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Old 06-28-2016, 04:15 PM   #1
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Thumbs up Propain!!! In the you know where...

I am new to the Thug life, oh wait, the RV life. I am loving the simplicity and the effectiveness of the lifestyle.

I do need some advice however, I am having issues getting my furnace working and really anything with propane. I ran out then purchased and installed more however after this I cant get anything working. I believe I may need to light a pilot light?? Hello... this Pilot's light isn't on either

Anyways, the deets... I own a 2000 Cardinal 35 foot 5th wheel, almost completely restored at this point, yes its sweet and called affectionately The Millennium Cardinal! Its not the Millennium Falcon but hey I am not in the stars.

Gracias to whoever wants to help or can or will or just says hi!

Hello to all in Forum!

PS. I know I should be listing this elsewhere but hey I think easy question, how do you tell which water is which? Gray is the one I am looking for, well both but gray is what I need to find.
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Old 06-28-2016, 04:50 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by golfknar View Post
I am new to the Thug life, oh wait, the RV life. I am loving the simplicity and the effectiveness of the lifestyle.

I do need some advice however, I am having issues getting my furnace working and really anything with propane. I ran out then purchased and installed more however after this I cant get anything working. I believe I may need to light a pilot light?? Hello... this Pilot's light isn't on either

Anyways, the deets... I own a 2000 Cardinal 35 foot 5th wheel, almost completely restored at this point, yes its sweet and called affectionately The Millennium Cardinal! Its not the Millennium Falcon but hey I am not in the stars.

Gracias to whoever wants to help or can or will or just says hi!

Hello to all in Forum!

PS. I know I should be listing this elsewhere but hey I think easy question, how do you tell which water is which? Gray is the one I am looking for, well both but gray is what I need to find.
If you have replaced empty tanks with new full ones..........you may very well have some air in your lines..........light your stove tops and/or keep trying until they light and let them go until you are sure you have purged the lines. Then after that you should be good to go on other appliances
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Old 06-28-2016, 05:02 PM   #3
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The tanks will not release propane if the connector is not completely tight. It may appear that the fitting is screwed completely in but an extra ¼ to ½ turn might be needed.
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Old 06-28-2016, 05:46 PM   #4
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Thank you.

so I will try these.... just to be sure so I don't die of propain inhalation.. no pilot light to light? I can just try the stove? Please don't be funny here I truly don't want to blow my self up trying to cook chili on the stove.
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Old 06-28-2016, 05:52 PM   #5
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Make sure your propane bottle is turned on and the selector it to the full tank. Turn your stove top burner on and you should hear something try lighting what ever is coming out of the burners with a match or fireplace lighter until it ignites then lite all burners and that will clear the air form the lines. the furnace does not have a pilot however depending on how old your water heater is it may have a pilot look on the control valve If it says pilot then you have to lite the pilot lite. folks on this forum don't tend to joke with things like propane or other problems
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Old 06-28-2016, 05:56 PM   #6
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Propain!!! In the you know where...

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Originally Posted by Trevor43 View Post
If you have replaced empty tanks with new full ones..........you may very well have some air in your lines..........light your stove tops and/or keep trying until they light and let them go until you are sure you have purged the lines. Then after that you should be good to go on other appliances

X 2.
No... No pilot for your stove top. Sometimes I have to light my stovetop and let it burn for a few minutes before my fridge will light.
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Old 06-28-2016, 06:00 PM   #7
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If you had both tanks off and filled and replaced them, then most likely there is no propane in the lines of the RV. If you turn on the tank too fast, the gas rushes out into the empty lines ( no back pressure). This causes the protection valve in the tank to think you have a major leak and it shuts down the propane. Turn tank valve off. Let it sit for about 20 mins. Then open the first 1/8 to 1/4 turn very slowly. As soon as you hear a little gas flowing, stop and wait for a minute or two. Then you can open the rest of the way. You may have to do the same on the other tank.
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Old 06-28-2016, 06:01 PM   #8
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Smile You guys are good...

Thank you for the quick honest replies. I hope to a part of this community. I have a degree in electronics tech and computing both high end and desktop if anyone needs help there.
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Old 06-28-2016, 06:28 PM   #9
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It can take a few minutes as was said if your propane lines were completely empty.

I just focus on the stove top burners first. Get the larger one lit and let it burn and then you can light the rest. Like was said I doubt the stove top has a pilot. You should have one knob on the burner control that just strikes the piezo igniter. But feel free to use a long fireplace lighter or one you use on a BBQ if you don't see the spark from the piezo.

I would just focus on the stove top until you get the burners going good and are sure you do not have a regulator issue or pressure issue....probably not..probably just need to purge the lines but who knows.

The oven on older units usually has a pilot but you only light it when you get ready to use the oven. I would ignore it for now.

Once you get the stove top burners all running and good then you can try either the furnace or the hot water heater. But be sure to leave the hot water heater switch OFF until your water heater tank is full. So if your not sure then just see or move on to the furnace.

My 5th wheel is 2003 and I do not have to pre light pilots on any appliances. I know older units used to have pilots you lit and left running but not much anymore if any. Most are auto ignite.

What are you looking for with the grey water...just the dump valves. if so should be two one says bathroom and the other may say galley if you have two grey tanks...or may say grey water. Or are you looking for something else but the only Grey water is the holding tanks. The dump valves are marked and would be on the left or drivers side of the fifth wheel underneath the side atleast half way back...could be a little further but usually about halfway to 2/3....should see a couple T shaped black handles. I am not familiar with a 2000 Cardinal so there could be round holes in the lower siding to access them or they could just be underneath the side.
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Old 06-28-2016, 06:43 PM   #10
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Oh yeah. A minor point. Make sure those tanks are secure. Mine tanks came filled on my new TT. So no need to remove the cover. Right? And they said the WDH would "make some noises". Heard a noise, that's the hitch?
Got on the highway during a recent cross country trip and bug eyed drivers were pointing and running off. And slowing in front of me trying to get me to stop.
A check in the mirrors, nothing outstanding. But since a "god given" wide spot was available I decided to pull over and check.
The center bolt between the tanks was never secured to the tank platform and the propane tanks decided they were done with their present traveling accommodations. They had fallen off and slid under the trailer tongue out of my view and were being ground down to the point that would have made the producer of a Schwarzenegger movie proud. Anyway, after a "holy crap moment" I disconnected the tanks and put them in the back of my truck. No damage to hoses or regulator.
Got to a Camping World about six hours later. The service manager took one look at the tanks and walked one of them across the street to an open field. Hmmm. New tanks,cover. A service tech tightened and torqued the bolt (with lock-tite) and after a refill I was on my way.
I have a claim into FR for reimbursement pending.
I also found one of my "alignment rods" for my golf swing. A 1/4" diameter orange fiberglass rod about 4' long with reflective tape, makes a great "marker" for the tank cover. One look in the rear view mirror and I know all is well. Day or night.
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Old 06-29-2016, 01:37 PM   #11
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tap on regulator

Had same issues and tapped on the regulator
Fixed it
The other suggestions in the blog work as well
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Old 06-29-2016, 03:11 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Flybob View Post
If you had both tanks off and filled and replaced them, then most likely there is no propane in the lines of the RV. If you turn on the tank too fast, the gas rushes out into the empty lines ( no back pressure). This causes the protection valve in the tank to think you have a major leak and it shuts down the propane. Turn tank valve off. Let it sit for about 20 mins. Then open the first 1/8 to 1/4 turn very slowly. As soon as you hear a little gas flowing, stop and wait for a minute or two. Then you can open the rest of the way. You may have to do the same on the other tank.
X2 What he said
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Old 06-29-2016, 03:57 PM   #13
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Thank you all! I, going to have a chance to try your excellent suggestions today. I will update with success/failures later.

One is labeled wastewater and other not labeled... Hence my confusion as I believe all are some type of wastewater?

Also, my water heater is working without propane, does that mean I have an electric and propane water heater?

Many thanks for your direction!
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Old 06-29-2016, 04:14 PM   #14
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Thank you all! I, going to have a chance to try your excellent suggestions today. I will update with success/failures later.

One is labeled wastewater and other not labeled... Hence my confusion as I believe all are some type of wastewater?

Also, my water heater is working without propane, does that mean I have an electric and propane water heater?

Many thanks for your direction!
Wastewater = black tank. It's what your toilet drains into.

The other one is your gray tank which is typically where the sinks and shower drain into.
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Old 06-29-2016, 04:22 PM   #15
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Originally Posted by Flybob View Post
If you had both tanks off and filled and replaced them, then most likely there is no propane in the lines of the RV. If you turn on the tank too fast, the gas rushes out into the empty lines ( no back pressure). This causes the protection valve in the tank to think you have a major leak and it shuts down the propane. Turn tank valve off. Let it sit for about 20 mins. Then open the first 1/8 to 1/4 turn very slowly. As soon as you hear a little gas flowing, stop and wait for a minute or two. Then you can open the rest of the way. You may have to do the same on the other tank.
X2 been there done that. Felt stupid when I took tank back to refill station as a defect
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Old 06-29-2016, 05:43 PM   #16
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If the water heater works without propane then it has both electric and propane capabilities. Just make sure to turn it off when towing and drain all faucets and the shower pipes/hoses of air before turning it back on.
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Old 06-29-2016, 06:05 PM   #17
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Propain!!! In the you know where...

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Originally Posted by golfknar View Post



Also, my water heater is working without propane, does that mean I have an electric and propane water heater?



Many thanks for your direction!

If your water heater is on and you haven't flipped the switch to turn it on, you could end up ruining the heating element. Usually there's a switch outside where your anode rod and pressure relief valve is. Just make sure you turn that off before you start home (it's the first thing I do on my "departure" list).
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Old 06-29-2016, 07:06 PM   #18
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You might just have to turn your finance of for a sec then turn it back on.
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Old 07-07-2016, 09:14 PM   #19
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Thank you all! With the holiday I haven't had access or time to post. With your advice I was able to get stove, furnace, and gray water dumped. Thank you for the bottom of my soul.
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Old 07-07-2016, 09:15 PM   #20
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KDHfan, any chance on sharing that departure list you referred to?
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