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Old 02-23-2021, 05:43 PM   #1
jaymillikan
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Propane Regulator Upgrade

Hello!

If this has been covered, I sure couldn't find it. I have a 2000 Keystone Sprinter 28 RK and I just bought a Suburban IW60 tankless water heater. It is rated at 60k BTU. I only have the water heater and my heating system running off of propane (220 volt induction cooktop, residential fridge). I have heard you need a high flow regulator for that water heater, but I am concerned that I will be sending too much propane to the furnace. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
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Old 02-23-2021, 06:52 PM   #2
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The ratings on the regulators only gives the maximum volume of gas that they can supply. They will only supply what the appliance demands but can not force more than the appliance can use. You could have a regulator that is rated way more than all the appliances being served and only the volume any one or any combination of the appliances will flow through the regulator.
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Old 02-23-2021, 06:54 PM   #3
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I would try it before you change anything. Any idea what brand/model regulator you have now?
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Old 02-23-2021, 10:32 PM   #4
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I am very curious about this as well but in a slightly different context. I have been meaning to make a post about this for awhile. Sorry to derail OP.

The regulator in my 2021 Raptor 351 seems adaquate to run the fridge, water heater, air heater and stove in my unit. But... either grill setup I have used on the quick release propane port do not heat up enough to be usable. I have connected a Blackstone Tailgator combo and a Weber Q. Neither get hot enough to cook on. The Weber I know use with the green propane bottles and the Blackstone I now leave behind. I bought an adjustable regulate to put on a 5 gallon propane tank and it works well at it's lowest setting. I do not want to carry extra propane tanks with me.

What have others done?
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Old 02-24-2021, 03:40 AM   #5
jaymillikan
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Thanks, bobbecky! I kind of figured that was the case, but just wasn't sure. I don't have a lot of experience with propane and propane accessories
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Old 02-24-2021, 03:43 AM   #6
jaymillikan
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Hey Chuckster!

No, I am not sure what regulator I have at the moment.

I own a trucking company and I am planning a 3 week renovation vacation for the camper, so I'm burning up Amazon and Ebay for all the parts. I found the IW60 for $400 and since a new 6 gallon was almost the same price it seems to be a no-brainer. As soon as I'm home (end of March) I will check that out. But like Bobbecky said, the appliances themselves will regulate their feed so hopefully this will be a non-issue and I can just up the flow to make sure the water heater has enough supply.
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Old 02-24-2021, 04:20 AM   #7
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If your going to “up the flow” I would caution against any adjusting of the regulator without a manometer.
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Old 02-24-2021, 06:56 AM   #8
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Originally Posted by jaymillikan View Post
Hey Chuckster!

No, I am not sure what regulator I have at the moment.

I own a trucking company and I am planning a 3 week renovation vacation for the camper, so I'm burning up Amazon and Ebay for all the parts. I found the IW60 for $400 and since a new 6 gallon was almost the same price it seems to be a no-brainer. As soon as I'm home (end of March) I will check that out. But like Bobbecky said, the appliances themselves will regulate their feed so hopefully this will be a non-issue and I can just up the flow to make sure the water heater has enough supply.

I don't know what brand regulator was used on the 2000 models. My current one, and most I know of, come with Fairview brand regulators; I have had no good luck with them. If you replace them I would use Marshall Excelsior regulators. I've had good luck with those.
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Old 02-24-2021, 06:59 AM   #9
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Originally Posted by MotoDad293 View Post
I am very curious about this as well but in a slightly different context. I have been meaning to make a post about this for awhile. Sorry to derail OP.

The regulator in my 2021 Raptor 351 seems adaquate to run the fridge, water heater, air heater and stove in my unit. But... either grill setup I have used on the quick release propane port do not heat up enough to be usable. I have connected a Blackstone Tailgator combo and a Weber Q. Neither get hot enough to cook on. The Weber I know use with the green propane bottles and the Blackstone I now leave behind. I bought an adjustable regulate to put on a 5 gallon propane tank and it works well at it's lowest setting. I do not want to carry extra propane tanks with me.

What have others done?

You have probably done this but, have you removed the regulators from the Blackstone and the Weber? If you are able to use the little 1 lb. bottles or are hooking directly to a 20lb. tank you are using the regulator that came with the cooking device. The LP from the trailer is already regulated and does not need additional regulation or it will shut the flame down to virtually nothing.
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Old 02-24-2021, 03:00 PM   #10
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Follow up

I spoke with a friend who does plumbing and he said that the optimal line diameter is 1/2 inch. He also said that the regulator is fine (I will still be upgrading) but that for a 60k BTU tank it really needs a larger feed. I'm actually going to use 3/4" to make sure that it has no issues.
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Old 02-24-2021, 05:23 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by jaymillikan View Post
I spoke with a friend who does plumbing and he said that the optimal line diameter is 1/2 inch. He also said that the regulator is fine (I will still be upgrading) but that for a 60k BTU tank it really needs a larger feed. I'm actually going to use 3/4" to make sure that it has no issues.
The line from the tank to the regulator is 3/8" and from the regulator to the 1/2" black iron pipe that runs under the trailer is 1/2". Using a 3/4" line from the 1/2" black iron distribution pipe to the water heater wouldn't increase the gas flow as it's restricted by the 1/2" Flex hose from the regulator and by the 1/2" distribution line.

Unless you're going to convert from the regulator all the way back to the water heater with 3/4" flex hose and black iron pipe, you won't benefit from a branch line that large.
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Old 02-24-2021, 06:00 PM   #12
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The line from the tank to the regulator is 3/8" and from the regulator to the 1/2" black iron pipe that runs under the trailer is 1/2". Using a 3/4" line from the 1/2" black iron distribution pipe to the water heater wouldn't increase the gas flow as it's restricted by the 1/2" Flex hose from the regulator and by the 1/2" distribution line.

Unless you're going to convert from the regulator all the way back to the water heater with 3/4" flex hose and black iron pipe, you won't benefit from a branch line that large.

^^^^This will be right. If the feed line is X placing larger downstream lines will not increase the flow from what the capacity of the feed line.
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Old 02-24-2021, 06:22 PM   #13
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Doing a little "research":

A 1/2" pipe 20' long will deliver 120 cuft of propane per hour. That's about the length of the main supply line under the trailer.

A cuft of propane is 2500 BTU.

That 1/2" pipe will deliver 120 x 2500 BTU of propane which is 300,000 BTU/hr.

The water heater consumes 60,000, the furnace 35,000, the refrigerator 2500, the stovetop burners (2x5000 + 1x9000) 19,000 and the oven 12,000. That's a total of 60+35+2.5+19+12= 128,500 BTU consumed out of 300,000 available.

So, the current 1/2" delivery system is capable of supplying almost 2.5 times the maximum the system can use if everything is turned on maximum....

That's the pipe system. The regulator has a maximum BTU/hr rating that it can deliver. I'd guess it's going to be the limiting factor, but the propane plumbing in the trailer is capable of handling far more than it will ever need to deliver from the appliances in the trailer, even with the addition of a 60K BTU water heater.
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Old 02-24-2021, 07:37 PM   #14
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If just wanting to spend $$, upgrade both the changeover regulator and the smaller one on the opposite side tank, if separated, with Marshall Excelsior regulators replacing the cheap Chinese ones, afterwards I think you'll have more than enough pressure & volume to run all you'll need.
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Old 02-25-2021, 03:25 AM   #15
jaymillikan
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I appreciate all of the good information! Unfortunately I am trying to order parts and get it figured out from 900 miles away, through pictures and a helpful yet inexperienced person lol. So if I already have 1/2 inch line, I will just upgrade the regulator, feed lines from the tanks, and make sure it is constant all the way through.

The only appliances that will use propane will be the tankless heater and the furnace, so I will be capping off (or removing if possible) the branches for the stove and fridge.

Thank you again!
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Old 02-25-2021, 07:10 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MotoDad293 View Post
I am very curious about this as well but in a slightly different context. I have been meaning to make a post about this for awhile. Sorry to derail OP.

The regulator in my 2021 Raptor 351 seems adaquate to run the fridge, water heater, air heater and stove in my unit. But... either grill setup I have used on the quick release propane port do not heat up enough to be usable. I have connected a Blackstone Tailgator combo and a Weber Q. Neither get hot enough to cook on. The Weber I know use with the green propane bottles and the Blackstone I now leave behind. I bought an adjustable regulate to put on a 5 gallon propane tank and it works well at it's lowest setting. I do not want to carry extra propane tanks with me.

What have others done?
In order to run the Weber Q or any other grill you need to remove the existing regulator and replace it with a quick connect fitting.



Then you can connect it to the low pressure port on the camper, with an extension hose.



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Old 05-23-2021, 12:32 AM   #17
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Marshall Excelsior works flawlessly and easily installs to the bracket on my fifth wheel. Switches tanks automatically like it should, and the switch is easy to turn. Plenty of flow to fire the heater, water heater, and three stove burners simultaneously.
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Old 05-23-2021, 03:02 AM   #18
jaymillikan
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Marshall Excelsior works flawlessly and easily installs to the bracket on my fifth wheel. Switches tanks automatically like it should, and the switch is easy to turn. Plenty of flow to fire the heater, water heater, and three stove burners simultaneously.
I bought and installed a Marshall regulator. I also replaced the feed lines from the tank and removed the lines for the fridge and stove. I left the rest alone (after a full system pressure test and leak test) and it's working great.

I'm not used to working with propane and I appreciate all the advice. It sure came in handy!
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