propane line/fittings and exhaust for fridge

[adventureVAN]

I installed a tri-power (110v, 12v, propane) fridge in my van this week. I have 2 questions:

1. I did not have enough length in the exhaust tubing to vent out the side so I vented out the bottom via steel exhaust tubes. Is there any reason why this wouldn't work?




2. I need a 15ft propane line to run from my standard 20 lb tank to the fridge. Is there a certain regulator I need? Should I try to make my own hard line? What fitting/s do I need? I think it is 3/8" SAE fine thread pattern going into the fridge; does this sound right? I am clueless on how/where to get a gas line for this thing

[boywonder]

My Propex heater intake and exhaust are both plumbed through the floor....the exhaust is long enough to stick out the side of the van though.....do you have a CO and/or propane detector in the van?

At some point lengthening the intake/exhaust ducts may cause functional issues but (on a Propex heater anyway) there is some wiggle room.

There are RVIA specs on propane appliance locations such as how close the intake/exhaust can be to the van's fuel filler etc.

Do you have any specs for the fridge? The specs will tell you what mmHg propane pressure that it requires. I bought this regulator from GoWesty for the Propex.

LPG Gas Regulator (2-Stage) | GoWesty

Karl at Westy Ventures also sells regulators:

Westy Ventures / Propex heaters

My assumption is that most RV appliances require similar propane pressure but YMMV......

I plumbed a 1/4" copper line from my tank to the heater with std compression fittings bought at Lowes/Home depot.....

Does that female thread that you have the calipers on have a tapered seat? If so it's probably a compression fitting......although your caliper reading isn't too far off from 1/8" NPT.

All of the gas connections are going to be either compression, flare, or NPT. Straight threads don't seal without compression or flare.

One more thing......since the Propex is made in England...it uses BSPP (British) inlet threads......Westy Ventures provides a brass thread adapter to get to typical US style threads......so it could be something like that or metric.....

[dhally]

The installation instructions should say where to route the exhaust tube. I would want it to end out from under the van, myself, to reduce the chance of exhaust getting back into the van on a still day.

The installation instructions might also tell you the size of pipe fitting. IF it is made for USA, most likely it has NPT threads. Typically I have seen the final connection to the appliance made with a rubber coated flexible tube, that has the pipe fittings crimped onto the ends. If you only have one appliance, just get a long flex tube. A propane shop can make one for you to length.

Can't help with the regulator... 20lb cylinders are made to be compatible with BBQ's, which use different fittings and gas pressure than the RV appliances.

Best practice is to absolutely reduce the number of threaded joints inside the van. The tank, regulator, and all other fittings should be outside the van. That is because leaks are more likely at a threaded joint. Remember the regulator can actually vent propane at times! There is also a pressure relief built into a 20 lb cylinder, and it WILL vent if kept inside the van due to temperature changes.