane tubing turns "up" it stops the migration of the rust flakes. On the QD valves, they're usually horizontal, so the rust flakes tend to be pushed to the valve and get caught up in it, stopping gas flow.

It may not be your problem, but definitely worth the couple minutes to check.

[Campy]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

I've seen some (not a lot, but if yours is "the one" it's too many) QD valves that get rust in the black iron pipe under the trailer and for some reason, it seems to "migrate to that valve". It may be because most of the other propane appliances are "above the black iron pipe" and when the propane tubing turns "up" it stops the migration of the rust flakes. On the QD valves, they're usually horizontal, so the rust flakes tend to be pushed to the valve and get caught up in it, stopping gas flow.

It may not be your problem, but definitely worth the couple minutes to check.

Yes, this was the very problem we had when ours was new. Not rust but some kind of flaky stuff had almost completely blocked the back side of the quick disconnect.

[Javi]

Or get one of these, best thing I ever did for Grilling when camping. Light and easy-to-use

https://www.rvupgradestore.com/Steel...RoCRlwQAvD_BwE

[KimNTerry]

Originally Posted by Javi

Or get one of these, best thing I ever did for Grilling when camping. Light and easy-to-use

https://www.rvupgradestore.com/Steel...RoCRlwQAvD_BwE

Not at that price...
I know we're all supposed to be wealthy to have an RV but $100 for a propane tank hits the too much for this camper level.

[Javi]

Originally Posted by KimNTerry

Not at that price...
I know we're all supposed to be wealthy to have an RV but $100 for a propane tank hits the too much for this camper level.

I didn't pay that either but it was the first link I came to.. However, have you been shopping lately... the steel that tank is made from is now almost $2 a pound wholesale.. 6 months ago it was $0.35 a pound .

[KimNTerry]

I already have 2 30 pound cylinders, 2 20 pound cylinders (which I usually leave at home) and know how to refill 1 pound cylinders (but I don't). A Y splitter is another $20 bucks or so I could always go that route but probably won't. I'll look into getting the flow moving from the QD and hose if those don't work, I'll continue to use the regulator that I know works. Like I said, Tired of throwing money at this issue.

[Javi]

Originally Posted by KimNTerry

I already have 2 30 pound cylinders, 2 20 pound cylinders (which I usually leave at home) and know how to refill 1 pound cylinders (but I don't). A Y splitter is another $20 bucks or so I could always go that route but probably won't. I'll look into getting the flow moving from the QD and hose if those don't work, I'll continue to use the regulator that I know works. Like I said, Tired of throwing money at this issue.

I hear ya'

I'm 72 with bad knees and back so I try not to bend down, crawl under or lift 30 pound propane tanks any more often than absolutely necessary... and I think I paid $69 for the 11 pound tank when I bought it... I like it because it's easy to throw it over the pickup rail when I want to take it and easy to leave at home when I don't... cost me $12 to fill and lasts me 6 to 8 outings between fills.. Heck, last weekend I didn't even take the tank or the grill out of the pickup.. grilled two 16 oz bone-in ribeyes on the tailgate...

[Mikelff]

Originally Posted by tbirdkeys

Hello, I have a propane stub out on my Avalanche 395BH. I have plugged into it with a small BBQ and now most recently with my new Blackstone griddle and all I can get is about 1/4 flame.

I did some research online and found the Blackstone needs about 1psi of flow. I read on one website that stated most RV appliances only require .4psi of flow so that is what the regulators at set at. This seems right given the small flame amount I get at wide open. I have made sure that my regulator was NOT on safety mode by turning it on too fast.

Is anyone else experiencing this? I bet there are many many people trying to use their Blackstone grills and other appliances with their trailer stub out. It would seem the stub out would be useless if the pressure is too low.

For info: Neither the Blackstone grill or my small BBQ grill have an additional regulator on the unit.

Thanks

It appears you are trying to operate a “high” pressure gas appliance on a low pressure system. It wont work. Your rv is a low pressure system and unless you can modify your grill to operate on a low pressure system it wont work. Typically you need something that is made to operate on your rv system. I was going to try to do the same as you but was informed by my dealer it wouldn’t work. So I now carry a 20 pound tank and a Coleman gas tower and run my grill and two lanterns off the 20 pound tank. Works great! We had a big cook out last spring and ran two grills and two lanterns off that tank. Couldn’t do that off the rv system.

[Kenemac]

Originally Posted by Javi

I hear ya'

I'm 72 with bad knees and back so I try not to bend down, crawl under or lift 30 pound propane tanks any more often than absolutely necessary... and I think I paid $69 for the 11 pound tank when I bought it... I like it because it's easy to throw it over the pickup rail when I want to take it and easy to leave at home when I don't... cost me $12 to fill and lasts me 6 to 8 outings between fills.. Heck, last weekend I didn't even take the tank or the grill out of the pickup.. grilled two 16 oz bone-in ribeyes on the tailgate...

Bone in rib eyes? Now you’re talking my language javi!!

[GunnerRoo]

We have a Blackstone griddle and absolutely love it. Every breakfast is cooked on it and most dinners. I put a Y splitter on the port to the Stove and bought an extended hose without a regulator for the Blackstone. I can run both the stove and griddle at the same time with no issues.

If it was me, I would open the end lines and disconnect below the regulator and use an air compressor to ensure the lines are clear. If clear, I would replace the regulator IMHO

Cheers!

Craig