Help. Propane Filled, Nothing Works

[jimpat4649]

We've been dry camping and apparently low on propane because Check light came on and refrigerator wouldn't run on propane.

We went and filled with 19.5 gallons for our 30 gal tank.

Now:

Tried burners on stove and they won't light.

Refrig won't light/start and check light eventually comes on.

Water heater won't start; check light comes on for that too.

All the ignitors click, click click. and nothing- Check light comes on.

Emergency shut off switch has been turned on, off, on and nothing happens.

Advised to listen if solenoid clicks with rapid off/on of emergency shut off.

Tried stove burners, they lit but in less than one minute the flame died down to nothing.

[wolfe10]

Verify that the valve is open on the tank.

Verify that any electronic shutoff solenoid is on.

If you hear the "hissing" of propane/air flowing when you open a stove burner, both of the above are OK. You may still have air in the line that you need to purge.

Light a stove burner. Keep re-lighting it until it stays lit.

Then do same for water heater.

Lastly, do same for refrigerator.

Brett

[rossboyer]

Many times I have used a grill lighter to light a stove top burner. Hold the flame near the burner. You will be able to see the flicker of the flame if air or gas is coming out of the burner. Trying to use just the igniter seems to take too long and I would give up, thinking that there was another problem. Eventually, when I use the lighter the burner will light. Don't be in a hurry to stop the lighter. If there is air in the line, the burner can go out again which will require starting the process of lighting again.

We don't know what manufacturer, model or year of coach that you own. That might help others that have the same coach.

If your problem was immediately after filling and the outside temp is low, the valve may be frozen. Time, if it is warm may free the valve. A light tap on the valve may break it loose, too.

Please let us know what you found the problem to be.

[hermanmullins]

jimpat

Do you have a gas detector? It may have detected an oder and shut off your gas. See if you have a reset on the unit. Then check for leaks. It may have saved your life and your coach.

Good luck

[Guest Wayne77590]

As MRBOYER stated, light the stove with the grill lighter.

Something else that I have heard, and learned from experience: When the propane has been turned off for awhile (don't know how long), when turning it back on the valve needs to be opened very, very, very slowly. It has been stated that if the valve is opened slowly it allows the gas and air to mix, whereas if it is just "cranked" open the air will become a blockage and it will require some time to purge it.

I have never had a problem lighting the stove with a grill lighter when I have used the "slow" method.

Good luck.

[wolfe10]

Actually, many propane tank valves are equipped with a safety device that shuts them off if they sense rapid flow rate. This is to reduce the danger from a ruptured line, massive leak in an appliance, etc.

That same valve can be triggered by the inrush from opening the valve quickly with zero line pressure on the coach side. As Wayne says, opening it slowly (or closing it now and reopening it slowly can reset this.

Brett

[jimpat4649]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions!

For those who asked:

We are in Indio, CA; not too cold as far as weather!

We have a 2007 Fleetwood Expedition.

We finally were able to get someone to check it out. After I searched and researched and troubleshoot, along with checking everyone's suggestions without a fix. We were able to take it to an RV repair place less than 3 miles away!

Turns out the Emergency On/Off switch was broken.

When we went to fill with propane, my husband pressed the switch, but he said it had felt a little different (almost stubborn) from the last time we filled with propane.

It's a small ($5.95) rocker switch that apparently gets brittle and cracks according to the RV repairman. One of simplest and cheapest repairs (by someone other than ourselves)! Ten minutes labor- but had to pay minimum of half hour. We had called 3 different Mobile RV Repairs... but all were booked for more than a week; I guess that was in our favor as we didn't have to pay a Service Visit Charge!

[garykd]

Hi jimpat4649,

Thank you very much for letting us know what the fix was. I really appreciate it.