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09-24-2012, 09:44 AM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Rome, Georgia
Posts: 150
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04 Surveyor 261T thirsty for LP.
I've got a fairly new to me Surveyor 261T expandable with a gas only 6gal water heater and Dometic fridge. I've had it out a total of 3 nights, all in warm weather and sucked two 30# LP bottle dry. I run the fridge on gas when traveling and turn the water heat on when I get to my destination and make sure the tank is full. This past weekend I had one 100% full 30# tank, I ran the fridge on it for about 7 hours between travel and in between generator use as we were boondocking. The water heater was on about 8 hours as well. sucked the tank dry, check all connectors and can't find a leak, are these two appliance just his thirsty? Do I need to run the fridge on gas when traveling or will the camper batter and truck alternator run it?
Thanks for any info, I don't want to keep spending $55-60 on LP fill up for weekends and I need to get this figured out before my week long trip in November.
__________________
Stephen
2004 Surveyor SV 261T
2011 Nissan Armada
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09-24-2012, 10:11 AM
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#2
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Winston-Salem, NC
Posts: 2,381
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Sounds like a leak. Wife and I spent over 70 nights on 2 bottles in ours. Would have been more but we had to run the furnace the last couple of nights.
As for the refer, either 110 volt or gas, not an option for 12 volts only, but must have 12 volts to run the control board.
Did you check the connections at the refer, back side, and the furnace, back side, for leaks? There are also connections under the trailer. Sounds like you need need a pressure test. Sorry, not much help.
__________________
LadyWindrider
2012 Ford F250 ext. Cab 4x4
2002 Jeep Wrangler Sahara
2008 Yamaha V-Star 650 Classic
2008 Work and Play 18LT
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09-24-2012, 10:16 AM
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#3
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Shenandoah Valley of Virginia
Posts: 9,280
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I agree with windrider. No way should you be using that amount of propane. I have only filled my propane tanks 7 times in the last 4 years, and I dry camp quite a bit, run my fridge on the road, along with running the furnace some.
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Chap , DW Joy, and Fur Baby Sango
2017 F350 Lariat CCSB, SRW, 4x4, 6.7 PS
2017 Grand Design Reflection 337RLS
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09-24-2012, 10:20 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Rome, Georgia
Posts: 150
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Sounds like I'm headed to the dealer in the near future... Thanks for the replies!
__________________
Stephen
2004 Surveyor SV 261T
2011 Nissan Armada
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09-26-2012, 07:10 AM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Rome, Georgia
Posts: 150
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Update. Called my dealer, three way campers in Marietta, GA, to my surprise they told me to replace the regulator on the bottles that it was most likely clogging after turning it on. Turns out my bottles were still full of gas, just not getting to the appliances. Ordered a new duel stage lp regulator with auto switchover from camping world, hopefully that will fix my LP issue.
__________________
Stephen
2004 Surveyor SV 261T
2011 Nissan Armada
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09-26-2012, 09:25 AM
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#6
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Site Team
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Goodyear, Arizona
Posts: 33,598
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before you do that, try the tanks again but open the valve SLOWLY.
and always weigh the tanks before you consider them empty.
__________________
Dan-Retired California Firefighter/EMT
Shawn-Musician/Entrepreneur/Wine Expert
and Zoe the Wonder Dog(R.I.P.)
2016 PrimeTime TracerAIR 255, pushing a 2014 Ford F150 SCREW XTR 4x4 3.5 Ecoboost w/Max Tow Package
4pt Equal-i-zer WDH and 1828lbs of payload capacity
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09-28-2012, 08:12 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Canton, Michigan
Posts: 1,348
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Great news! Hope that works out for you.
I also have an '04 261T. We went on a 2-week trip around Michigan's Upper Peninsula (awesome trip!), staying at 7 differnet places. So we were running the fridge on gas a lot. 1700 miles over the 2 weeks. But we always keep the fridge on "Auto", so it automatically switches to AC power as soon as you plug it in. If you are plugged into AC shorepower, but still forcing it to run on gas (while camping) you are wasting propane. The only time I force it on gas is when the DW put stuff in the freezer that isn't already frozen solid.
As for the water heater, those thing use very little gas. Just be sure you don't have the outside lever turned all the way up, making the water hotter than it needs to be. I keep mine right in the middle.
For that trip, between finishing off a partial tank, and using part of the 2nd, we probably use about the equivilent of 1 30 lb tank, or maybe a bit more.
__________________
thebrakeman ('70), DW ('71), DD ('99), DD ('01), DD ('05)
2004 Surveyor SV261T (UltraLite Bunkhouse Hybrid)
2006 Mercury Mountaineer V8 AWD Premier
Equal-i-zer WDH (10k), Prodigy Brake Controller
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09-28-2012, 10:01 AM
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#8
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Shenandoah Valley of Virginia
Posts: 9,280
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thebrakeman
As for the water heater, those thing use very little gas. Just be sure you don't have the outside lever turned all the way up, making the water hotter than it needs to be. I keep mine right in the middle.
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You got a photo of that lever ??
__________________
Chap , DW Joy, and Fur Baby Sango
2017 F350 Lariat CCSB, SRW, 4x4, 6.7 PS
2017 Grand Design Reflection 337RLS
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09-28-2012, 11:40 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Maryland
Posts: 713
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I shut the water heater off once it is heated up. There is enough hot water for 2 showers & luke warm water in the morning.
__________________
2021 Rockwood Mini Lite 2109S
2010 Toyota Tundra 4WD
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09-28-2012, 01:08 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Rome, Georgia
Posts: 150
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I looked and I can't find any kind of lever to adjust the thermostat on the water heater or a way to cut the gas or otherwise turn the water heater off, other than killing the gas at the regulator where the bottles connect.
__________________
Stephen
2004 Surveyor SV 261T
2011 Nissan Armada
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09-28-2012, 03:44 PM
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#11
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Shenandoah Valley of Virginia
Posts: 9,280
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sself1219
I looked and I can't find any kind of lever to adjust the thermostat on the water heater or a way to cut the gas or otherwise turn the water heater off, other than killing the gas at the regulator where the bottles connect.
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I don't know of such lever either. That is why I asked thebrakeman for a photo. If there is such a puppy, I want to know about it.
__________________
Chap , DW Joy, and Fur Baby Sango
2017 F350 Lariat CCSB, SRW, 4x4, 6.7 PS
2017 Grand Design Reflection 337RLS
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09-28-2012, 03:56 PM
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#12
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Phat Phrog Stunt Team
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Iowa
Posts: 34,507
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thebrakeman
Great news! Hope that works out for you.
I also have an '04 261T. We went on a 2-week trip around Michigan's Upper Peninsula (awesome trip!), staying at 7 differnet places. So we were running the fridge on gas a lot. 1700 miles over the 2 weeks. But we always keep the fridge on "Auto", so it automatically switches to AC power as soon as you plug it in. If you are plugged into AC shorepower, but still forcing it to run on gas (while camping) you are wasting propane. The only time I force it on gas is when the DW put stuff in the freezer that isn't already frozen solid.
As for the water heater, those thing use very little gas. Just be sure you don't have the outside lever turned all the way up, making the water hotter than it needs to be. I keep mine right in the middle.
For that trip, between finishing off a partial tank, and using part of the 2nd, we probably use about the equivilent of 1 30 lb tank, or maybe a bit more.
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What lever ?
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09-28-2012, 06:02 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 553
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I would recommend against the auto-switchover regulator. It's a good way to find out you are out of gas on a cold night.
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