Motorhome propane fill issues

[Old-Biscuit]

There are TWO size fill valves
LARGE which has 1 1/4" NPT threads to screw into tank
Standard which has 3/4" NPT threads to screw into tank


Regardless------BOTH have the SAME 1 3/4" ACME threads to connect supply hose to.




those 'propane' places only had adapters for the standard propane cylinders.....POL or ACME (1 5/16")




there is an adapter that has 1 3/4" NPT threads to screw onto your Fill Valve and the standard propane Cylinder ACME 1 5/16" threads to connect fill hose to
https://propanewarehouse.com/shop/pr...lling-adapter/

[FL420]

Originally Posted by Old-Biscuit

there is an adapter that has 1 3/4" NPT threads to screw onto your Fill Valve and the standard propane Cylinder ACME 1 5/16" threads to connect fill hose to
https://propanewarehouse.com/shop/pr...lling-adapter/

Your link to the adapter describes it as having a female 1 3/4" ACME thread and a 1 5/16" ACME male thread. Did you mean to type a 1 3/4" ACME thread instead of a 1 3/4" NPT thread?

[Old-Biscuit]

Originally Posted by FL420

Your link to the adapter describes it as having a female 1 3/4" ACME thread and a 1 5/16" ACME male thread. Did you mean to type a 1 3/4" ACME thread instead of a 1 3/4" NPT thread?

YES....
Adapter has ACME threads both ends
1 3/4" Female to go on Tank Fill Valve and 1 5/16" male for supply hose connection

[Isaac-1]

Thanks for these replies, I will check out the adapter, in case I find myself in this situation again.


p.s. the place where I did finally end up getting the tank filled in Springerville AZ was High Country Propane, a residential propane supplier. Though for some reason they felt the need to surround their propane fill station with concrete barriers, so that the hose would barely reach my coach. I had to reposition 3 times to find a spot where I was close enough for the hose to reach, yet far enough away to let the propane compartment cover open (top hinged door) without hitting their barriers.

[Old-Biscuit]

I would imagine the concrete barriers is to STOP someone from running into the pump station and/or large propane tank ........BOOM!


THEY have the ability to back their trucks right up to area.


Motorhomes are NOT their bread/butter clients


Glad you got filled up..next time you will have a better handle on manuvering into position

[Isaac-1]

This was at the smaller fill pump tank, by their building, not the big tanks out back where their trucks likely fill up. It seems to me that they would have installed a longer hose, instead of one that barely reaches past the barrier. When I was there I was in line to get a fill between 2 sets of people getting a number 20-30 pound tanks filled. I think the guy in front of me had 3 and the guy behind me had 8 or 10, this was the day after a 17F low, with colder weather on the way the next night.

The local propane place I normally use has their fill station in a fenced off area, but at least their hose is long enough to reach at least 10 feet past the edge of the fence, I say at least as it always has more on the spool when I get my tank filled there.

[FL420]

I have filled my 40 gallon ASME tank at dozens of Tractor Supply Co. stores. I have encountered only one who didn't have the proper adapter and one whose hose was too short.
Farmers, forklift operators and weekend grillers, not RVers, are their usual propane customers. If you are visiting one for the first time it might be wise to call them and ask if they have a 15' or longer hose, a proper adapter and a trained and certified employee on duty before going out of your way to get there. I also ask the price.
The tanks are usually behind locked chain link gates near one front of the store. I usually check out the location of the tank on satellite view then ask if they want me to drive through the back gate or back through the front gate to the tank.
I save time and avoid having to park the coach and walk into the store by calling from the parking lot to tell them I'm there. While waiting for an employee to come out to unlock and open the gate I shut off the furnaces, the refrigerator, the hot water heater, the range top and the oven.
When I have the coach in position I tell them to let me open the compartment door because it is designed for firefighters to be able to open it easily so it can easily fall off the hinge and damage the door or the coach.
After clearing the coach of humans and pets I get out, open the door, open the main valve and then hold the door up because they always raise up bumping the door and dislodge it from the hinge in spite of the explanation I just gave them. When they are finished I open the main valve slowly myself.

[Bigd9]

I've never encountered a short hose problem. But I did run into one inapt technician who was having trouble getting a good seal with the fitting. After trying and trying this young boy ( they all look young to me now) disconnected the hose from the coach and before I could say anything he stuck his finger into the coach filler port and pushed on the one way valve plunger. Gas escaped and froze his finger! He cussed like a sailor and ran into the store screaming. The store manager came out and asked me what on earth happened. Turned out the young lad was not trained at filling propane tanks and was not supposed to be out there doing that.

[twinboat]

Just had a tank filled at Loves Travel Center.

Regular guy was fixing a flat so manager and new guy come out for a lesson.

The lesson was shut off tank valve, hook up hose, switch on pump and wait for it to stop.

The new guy asked the manager how they knew the tank was full. The manager said the pump could sense it and the meter will stop.

This is why OPD ( Overfill Protection Valves ) were mandated.

[NXR]

Originally Posted by FL420

I have filled my 40 gallon ASME tank at dozens of Tractor Supply Co. stores.

Yup, $2.19 a gallon around here versus $3.45 at other places. They must not price check other locations very much around here.

Ray

[FL420]

Originally Posted by twinboat

Just had a tank filled at Loves Travel Center.

Regular guy was fixing a flat so manager and new guy come out for a lesson.

The lesson was shut off tank valve, hook up hose, switch on pump and wait for it to stop.

The new guy asked the manager how they knew the tank was full. The manager said the pump could sense it and the meter will stop.

This is why OPD ( Overfill Protection Valves ) were mandated.

I bought propane at a Pilot/Flying J ONCE. The employee, who I had to walk a long way to find and who took his own sweet time walking out to the big tank, was like your guy.
He professed to being trained and knew what he was doing because he had serviced "hundreds" of RVs before. He didn't know what the "bleeder valve" looked like or what it was to be used for. He pumped until the OPD shut the flow off.
I didn't know nearly as much then as I do now but I knew he was doing it wrong and I told him so.
You and Old-biscuit provided me a great education about propane dispensing equipment and safe dispensing procedures.
I haven't been back to a P/FJ since.

[Old-Biscuit]

It's scary out there.........

[Bigd9]

Originally Posted by FL420

I bought propane at a Pilot/Flying J ONCE. The employee, who I had to walk a long way to find and who took his own sweet time walking out to the big tank, was like your guy.
He professed to being trained and knew what he was doing because he had serviced "hundreds" of RVs before. He didn't know what the "bleeder valve" looked like or what it was to be used for. He pumped until the OPD shut the flow off.
I didn't know nearly as much then as I do now but I knew he was doing it wrong and I told him so.
You and Old-biscuit provided me a great education about propane dispensing equipment and safe dispensing procedures.
I haven't been back to a P/FJ since.

Funny, my experience getting Propane at Flying J was exactly like yours. In addition, the propane tank was positioned so you had to drive through the fueling pump area backwards from the normal traffic flow that posted. It required one person to stop RV's coming into the RV lanes, and allow me to drive around the opposite direction to get propane. That one time experience taught me there must be a better place to get propane. That is when I found Tractor Supply and have used them ever since.

[aether_one]

Tractor Supply for me as well!