theboondork's RV blog

scary dangerous idea; read at your own risk

9/15/2023

A pic to click is a wonderful thing, it takes you away like a bird on the wing.

Nighttime Rose.

I enjoy going out after dark, and walking around the flower gardens lighting up flowers with a flashlight.

And you might be surprised at how many neighbors call the police while I'm doing that.

I'm not sure if I even want to mention this because, even to me, it doesn't seem like a good idea, but I'm not exactly sure why. So, I figured I would put this out there since there are so many experienced RVers who read blogs; maybe folks could give me their opinions on why this is a dumb and possibly dangerous idea.

One thing that would solve my propane tank location problems quickly, easily, and cheaply is putting the propane tank inside the Lance under the table, next to where I sit.

I know, I know, just thinking about it made me question my sanity because it seems to go against everything I know about propane tanks, such as, "You don't put them in your living room and sit next to them." But then I asked myself, WHY? other than the obvious reason, it could blow up.

When I was thinking of living in a tent a few years back, I spent a lot of time camping in the mountains in that tent, with a Little Buddy propane heater running for hours, keeping me warm with a 1-pound propane cylinder attached to it. And I had to ask myself, other than the magnitude of the explosion... What's the difference between that 1- pound cylinder and a 5-gallon propane cylinder in the living room? other than the possibility of me breaking the laws of physics and accelerating faster than the speed of light if it blows.

I also recall that last winter, not knowing how long a 5-gallon propane tanks would last in the Lance, I brought a small 1-gallon propane cylinder, also known as a 5-pound cylinder. And a hose that would hook the Little Buddy heater up to the 1-gallon cylinder and used that to heat the Lance when my factory furnace was low on propane. And right now, as we speak, that little full propane cylinder is sitting right next to me under the table, waiting to be hooked up to the Little Buddy heater if I need it.

So the question is, what is the safety issue of having a propane cylinder in the living area of the camper running everything that needs propane, sitting right next to me. As opposed to a propane cylinder in its factory position about 4 feet away from me with a layer of 1/8 inch Luan plywood, and a very thin piece of plastic shielding me from the explosion. I know the propane cubby has venting for the propane cylinder, and maybe I would have to do something like that if I moved the propane tank to the inside. But my little 1 gallon propane tank has no venting, and I used it numerous times last winter with no discernible problems.

Remember, I live alone, no children are in my camper, and there's no room for visitors inside, so I would be the only one who blows up....Except of course everyone camping near me, but I'm usually boondocked off by myself.

And it's not like I'm doing everything according to the law now. Since I already have a 1 gallon propane cylinder sitting next to me, I have a full 5 gallon cylinder sitting in the passenger floorboard of my truck....Where in the world can you legally carry a spare propane tank in a truck-camper? and I'm pretty sure my 3/4 ton truck is overweight. so I'm already breaking rules, bending laws, and maybe even pushing the boundaries on a couple of the 10 Commandments, such as "Thou shalt not boondock for more than a week or two, lest thou runuth out of electricity."

I know the whole concept sounds dangerous, but so is dropping a full propane tank on my head doing what I'm doing now... So have at it. Feel free to tell me I've lost my mind doing something as dangerous as this, but I would appreciate it if you could at least tell me If it's too dangerous to even consider.

Theboondork

The old hotel and eating house in Como Colorado

Buggy wildflowers.

when you live in the Colorado mountains during the winter you need a lot of firewood, because Colorado law states that you have to have at least two different methods of heating your home, and a wood-stove is everybody's second choice. The first being either natural gas or propane. Heating electrically is also an option but it's very expensive.

The good news is air-conditioning is Neither required or needed.

12 Comments

OFM

9/15/2023 05:01:18 pm

As far as I am concerned my worry about a tank inside the living area is it is just fine, I know several boon dockers that do that every year. They have one significant worry and that is the flex hose developing a leak, so they check the hose and threads often, whatever often is, So my big worry would be the flex hose very frequently. On my tanks that aged out few years ago, the only leaks I had in the tank and hose system was in the hose connection to the regulator outside, They only lasted about 8 years before they started slightly leaking and I caught them failing and replaced them. It appeared to be sun deterioration right at the ferrule near the regulator. Study carefully and make a choice. I

Tom

9/15/2023 05:23:27 pm

Thank you Barney that's good to hear. I had to think long and hard before I even put that blog post on the Internet because my concept of where to put a propane tank sounded so stupid.

My flexible propane lines are all stainless steel covered hoses. They have a higher bursting strength, and the braided stainless steel covers the rubber hose so the sun can't get to it... mine are all inside of a cubby anyway.

No worries on the regulator and its connections, I replaced the regulator and hoses when I got back to Denver this spring which fixed my refrigerator problems when it was running on propane. I believe the regulator was put in at the factory, and since the Lance is ten years old that's a clue that the regulator needs to be changed out before ten years.

Tom

Larry Worsham

9/16/2023 06:47:26 am

I can't give you any advice as to what to do with carrying and using tank inside the camper. You are well aware of the risks involved. Just make sure the fittings are quality and secure. You currently carry it inside the truck anyway. I would have no problem mounting a tank on the back of the camper. Yes it could be damaged in a rear end collision but a collision significant enough to damage the tank would likely total your camper anyway. You would have the same problem of running a secure gas line to the regulator just as you would an inside install. If on the back of the camper you would not have to worry about it possibly venting inside. I think of the travel trailers that get into accidents that a jackknifed and flipped. I haven't noticed any of them being blown up or on fire as the result of the accident. I am sure it could happen. Most rv propane fires are caused by a refer issue. When I buy propane most attendants off to put the bottles into my truck bed. They would likely do that for you but that doesn't help if you need to change bottles before you can get to the filling place.

It is a dilemma that only you can resolve.......weighing the risk vs your comfort level.

SAFE TRAVELS!

9/16/2023 10:57:53 am

Sorry it took so long to get back to you Larry, I had things to do this morning that couldn't wait.

Wise counsel Larry. Anytime someone goes messing around with propane you do so at your own risk. It sure would be convenient to mount it on the back of the camper but my camper already sticks out of the back of the truck a couple of feet and a propane tank back there would just add to that problem. And Inless I could find a way to mount it into the trucks receiver hitch, I would have a problem finding a place on the Lance strong enough to hold the weight of the propane tank.

When thinking about mounting the tank on the back of the camper it brought back memories of a time when I was in the Air Force and some Generall decided that most accidents occurred while backing up so he made a rule that you had to have a spotter standing behind whatever military vehicle you were driving before backing up.

This wasn't a hardship for people that worked in offices like him but for those of us that were driving around on the flightline all day and night loading airplanes with everything from forklifts to armored personnel carriers, [APCs], we simply didn't have enough personnel to have someone standing behind all that equipment when it was moving around being loaded. Fortunately after a few weeks the rule got ignored to the point that it no longer mattered and it simply disappeared.

Yeah, of all the propane problems the refrigerator running on propane gives me the most concern. I believe that starts more RV fires than anything else.

Yeah I've seen propane attendance offer to put the tank in the back of a truck for us old geezers, but I think when they look up and see where they have to put a truck camper tank they suddenly find other places to go and things to do.

Tom

KENNYD

9/16/2023 09:27:10 am

If I was to do that, I think I would build a small compartment for the tank next to the outside wall. I would vent the compartment to the outside and make it otherwise as leakproof as I could and keep the tank in that compartment. With a little work you could run a plastic conduit back to where your original tank was and put the regulator hose in that. You could then store an extra full tank in the old spot and with a little work you could switch from tank to tank and have 10 gallons instead of five. As far as lifting it into the lance, a $5.00 bill works miracles with most folks when you ask them to do a little task your bad back won't let you do. Works for me all the time. As for the extra weight, well, they make axle kits for that.

9/16/2023 11:05:07 am

Thank you KennyD, you just gave me an idea that had never occurred to me before. Like I've said in the past I have a one track mind and very little imagination which is why I begged for help and suggestions, And your suggestion just led to a discovery that may solve my problem. And if it does I will write about it in my blog today.

Tom

Linda

9/16/2023 11:23:24 am

As to carrying a tank on the back, when was the last time you were rear ended? For me, that's never.

9/16/2023 02:54:19 pm

I'm proud to say Linda I've never had a car accident in my life, so yes the chances of somebody running into the back of me is pretty remote. But I have seen two people in a Walmart parking lot backing up and bumping in each other.

But I think I may have found the answer to my problem and it will be in today's blog.

Tom

Harry Flare

9/16/2023 11:41:03 am

I agree with the OFM. I have done this for years since I switched from Coleman fuel to Propane. I have had no problems with my slide-in 8 ft box. Just make sure the connections are tight and the hose is in good condition.

I remember on accident along this line as described by George Lehrer in "Tioga and George" or possibly his blog "vagabonders".
George got a nasty burn because he was using a quick-snap connection and one night he did not get the snap completely closed. He had other warnings about not keeping the fire-extinguisher in a closet.

Good luck, and take many photos of sand hill cranes and barrel racers.
Harry

9/16/2023 03:00:24 pm

Well thank you Harry Flare, I appreciate those words of encouragement. I've had enough problems with quick disconnects on water hoses to know that I don't want them on a propane line.

But not to worry about the old boondork, I think I have found a solution to my propane tank problems, and it will be posted in today's blog.

Tom

Ken Hufnagel link

9/16/2023 02:34:02 pm

While a leaking 20lb tank could make a big bang, that is not the real reason you can have a 1lb tank inside but not a 20lb tank. If a 1lb tank were to leak the propane to air ratio would be too low to kill you. If a 20lb tank were to leak the ratio would be enough to kill you. I don't know where the dividing line is for a truck camper.

A big problem with propane poisoning is that long before you breathe enough to die you get euphoric - you don't think clearly, and you don't care. I experience a mild case of this once, and after I got out into fresh air and realized what I just did (I turned a light on first thing) it scared the crap out of me. The cause? The kid at the propane place overfilled my tank and liquid propane got into the regulator and froze it - in the open position!

KennyD is on the right track. If the compartment is vented to outside the fumes will go there. It doesn't take a lot, or a big vent, just remember that propane is heavier than air so the vent should be low. Ideally you would have one high (intake) and one low (outlet).

My Lance had a storage compartment on one side in back just above the bumper. There may be room there for it.

9/16/2023 03:20:09 pm

That's a scary story Ken, I imagine if someone has been around propane long enough they will probably have a scary story.

Since I'm almost always euphoric, not thinking clearly, usually don't care, and don't smoke, how will I ever be able to tell if I have a propane leak?

I always stand there and watch when my propane tank is being filled, not because I think they will overfill it I just want to make sure I'm getting the propane I'm paying for. And I try to stay far away from places were propane will freeze. I freeze at a lower temperature than propane which gives me plenty of opportunity to go somewhere else.

I think I got my propane tank situation figured out today and I'm going to put it on my blog this afternoon. But since you had a Lance in the past, and are familiar with it's storage compartments, you kinda, sorta, gave away my surprise. So now my new surprise is, how dumb I was not to figure this out to start with.

Tom

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scary dangerous idea; read at your own risk

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