Gas appliances won't stay lit?

[Bill]

We have had a number of posts about appliances that won't stay lit. The fussiest appliance may be the refrigerator. I found a gem on the Manchester Tank web site that may help if the problem occurs when your TM (or your propane tank) is new.

When a tank is manufactured, it is not filled with propane. Instead, the factory pressurizes it with an inert gas that absorbs any water vapor that might be in left in the tank. The tank can be shipped with this inert gas in place - shipping a tank with propane in it is a lot harder.

The first time the tank is filled, the technician must “purge” it (remove the inert gas) through a special valve at the fill station. According to Manchester, if a tank is not purged, it will be hard to fill - I have experienced this. In addition, the inert gas will mix with the propane vapor, and the mixture will burn poorly. Appliances require constant adjustment, and pilot lights won't stay lit, until the inert gas is finally gone.

So when you first fill a new tank, be sure to tell the propane tech that you have a new tank and it must be purged.

Bill

Hi all,

I'm not sure if this applies to RV regulators, but will pass it along in case it does. When we first got our new Weber Gas Grill, which has the new propane tanks, I had trouble getting it to light properly. It would light but the flame would not get very hot. Read the owners manual & used the procedure & no problem. Here is the procedure from the Weber Web Site:


Q. My LP gas grill won't get hotter than 250 to 300 F, even with all burners on high. Why?

Since 1995, all regulators (the part that attaches to the gas tank to regulate the flow of gas) have included a safety device that restricts the gas flow in the event of a gas leak. But, you can inadvertently activate the safety device without having a gas leak. This typically occurs if you open the LP tank valve rapidly, or if one or more of the burner control knobs is in an open position when opening the LP tank valve. If you do activate the gas regulator safety device, the grill will only reach temperatures between 250 and 300F even with all burners on the high setting. To reset the gas regulator safety device:
Close the LP tank valve.
Turn all burner control knobs to the OFF position.
Disconnect the regulator from the LP tank.
Open the lid of the grill.
Turn burner control knobs to HIGH.
Wait at least 1 minute.
Turn burner control knobs OFF.
Wait at least five minutes if the barbecue has been lit.
Re-connect the regulator to the LP tank.
SLOWLY turn the LP tank valve all the way open.
With the lid open, turn the front burner control knob to the HIGH position (for Summit gas grills, turn on the left burner in the selected Heat Zone).
Ignite the grill by pushing the crossover ignition button several times.
After the front burner is lit, turn the middle burner control knob (if your barbecue has three burners) and then the rear burner control knob to the HIGH position. (For Summit gas grills, turn on the right burner)
Close the barbecue lid.
The barbecue should reach 500 to 550 degrees in 10 - 15 minutes.


To keep the regulator flow valve from tripping again, when you are done grilling always:
Turn all burner control knobs to the OFF position
Turn off the LP tank valve last