OK, here's the final verdict...

The LPG tank on the motor home is bone dry empty...

Using the gauge Dutch sent me, I did the cook top test and got nothing out of it... I disconnected the gas line at the stove and ran the test again - nothing... I determined that the leak detector wasn't blocking gas flow as I think the only way it can do that is if the plunger is pressed in - I could be wrong about that (and, since the liquid in the reservoir evaporated, it's not doing much good right now anyway - basically, how it works is that you press in the plunger and watch for bubbles in the liquid)

I unscrewed the overflow valve and got nothing out of it...

I was getting ready to disconnect the output of the tank from the feed line running to the accessories when it hit me to stop, step back, and think about what I was doing...

"What if", I think to myself, "what if the level gauge is lying to me"... So, I start disconnecting the signal wire from the gauge when I notice that the gauge spins inside its housing - depending on where I spun it to, the reading on the panel changed - at one point, I had it reading that the tank was full - when I centered the gauge where it was supposed to be, the panel read that the tank was empty... "Ah Hah!" I thinks to myself, "it's a resistance reading"...

So, I pulled the gauge:

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So, I head down to the local RV store (Porter's RV here in Coos Bay http://www.portersrv.com/Default.asp) and asked the young ladies at the counter if they had anything like this on hand... Well, after noticing that it has a 1986 date code stamped on the back, they commented on how they were 9-years old in 1986 and that they had never seen anything like this before...

Soooo, they called in Elliot... Elliot is the service manager and he appears to have been working on RV's for a very long time - he's a grey/white haired gentleman who probably knows more about RV's and how they work than everybody else there combined...

He tells me that the gauge works with a magnet that's attached to the float arm - as the float arm moves, the magnet moves with it and causes the reading on the gauge to change through the tank wall... He took the gauge and tested it with a magnet and ohmmeter and determined that it was still working fine - as long as it was positioned correctly in its housing...

He asked me if I'd unscrewed the overflow valve - I said yes and that I got nothing out of it - then he said "well, then the tank is empty"...

I'm not entirely sure if putting an adapter on the fill valve of the empty tank would do any good (and, I'm having a hard time finding the right adapter) - I'm leaning more toward this setup here:

http://www.shoprvparts.com/search.do?q=stay longer&x=0&y=0

Or, something similar - It connects between the "vapor" valve on the tank and the regulator, allowing me to connect my tanks into the system and use the existing regulator (I can get it cheaper on Amazon, but I'm gonna be shopping around some more...). It bypasses the onboard tank altogether - I can just leave the "vapor" valve on the tank shut off while I'm running off my tanks - quite a slick little setup...

Plus, I might be able to score a pair of tanks from my neighbor - she's in here 80's and is deathly afraid of using LPG - she's often said she wished she could find someone to completely gut the entire LPG setup from her trailer... Her tanks are either 30 or 40 lb tanks - not sure which - but I can probably get those tanks and the regulator for a good price... I'm running 20 lb tanks on my trailer...

 

If that's true - you would be doing the old girl a favor and yourself as well.

Have a good few days at that, and we'll see what you have when you get through with it.
*Think in terms of capping off old lines and leaving them there. Someone might buy it some day

What we're really talking about is robbing the essential components out, the lines can stay

On the tank gauge, if that thing is shot I'd say the whole tank rig in the new rig is unreliable. I wonder if you can carve it out to save some weight? The space is bound to be useful for something else later.

Portable (as in - you can replace them) tanks are a better idea anyway. What you have right now is likely welded in place and will be a job to tear out. If you can weld in a place where a rack of portable bottles can go I think you'll be much better off.

What I wonder now is what the best place in the LPG lines is for you to tap in with a line from a 20 LB gas bottle, keeping in mind that you want to make a low pressure connection AFTER a dual stage regulator.

If it's been empty all this time, there may be some gas in the lines so be careful of what cutting tools you use. But I bet the whole business is full of ambient air

One thing you could try for the sake of safety is to blow out the lines with a compressed air source. Safer is always nicer...
I get hurt less often when I think that way

A flexible line (hose) and a set of adapters should be all you really need even if you have to stand your gas bottles on the dirt outside for the time being.


This is one of those "WILD CARD LINE" situations where the more ideas that come in, the more notions we have to play with. We should brain storm this, and see what rattles out at the bottom of it all.

 

This is all good - it's moving in the right direction.

Eliminate one thing after another.

 

Pregunta? Qua? Wass ist? Where did it go from there...

Enquiring minds are wondering about the final outcome.

 

Yup. I agree wid da wolf

 

It went well, but other things in my life went south so, I've not had a chance to write up a post about the motor home...

I'll try to get to it today... maybe it will take my mind off of other things...

 

OK, folks... here it is in all it's splendid glory, LOL... Still need to get some stabilizer jacks under this beast to help level it out better, but it's not too bad the way it is...

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Regarding the propane setup, I went with my original idea of using the bottles...

First, I needed to get all the fittings and hoses and a regulator rounded up as I wanted to go with all new stuff on this project. Here's what it all looked like when it was put together but not yet ready to be installed on the motor home:

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In order to make this happen, I chose to gut out everything between the frame-mounted LPG tank and the main gas line supplying the motor home - tubing, regulator, leak detector, etc... The old tank is now just sitting there, empty and forlorn, with nothing to connect to for company... Meh, whatever...

This shot is of the connection between the above hose setup and the motor home's main line:

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After getting it all set up, I hooked my bottles up to it and used the gauge that Dutch sent me to measure the output at the stove top:

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I was getting a consistent 13" the entire time... I shut the gas off and left the gauge for about a half-hour - no change... I've also done the soapy water test and I'm not finding any leaks anywhere, which is good... I've got a CO detector in place, just in case...

Here's what my bottle setup looks like now:

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Works great... Haven't had any issues yet... As long as I have hot water for showers, I'm happy, LOL...

Speaking of hot water, I swapped out the water heaters between my old trailer and this motor home... The original water heater on this beast was rusted out and ugly:

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And......... Here's how I utilized the forward cabin area - I turned it into my Computer/Internet/Entertainment Center, LOL.... I've got the bed above the seats dropped down only partway and is being held in place with those straps so that I can use it for storage space....

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So, yup... There it is...

Oh, and about my old trailer...

I hauled it down to Bandon to put it in storage and the very next day, I get a call from the managers of the storage lot asking how much I wanted for it since they knew I wanted to sell it... They bought it for $400 and have already taken it camping and enjoy it... They're also going to be buy my weight distribution hitch as they're dragging that trailer around with a Jeep...

Here's what the old trailer looked like before I cleaned it out and hauled it out of here...

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Well how 'bout that - looks like you've got a bigger house and an awning!