propane tank conversion

[jumpstreet]

Has anyone done or thought of converting horizontal propane tanks to verticle.

Originally Posted by jumpstreet

Has anyone done or thought of converting horizontal propane tanks to verticle.

You didn't explain "why" you are thinking of doing this, but I think you'll find that it would be more cost effective to buy new tanks rather than "converting" them.

[Bill]

On the SL (slideout) models, the reason that the tanks are horizontal is to provide clearance for the slide when you pull it out. Vertical tanks are so tall that the slide would hit them as it comes out. But there was an odd production situation that lasted for only a little while. As I recall, it was like this.

In my early 2002, the slideout had a large square "cubbyhole" in the front. The cubbyhole, as I recall, would have cleared the tops of vertical propane tanks - and yet horizontal tanks were installed.

Building the slide with this cubbyhole was a production complication, I'm sure. To simplify the build, and to add more storage area under the couch (the cubbyhole occupied a lot of under-couch space), the cubbyhole was removed on later slideout models. Without the cubbyhole, though, the propane tanks had to lie down.

So the question is, does your 2003 model have a cubbyhole in the front?

Bill

Hey Bill,
I have a 2004 2720SL and it has the cubby hole. My tanks are mounted horizontally. I always question the fuel level indicators. I have carried my tanks for refilling when they were registering low only to be told the tanks were still almost full!

[Bill]

JLH -

Since you have the cubbyhole, then I think (are you ready to trust my memory here???) that you have enough clearance to house vertical propane tanks if you are so inclined. You will probably need someone to weld up a new bracket for you, since I doubt that the horizontal-tank bracket will adequately hold and secure a pair of vertical tanks. And of course you should buy new tanks - as Paul mentioned, "converting" the old tanks to vertical would be more expensive than new tanks.

The gauges on my horizontal tanks never indicate full, and apparently this is proper. Rocky Mtn Ray did the original research, and he found that "FULL" on the gauge would really mean that the tank is "FULL". But the overfill valve prevents filling above about 3/4.

I always question the fuel level indicators. I have carried my tanks for refilling when they were registering low only to be told the tanks were still almost full!

Many propane-filler-kids are unfamiliar with horizontal tanks. Look at the tank carefully. There should be labels that say something like "Use only in horizontal position" and "Fill only in vertical position". If the kid tries to do either while the tank is in the wrong position, neither the OPD valve nor the gauge will work correctly.

Bill

Originally Posted by jlh29303

... My tanks are mounted horizontally. I always question the fuel level indicators. I have carried my tanks for refilling when they were registering low only to be told the tanks were still almost full!

I'm not sure what kind of "fuel level indicators" you have on your tanks, but I never refill one of my tanks (5 gal/20#) until it runs dry... i.e. only 1 tank at a time is turned on via the regulator, and until the appliances no longer work on it, the valve stays turned on. When it runs dry, I switch the regulator to the other tank and take the empty tank off the trailer to be refilled within a few days. We always begin the season with full tanks. One tank will typically run our cooking and water heating needs for about 3-4 weeks. Depending on how often we run the heater, that time may be reduced by 1 week.

According to The Coalition for Portable Propane Product Safety, with an OPD valve, the cylinder cannot be filled beyond 80%. This allows the room necessary for the expansion of propane. So, a 5-gal. tank will hold 4 gal.

I hope this information will help you make your decisions.

Originally Posted by Paul_Heuvelhorst

I'm not sure what kind of "fuel level indicators" you have on your tanks, but I never refill one of my tanks (5 gal/20#) until it runs dry... i.e. only 1 tank at a time is turned on via the regulator, and until the appliances no longer work on it, the valve stays turned on. When it runs dry, I switch the regulator to the other tank and take the empty tank off the trailer to be refilled within a few days.

The 2003 TM that I have has an automatic switch-over valve, but no fuel level indicators....per se. When the "supply" tank runs empty, it switches to the "back-up" tank, and shows a red indicator where there is a green indicator on the regulator when the "supply" tank is being used. You switch the valve over to the full tank, disconnect the empty tank (even while the other tank is now being used), fill it, and it now becomes the "back-up" tank. The automatic switch-over does not affect any appliance in use.

Chap

Our 2000 2619 has the same thing. Paul's 1998 may not have had that. Who knows what he has on the 2002 Tahoe. They can all be retrofit with the automatic switchover valve.

Originally Posted by Freedom

Our 2000 2619 has the same thing. Paul's 1998 may not have had that. Who knows what he has on the 2002 Tahoe. They can all be retrofit with the automatic switchover valve.

Both the TM and the Tahoe have the "automatic switchover" regulator, with the red/green indicators. However, after running out of propane on the TM while leaving the valve in the center (automatic) position, I have chosen to do a manual switchover whenever the supply tank runs empty.

For our travel style that accomplishes 2 things: (1) we know when the 1 tank is empty and needs to be refilled, and (2) it never leaves us without propane.

Restarting our appliances after we manually switchover has never been a problem for us. We just turn on one of the stove burners, after switching tanks, and hold a lighter next to the burner until propane is present. The water heater and the refer are close enough in the line that once the range is supplied, both of those appliances will work, too.

Originally Posted by Paul_Heuvelhorst

Both the TM and the Tahoe have the "automatic switchover" regulator, with the red/green indicators. However, after running out of propane on the TM while leaving the valve in the center (automatic) position, I have chosen to do a manual switchover whenever the supply tank runs empty.

Paul, the automatic switch-over on the our TM does not have a center position......just a left or right position, with a little arrow pointing to the main suppy tank.

Chap