Just found my propane leak!!

[Likes to tow]

For two seasons now I would occasionally smell a wiff of propane. Not even sure sometimes if it was coming from my 5th wheel or somewhere else. I spent lots of time looking for a leak, soaping every pipe and connection I could find. It was never inside the trailer and always seemed like it was from the outside somewhere. Some trips I could not smell anything while camping. Then a few days ago I was sitting in a low profile chair near the front compartment where the 30lb propane tank is stored and I could smell it stronger than ever. I was 1600 miles from home and thought this had to be found or fixed because it seemed to be getting worse!! I took another bottle of soapy water and started looking again. I sprayed the solution directly on the on/off handle of the tank and nothing happened. No bubbles. Then when that ran down on top of the tank I saw a large bubble appear right where the valve threads into the top of the tank!!! I had never directly sprayed that area so this was an accident that the soapy solution ran down onto the threads. This tank is defective and I have turned a claim in to my dealer for warranty but they did not think Grand Design would honor it since my trailer is over two years old. A new 30 lb tank is about $100. I have put another thread out on this and someone suggested it could be a regulator leaking. Mine did not. So I would urge anyone with a propane leak to soap the threads on top of the tank, you may have the same problem. It was not bad enough to be overly dangerous but just an aggravation. This tank was filled last November before my last trip of the season and it was empty this Spring. It took all winter for it to leak out.

[iproff1]

You could empty the tank take the valve out reseal it and reinstall. Homedepot sells the sealer. If your not comfortable to do it find a furnace company and call them or a gas company that supplies gases to body shops.

Ken

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[Houndbb]

You could empty the tank take the valve out reseal it and reinstall. Homedepot sells the sealer. If your not comfortable to do it find a furnace company and call them or a gas company that supplies gases to body shops.

Ken

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk

Ken,
Nice thought, but might not happen here, in regulation nation! On that note, it should have been caught by the last person/company that refilled the tank. Unless it’s corrosion that happened since the refill.
N

[Likes to tow]

Ken,
Nice thought, but might not happen here, in regulation nation! On that note, it should have been caught by the last person/company that refilled the tank. Unless it’s corrosion that happened since the refill.
N

Keep in mind this leak was so small and insignificant that nobody could have detected a leak unless they sprayed a soapy solution directly onto the threads where the valve assy screws down into the tank. I caught it by pure accident by putting too much soapy solution on the valve and the excess ran down onto the threads.

[J&J___]

Keep in mind this leak was so small and insignificant that nobody could have detected a leak unless they sprayed a soapy solution directly onto the threads where the valve assy screws down into the tank. I caught it by pure accident by putting too much soapy solution on the valve and the excess ran down onto the threads.

You have two choices, get a new tank or have the valve replaced. Talk to your local propane distributors to find out where to get the tank valve replaced. If they don't do it they will know who does. I had one replace several years ago. Cost about half the price of a new tank.

[SolarPoweredRV]

The place to get the tank fixed is at a Propane company that can re-certify tanks. Part of the re-certification process involves replacing the valve so they will have the proper tools and thread sealer (you can't use normal white Teflon Tape) designed for use with Propane and Natural Gas.

The other option is to buy a new tank, one advantage to buying a new tank is that both of your tanks will not expire at the same time, something that could potentially leave you without Propane in the middle of a trip.

[fez111]

We had a persistent, yet illusive, propane leak in out previous FR 5th wheel. It took two years and a lot of "encouragement" from my wife to finally find it because I was mostly working out of town and couldn't smell it half the time when I was there. Lots of soapy water later I finally found that it was leaking from the shaft of the selector lever on the "auto-changeover" unit. $30 later... no more smell. I think they should make those auto-changeover valves more robust. They seem...wimpy!

[Likes to tow]

Update, I took my tank to a propane dealer and they removed the valve, installed a new one and filled the tank. No more leaks!! The threads on the valve were scraped or damaged and should have never been installed in the tank to begin with. No amount of sealer would permanently fix such a deep scar in the threads.

[jmbopp]

I had a very old 10# tank I wanted to use. Suburban Propane re-valved and re-certified it.

[CoyoteHauler]

The place to get the tank fixed is at a Propane company that can re-certify tanks. Part of the re-certification process involves replacing the valve so they will have the proper tools and thread sealer (you can't use normal white Teflon Tape) designed for use with Propane and Natural Gas.

The other option is to buy a new tank, one advantage to buying a new tank is that both of your tanks will not expire at the same time, something that could potentially leave you without Propane in the middle of a trip.

Great suggestion! I'll need to check my tank dates to see when they expire.
On the leaking issue....Our right and left valve was bad at time of our walk around at delivery. As soon as the LP tank door was opened, we could smell LP. Of course the dealer swapped it out. But, a good lesson for a spring or winter check list.