Propane shuts off after 2 minutes below 50 degrees

ValleyRoad50 · 10-16-2015, 11:14 PM

Spent first night in brand new Forester MBS on Tuesday. Furnace quit during the night. 40 degrees out. Started generator and propane stove top. Ran for 2 min. and gen stopped and burner flame went out. Repeated several times with same result. Called dealer and they wanted us to come back in. Drove 90 miles and gen and propane burners worked fine. (then 55+ degrees out) Service person had not heard of this problem and could find nothing wrong with propane tank/reg. Took MH to wedding tonight (Fri) and are planning to sleep in it. 40 degrees again and having same issues. Gen and burners quit after 2-4 min. Will call dealer in AM.
Anybody have this issue? Bad regulator, kinked line? Why did it work in warmer weather?
Glad we have warm blankets for the night.

Sagecoachdriver · 10-16-2015, 11:24 PM

I had the same problem years ago in my Winnebago. You have moisture in the propane tank and it will freeze up the regulator at 40 degrees. I got a hint at the time from someone on another forum. Try pouring warm, not hot water on the plastic regulator cover. It will defrost the regulator for a time. Do so at your own risk!
Cure was to find a propane distributor who can inject methanol into the tank. It will pickup the moisture and it burns up. Had it injected and no freeze up ever again.
Cause was the tank was not properly purged prior to initial filling?

Pedrodasdas · 10-17-2015, 08:56 AM

very good answer. Yes, moisture in the tank is your problem. You can fix that easily at any propane supplier in the northern statesor Canada. They are well aware of this problem. Good point is that it is a lifetime fix !

Sagecoachdriver · 10-17-2015, 10:33 AM

It was impossible to find a propane dealer here in SoCal that does the tank injection. Found a dealer on my way to Yosemite in the sierra's. Shouldn't be a problem in Minnesota.
By the way, venting the tank will do nothing to remove the water. The cooling temperature of the escaping propane will cause the water vapor to condense and drop into the liquid propane and to the bottom of the tank. Ever see a ring of frost around the bottom of a propane tank? It's a waste of propane. That's what a SoCal dealer did. Costly and didn't solve the problem.

ValleyRoad50 · 10-17-2015, 10:49 AM

Thanks for your help. We will try that and post the results.

Sagecoachdriver · 10-17-2015, 11:57 AM

One point of caution, if your generator runs on the propane, you may want to call Onan and ask if added mixture of methanol to the propane will affect the generator or warranty. Explain why you are adding it because of moisture.
Perhaps others here can comment if this isn't necessary and it will just burn as normal.

moondog2000 · 10-17-2015, 11:59 AM

One other thing to try is to take the tank and smack the base square on the ground. When they fill the tank some times the auto shut off float sticks shut. This happens to me quite a bit. Smack it 3-4 times and hook it up and try your stove. Not saying this is your problem but its worth a try.

Maddog378 · 10-17-2015, 01:34 PM

Isn't the amount of butane in the propane gas different up north, to help stop some of the low temperature problems. I was told if you fill up in the south, you can have problems in the colder months as you go north.

Vince and Charlette · 10-17-2015, 08:08 PM

I too had the problem with moisture in the tank on my 2015 GT. Dealer purged and refilled tank. He said that it came from factory that way. One way you can confirm what the others are saying it to look at the regulator itself. (Remove plastic cover if necessary.) If there is an excessive amount of frost on it, that's likely to be due to moisture in the tank. (Some frost is normal since propane absorbs heat as it expands.) As a temporary solution, when camping last January, I put a light bulb right under the regular. It was just enough heat to keep it from freezing.

Still Kickin · 10-17-2015, 10:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moondog2000

One other thing to try is to take the tank and smack the base square on the ground. When they fill the tank some times the auto shut off float sticks shut. This happens to me quite a bit. Smack it 3-4 times and hook it up and try your stove. Not saying this is your problem but its worth a try.

Can't, it's a motorhome with a fixed tank.

moondog2000 · 10-18-2015, 03:16 AM

sorry, did not know that.Don't know my models.

Todouble · 10-18-2015, 06:31 AM

Yup sounds like your regulator is sticking shut when the weather drops. There notorious for it. I carry a soare

Sagecoachdriver · 10-18-2015, 01:54 PM

I see the Solera does have a propane LP generator. If you decide to add methanol, please check with Onan first as you don't want to mess it up. I have heard also that the light bulb in the compartment will also keep it warm enough not to freeze up but doesn't solve the issue permanently. If you want more information on the freeze up. check the RV.net forum and do a search for propane problem and go back more than 12 months as this is a cold weather issue.

ValleyRoad50 · 10-18-2015, 08:43 PM

We plan to ask our propane supplier on Monday AM.

Vince and Charlette · 10-18-2015, 09:13 PM

So is mine. I ran an extension cord to the propane tank compartment, added a bulb and set it on a block to get it up where it's heat could get to the regulator.

ValleyRoad50 · 10-26-2015, 11:22 PM

We had to wait until it got cold enough at night to try the propane again. It did the same thing and before the flame went completely out, quickly ran a hair dryer over the regulator and the flame on the stove came up again.
Our propane supplier (local cooperative) said we had to empty the tank down to half and they will then inject methanol in the tank. Not a diy project so will leave it to the pros.

Sagecoachdriver · 10-26-2015, 11:39 PM

Valleyroad50- glad to hear you've found a dealer for the methanol. Did you check if it ok for the generator?

ValleyRoad50 · 11-17-2015, 03:27 PM

Update on propane delivery failure when temps below 40 degrees F:

Did have local propane provider add methanol along with more propane. We had to get the propane down to half full first and did that by connecting the gas grill to the external connector.
Its been unseasonably warm the last few weeks so didn't have an opportunity to test again until recently. When temps down to mid 30's, ran the motor home out of the shed and ran the furnace all night and no problem!!
We do plan to run this propane tank down and refill with straight propane before using the generator.
Thanks to those who responded to help with this problem. Can't imagine why the dealer service dept. had no clue about the cause of this failure. We did let them know so they could be of help to the next person who experiences it. After all, this is Minnesota!

Sagecoachdriver · 11-17-2015, 06:24 PM

Glad the methanol did the trick.

jdyson · 11-18-2015, 08:17 PM

These work well wrapped around the 12.2 gal tank on my Forester MBS. Not a substitute for a methanol injection if you need it, but I plug this into an outside 20amp, separate from the Forester 30amp and it does work to keep the LP tank warmer, and thus keep the gas flowing better. I also bought a couple of thinsulate faucet covers from Lowes and cut/tied them to the outside of the plastic regulator cover. still left room for some air to flow out of that cover since these regulators are vented.

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