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Old 02-07-2020, 11:37 PM   #1
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Propane smell

I’ve been running the two furnaces in my 2002 Phaeton and ran out of propane. I turn the valve off in the tank but I’m getting a propane odor around the tank. Anyone have any ideas what could be causing the odor?
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Old 02-07-2020, 11:45 PM   #2
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If you disconnected the tank, it could be leaking back through the Acme nut. If you air out the compartment, does the smell return?
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Old 02-08-2020, 08:28 AM   #3
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I had not been using the rig but it was parked in my driveway where I had to walk by it daily. One day I caught a faint odor of propane, but didn't think much of it. The next day the same thing so I took a spray bottle of soapy water and started spraying around the regulator, it was leaking from one of the sealed plugs. The regulator had failed and I had to replace.

Start spraying soapy water and you'll find the leak.
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Old 02-08-2020, 08:30 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimbob1947 View Post
I’ve been running the two furnaces in my 2002 Phaeton and ran out of propane. I turn the valve off in the tank but I’m getting a propane odor around the tank. Anyone have any ideas what could be causing the odor?
For cheap money you should purchase this propane sniffer.
I found all my leaks with it. Leaks that didn't show up under the soapy water test.
It's only $31.00 extremely sensitive but accurate. Click image for larger version

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Old 02-08-2020, 09:29 AM   #5
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Low tanks often smell stronger then full tanks and valves can leak past the stem, when opening or closing them.

The smelly stuff is a liquid and you may be able to hose it off and away.
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Old 02-08-2020, 09:33 AM   #6
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I thought I had a propane leak on a previous coach. Kept getting a whiff of something but could not figure out. Turned the tank off. Turned out to be a battery going bad and swelling.
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Old 02-08-2020, 10:25 AM   #7
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My previous Fox had a BBQ connection on the side. It was fed by a length of copper tubing, in a loop, connected to the main steel line. I walked past the Fox and smelled propane while camped at Muncho Lake. I found the nut connecting the copper tubing to the main line had been hit so many times by gravel, that it backed the nut off making it less than finger tight and leaking quite a bit. I tightened it back up and the leak stopped completely. The most damaged part, however, was the copper loop. It was hit by so much road gravel that it was mostly flat. I doubt it would have fed a BBQ. It didn't leak at all. I removed it and capped the stub when I got home.

Just part of the adventure of driving up to Inuvik, NT and back.

Doc had good advice too, check your batteries.

Back to morning brew . . .
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Old 02-08-2020, 12:40 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by twinboat View Post
Low tanks often smell stronger then full tanks and valves can leak past the stem, when opening or closing them.

The smelly stuff is a liquid and you may be able to hose it off and away.
Ethyl Mercaptain is a liquid that vaporizes, and contains no oil.
https://nj.gov/health/eoh/rtkweb/documents/fs/0894.pdf
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Old 02-08-2020, 12:56 PM   #9
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I had a tank with stress cracks from where it was mounted to the frame. It was hard to locate where it was leaking. It was on a 04 Winnebago Journey
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Old 02-08-2020, 03:12 PM   #10
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Low tanks often smell stronger then full tanks and valves can leak past the stem, when opening or closing them.
........
I've been noticing a slight smell around my tank also. The wife doesn't notice anything. I had the tank filled 2 weeks ago and never a hint of odor. Been running the furnace while cleaning the inside. Needed to remove furnace to clean out mud dobbers within the the furnace itself. Shut off fuel valve, got everything cleaned and reinstalled. Turned valve back on, and thats when I noticed the odor at the tank. The shut off valve turns easy. Feels like the stem seal has lost its sealing capabilites. Does the valve have a packing nut that could be snugged up a tad, the same way as an outside water faucet can be? I'm going on the assumption that since its been sitting for a long time unused by PO, now that I've turned it, I've disrupted the seal.
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Old 02-08-2020, 03:24 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by carl.swoyer View Post
For cheap money you should purchase this propane sniffer.
I found all my leaks with it. Leaks that didn't show up under the soapy water test.
It's only $31.00 extremely sensitive but accurate. Attachment 274556
Got the same one when I kept getting faint whiffs of propane but couldn't find any leaks with soapy water. Found the leak about 5 minutes after putting batteries in the sniffer and turning it on. It now has a permanent home in one of the drawers in my RV. Highly recommended.
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Old 02-08-2020, 08:47 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by US1 View Post
I've been noticing a slight smell around my tank also. The wife doesn't notice anything. I had the tank filled 2 weeks ago and never a hint of odor. Been running the furnace while cleaning the inside. Needed to remove furnace to clean out mud dobbers within the the furnace itself. Shut off fuel valve, got everything cleaned and reinstalled. Turned valve back on, and thats when I noticed the odor at the tank. The shut off valve turns easy. Feels like the stem seal has lost its sealing capabilites. Does the valve have a packing nut that could be snugged up a tad, the same way as an outside water faucet can be? I'm going on the assumption that since its been sitting for a long time unused by PO, now that I've turned it, I've disrupted the seal.
Yes it has compressible packing . Tighten a bit and run It in and out to break in the packing. It should also have a back seat to prevent packing leaking when open . Open fully to engage back seat.
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Old 02-08-2020, 10:37 PM   #13
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A gas valve should be either open tight against the stop or closed tightly against the stop, anything else can allow the stem seal to leak.
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Old 02-09-2020, 07:59 AM   #14
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Tanks that run dry frequently do that. I don't know why.
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