Best approach for more LP into our RV...?

[RVPioneer]

Originally Posted by Mark_K5LXP

+1

Better to back up the sticks and bricks house which is built for the climate than depend on a vehicle that may or may not be suitable. An RV can survive freezing temps if properly winterized, but a home could have extensive damage if allowed to freeze.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

OP is in Grants Pass. Temps rarely get below the 20’s at night in the winter. Natural gas heating is not common in the area, so probably electric which can put quite a demand on a generator. Possibly has wood heat as well. One mans shed is another mans barn.

[RI Expat]

Lots of products to make this easy, and your local propane company can identify pros that can do the work for you....but.....I agree with the comments in this thread about getting a back-up gen for the house. My house is all electric and I have a gen to make sure my sump pump and water well will work. I didn't get one big enough to handle the heat pump because I have a wood stove that will blast us out of the family room, but will take the edge off the whole house so no pipes will freeze. My MH will always be a lifeboat for issues when I cannot stay here, but my house is the bigger investment and worth protecting and enjoying even during outages. With your 500 gal propane tank, a Generac capable of taking over the whole house sounds like a no-brainer to me. Would save your freezer and frig as well.

[grindstone01]

A auto generator to run the entire house won't be cheap, $7-10k. How often do you loose power and can a couple of portable gen's converted to propane with remote hook ups to the 500 gallon tank do the job?

[Kennzz05]

Originally Posted by grindstone01

It will be a rocket science experience if you do something wrong! Propane is not to be dealt with lightly. As a former short time residential propane delivery driver, we had to be certified to make any repairs or installations.

My comment was in relation to running the line from home to RV,not so much the termination aspect. That being said, someone willing to do the trench and run the line is likely capable of doing whatever research necessary to do a proper installation up to code. As I said. It's hardly rocket science

However rereading the original post they do mention they aren't doing the work themselves. Guess I got caught up in someone elses response that led me to understand they were considering doing the job themselves.

[TB673]

Unless I missed something, we may be putting the cart before the horse.
OP stated that the gen set is gasoline. He did not mention if it was dual fuel.

Tim

[A32Deuce]

Originally Posted by TB673

Unless I missed something, we may be putting the cart before the horse.

OP stated that the gen set is gasoline. He did not mention if it was dual fuel.



Tim

That was my wonder also unless he was thinking about heat and hot water.

[Don A.]

Someone mentioned previously that this need could be addressed with the "extend a stay" and an "additional regulator" would be needed. This would be not a working solution due to some of these issues: The "extend a stay" works at your full ambient propane tank pressure (somewhere varying with temp around 50-250PSI) and distribution from tank to tank is at an even higher pressure level when having the tank filled via a pump on a commercial propane fill truck or local fill station.

I don't know what the law is but I believe you can only run low pressure propane legally underground and to drop the propane to some low level, run it underground and then feed that into the post-regulated stream(s) of your RV, that would include extra regulators, a tie-in to multiple "circuits" of propane if you have multiple regulators (eg. propane generator on one and stove/frig on the other). So to do this legally especially within the city limits may be tricky.

I have a 500 gallon supply tank with the dip tube on our family farm (dip tube tanks will only be installed by propane company for farm or industrial applications outside of city limits) for doing a liquid propane differential fill of tanks and this does not include actually filling the RV tank with the ACME connector since that connector relies on pressurized propane to open the valve at a higher pressure like is supplied via the pump at a truck or propane selling facility.

What I do is use a special 1200 PSI "propane certified" hose to connect one end of the hose to any gas-only POL outlet sources and connect the other end of the hose which also has a POL connector to the "extend a stay”. At this point I typically close the output POL valve on the RV tank to keep from further depleting the propane and run off the high pressure gas that is coming from the respective auxiliary tank. Now I am conscious always that the source feeding the "extend a stay" can't be the POL connector from a dip tube (produces liquid for farm applications) or it can't be from an inverted BBQ tank or if either case this will likely destroy the regulator(s) and likely cause a fire in the fridge, propane gen-set, stove, furnace or other appliance. The source feed of the "extend a stay" must always be attached to the POL valve at the top of a conventional propane tank of any size that produces gas only (no liquid). And this is also a good place to say that someone tipping over a BBQ tank would cause liquid flow into your lines which is the same as trying to fuel the RV propane system via any other liquid source, which is a lethal situation in many instances. The supply hose with POL connector can be on top of a normal (upright) BBQ tank up to a 500 or larger gallon whole house supply tank if there is an aux POL valve on it with gas only coming out of that POL connector.

This high pressure, propane certified hose with POL connections will be at the high pressure of ambient propane pressure, depending on temperatures so if you hit the hose with a lawn mower, drive over it pressing it into a sharp rock, cut it with a hoe or knife, then you'll have 500 gallons of propane spraying over the area at up to 300PSI with a hose whipping like a water wiggle. Now the potential of danger with this is an extremely high one, so consider that these auxiliary hoses when sold by the gas company have metal sheathing in them and leak protection in their safety POL couplings and they cost hundreds of dollars, so thus why you can only buy the connectors on eBay due to the lack of legal exposure you create for local retailers when you buy pieces to make your own potentially dangerous contraption. The dual POL ended hose that comes with some “extend a stay” models normally has a pin-hole to block fast flow propane from moving through their accessory and thus this is how they get away with selling something that without the pin-hole (ready for high flow as well as liquid) can happen.

Still some like to live life at their own risk and I will not specify how I know that my RV tank will accept back-flow liquid propane via a modified bore "extend a stay" POL if there are high-pressure shut off valves in front of the regulators that block the flow of liquid into the regulators on a tank yet allow that tank to receive liquid nor can I state that I am aware of my tank being old enough that it will accept back-fed liquid through the modified extend a stay that should for some reason have a large bore hole in it.

A licensed contractor is the only one who should work on your propane configuration, so consider this if you plan to do anything on your own - something can and will probably go wrong and remember it only takes one mistake to end a life. As an example, something as simple as adding cut-off valves to your static-pressure propane supply lines going into your regulator can come back to haunt you (or blow you up). Many simple things can get the self anointed engineer who’s creating a make-shift propane refill and supply line setup, things that most people don't consider such as the fact that the brass cut-offs sold at HD or Lowe's are rated only at 150 PSI and propane reaches about 250PSI on a very hot day (more when a dark tank sits in direct sun). Also for some reason people who sell stainless and brass cut-off valves don't always label them so you don't know what you are getting. I had to search hard to find affordable ones rated at 600 PSI for my own experimentation. But remember that any experimentation where propane is considered is likely legally taboo or even where-not, it’s extremely dangerous.

[grindstone01]

On a residential 500 gallon tank there is a stage 1 regulator (red color) at the tank that reduces the LP pressure from 250 psi to 10 psi. Then there will be a stage 2 (blue, green, or gray color) regulator at the residential entry point that further reduces the LP pressure to about 3 psi for any gas entering a structure.
I believe that the stage 1 regulator has a high flow shut off safety feature in the event a underground 10psi line gets broken.
Usually, the propane company owns the tanks and both regulators going into a structure/building. They are the only ones that will/can service that equipment since they own it and are legally responsible for that equipment!

[Don A.]

Unless you live on a 50 year old farm in rural Texas where the homeowner installed the entire gas system themselves. Here you may have anything they thought might work when they constructed the home, but likely the pipe going from the tank to the house will have the only regulator in line and it will be between the top of the tank and the output of a large regulator will feed the farmhouse and with this system you can do with it what you wish because you own everything including the tank and the propane company simply sells you a refill when you call and tells you to call a plumber if you have a problem with the mechanics of the regulator or piping system.

[grindstone01]

In Texas, any propane service tech needs to be certified by the RR commission to work on any propane utilities. I was certified and it is a 4 day class with re cert required every 2 years.
You might want to consider updating your system to a 2 regulator type that is much safer. A 50 year old system may be out dated and unsafe.

[RVPioneer]

Seems like quite a bit of speculation and needless worry about unknowns here. I own my 500 gallon tank and all the regulators too, so it's not out of the question that the OP does as well. He going to hire a contractor to do the work. It’s no different than tapping off an existing line in the house to provide fuel to a clothes dryer, heater or tankless water heater.

[grindstone01]

You want to bet! There is a huge difference in gas pressure you are dealing with inside vs outside lines. One wrong move by a non certified LP installer could cost you a house. I wonder what a insurance co./fire marshal would say if the system is not up to code. Learning on the go is not a good idea with propane gas.

[RVPioneer]

The OP stated that he is going to hire a licensed contractor. Perhaps the concern comes from his wording “tap into the 500 gallon tank. The contractor will “tap into” the supply where it is appropriate. The desired goal can be achieved safely and legally.

[grindstone01]

There is no licenses contractor, you will need a "Certified Tech" to work on LP systems. This post has gone beyond the OP's original question.
Check with your local LP provider, they should know the local requirements and have suggestions on how to alter your LP system, legally and safely.