Help with propane system

[SurabyaKid]

Hi All,

I have been unable to get gas to flow through to my stove & heater. I am not getting gass delivery at either location. IE when I turn on the stove valve, I get no gas.

At first I thought it was the saftey solenoid valve and so I isolated it, tested it and it opens/closes just as it is supposed to both in bench testing and hooked up to the boat. I checked to see if there was gas in the tank and it flows freely when not hooked up and the guage shows pressure when hooked up.

Are regulators directional? Could the regulator be bad? Are there hidden valves that I might not have turned on? Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance,

Pat
E26 - Pronto

 

[Jarod]

Not much you can do on this one other than take a methodical approach starting from the tank and moving towards the appliance. I was having issues lighting and getting a continuous flow of gas to my Newport fireplace last month. I realized after a bit of playing around with it that I had water in the line. I had taken the bottle away to fill it and left the hose exposed to the elments for the better part of a week, when I returned the hose was full of rain water. I simply blew through the hose and opened it up ....I guess the pressure after the low flow regulator wasnt enough to clear the line itself. I doubt this is your issue but hey it happened to me. I mount my tank on the pushpit and yours is likely in a locker so doubtful it is something in the line and you would think you would get at least some flow.

 

[Glyn Judson]

No gas to the stove and heater.

Pat, Gas captured in a supply hose will dissipate over time requiring a bit of time to get new gas from the tank to the appliance. My Force 10 2-burner stove is closer to the tank than is my Force 10 9,000 BTU heater but in either case, some time must be spent to get them to light, the heater being the longest. Open the gas valve on your largest stove burner if you have one and listen for the sound of gas/air coming out of the burner. DON'T TRY TO LIGHT IT AT THE SAME TIME!! Another test would be to use a kitchen match at the burner and note if the flame is pushed away from the burner due to escaping air. If so, wait patiently with the burner open and periodically attempt to light the burner, eventually it will ignite, time measured in minutes for a long run. Following that, Jarod has the right idea, start at the tank and work your way to the appliances. This will necessitate detaching the supply hoses from the back of the stove & heater at one end and at the regulator at the other. Then blow on the hoses to make sure they're clear. BY the way, ABYC standards specify that there be a separate hose leading from the tank enclosure for each appliance being served. I built a simple manifold inside my tank enclosure that allows me to use two separate hoses from there to each appliance. Good luck, Glyn Judson, E31 hull #55, Marina del Rey, CA

 

[SurabyaKid]

Thanks Glyn & Jarod !!

I did try the match to see if I was getting any flow at all and no luck there. I guess this weekends project will be disassembling everything to see where the flow stops.

Thanks for the advice on the manifold. I had seen it in a previous thread (maybe yours Glyn?) before I posted my question today. Unfortunately, I recognized immediately that mine is not in compliance as there is a "T" in the storage area under the stove that feeds the heater. The hose runs don't look difficult, so I guess that's going to be another project!

I think I will work first on getting basic gas flow and then go about the retrofit of the manifold. The only thing that seems problematic will be the lack of space in the propane locker to get a manifold in there...it's already pretty crowded with the regulator and cutoff valve.

Pat
E26 - Pronto

 

[Glyn Judson]

Making a propane manifold.

Pat, That manifold needn't be anything more exotic than that same T-fitting used inside the enclosure. If space is a problem, consider having a short hose made up from the regulator to the T-fitting so you can bend it to a larger area in the locker. After all, you're going to have to have new hose(s) made up anyway, so have them make that one at the same time. You will need to buy a second airtight hose fitting for through the side of the propane locker. Then it's just a matter of routing both hoses to their destinations. Go to a local propane service company, the ones with the big trucks that fill tanks all over town and they might be able to make the hoses up for you, that's what I did when I had mine made. That Heyco through locker fitting is available through Seaward http://www.seawardproducts.com, where I got mine. Good luck, it has to be something simple like water as Jarod suggests. Glyn Judson, E31 hull #55, Marina del Rey, CA

 

[Mike.Gritten]

Pat,

be VERY careful! If you have noticed a tee fitting before the gas line gets to your stove and you have no gas flow through the orifices on the stove burners, then you could be looking at a disconnected appliance/heater/etc. that used to be fed from the other leg of the tee. If the end of the line is open (i.e. disconnected) it would bleed all the gas pressure out of the detached hose leaving no pressure to push the gas through the burner orifices. If this gas is being dumped into your bilge or behind some locker you have just created a potential bomb on your boat! PLEASE - BE CAREFUL!!! Propane is heavier than air and could sit in the bilge for a quite a while waiting for an errant ignition source to ignite it.

 

[SurabyaKid]

Thanks Mike,

As an ex-submariner, I have a very healthy respect for saftey and fires/explosions! The previous owner had a gas detector wand and I have been using it in the bilges as I have been performing the troubleshooting. I'm just not getting flow...apparently passed the regulator at this point?

Glyn - I'll check out the Seaward fitting...seems I may just end up replumbing the whole thing. I do have a curiosity question....the materials & installation of the propane system are consistant with the age of the boat (an 88) is it possible this was a factory installation that was ecilpsed by the standards you have mentioned?

I have already traced the lines and from the locker the line runs to the "T" without apparent interuption (hence my ? about a hidden valve). One side of the "T" goes up to the stove and the other goes through the locker bulkhead to the heater mounted on the opposite side of the bulkhead. Niether appliance is getting any gas. I've attached a picture so you can get an idea.

I know that a heater in NC is kind of an oxymoron...but it will be nice for winter sailing. From the documentation history, the boat has apparently always been in NC and was moved from the coast to Kerr Lake by the previous owner.


Pat
E26 - Pronto

 

[exoduse35]

The cause is most likely one of three things: a bad low pressure regulator, the rubber hose swelling shut internally or debris in the line. there is a type of spider that loves to nest in propane lines and block them. the easiest way to fix them is to disconnect the hose assembly at the tank and then use compressed air from the appliance end of the line. after the line will let air to pass add pieces back one at a time and re-check as you go. description is complicated but the work is easy. when finished check all fittings with soapy water ( i like children's bubble stuff) good luck,Edd