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Old 10-26-2014, 04:51 PM   #1
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How much propane on board and where?

How many gallons are you packing? Where is the tank or tanks and how do you refill, how do you access externally for refill or consumption (grill, etc)

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Old 10-26-2014, 05:23 PM   #2
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Re: How much propane on board and where?

I carry one or two one gallon tanks and I have a on board five gallon tank under the van. I usually only need the single tank for shorter trips to supply a BBQ lantern and a single burner stove. So I guess it's more on how you cook. I have to carry a 5 gallon tank for my propane heater and that only lasts a couple of days.
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Old 10-26-2014, 05:27 PM   #3
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Re: How much propane on board and where?

Quote:
Originally Posted by daveb
I carry one or two one gallon tanks and I have a on board five gallon tank under the van. I usually only need the single tank for shorter trips to supply a BBQ lantern and a single burner stove. So I guess it's more on how you cook. I have to carry a 5 gallon tank for my propane heater and that only lasts a couple of days.
So the 5 gallon underneath runs the heater for a few days or you use an additional 5 gal for that?
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Old 10-26-2014, 06:13 PM   #4
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Re: How much propane on board and where?

Dave, is this the type of disposable propane bottle adapter you use? My 5lb tank ran dry this week, and when I used my adapter on a disposable bottle, it wasn't working for me. Left us unable to cook most of our trip.

http://www.campchef.com/propane-tank-adapter.html

Adapter connected to the bottle, standard hose and regulator attached to the adapter, hose connected to the stove.

I figure that now that I'm home, I'll try again and maybe the adapter wasn't screwed onto the bottle tight enough. Either that of the bottles I brought along were old.


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Old 10-26-2014, 09:48 PM   #5
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Re: How much propane on board and where?

Prally: The search function is your friend.....

Basically, there are only a few propane tanks that are van suitable, although the possibilities get a bit larger if you are willing to cut a hole in the side of your rig. Most end up being mounted on the driver's side.

A company called Manchester makes horizontal tanks for RVs and Vans. The van styles have the filler and gauge, etc located very low on the tank such that they stick out under the side of the van (no access door required).

They make a 5-ish gallon tank that's 10" dia x 23 long and a 7-ish gallon tank that is 10" dia x 32" long. Manchester also has a couple of 12" diameter horizontal tanks but they may require a shoe-horn to install, at least in an Econoline.

There are also a couple of smaller tanks around, typically for VW westies, like 3.3 gallon or so.

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/cyli ... nt%20Mount

http://www.gowesty.com/ec_view_details.php?id=2447
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Old 10-26-2014, 09:59 PM   #6
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Re: How much propane on board and where?

Ours was installed by SMB and is located on the driver side frame rail. There is an access door cut into the side of the van body to provide access to the gauge, fill port and shutoff valve. I believe it is a ten gallon tank. We run the Suburban heater and stove off of it.
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Old 10-27-2014, 10:16 AM   #7
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Re: How much propane on board and where?

@Boywonder - I am more interested in the SMB offerings and what people have found as pro's cons there so I can determine what to request in my build.

@Larrie - what year is your van? Any photos of that?

Thanks gents!
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Old 10-27-2014, 10:42 AM   #8
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Re: How much propane on board and where?

Prally, Ours sounds just like Larrie's, except I believe it's an 8 gallon tank. We topped it off in June, when we bought the rig. We we're out 14 nights this summer, cooking every day, using the hot water and furnace a bit while in Oregon's Blue Mountains and the Cascades, and the tank is still nearly full.

We're nearby in Sammamish if you want to have a look in person. Just PM me.

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Old 10-28-2014, 09:56 AM   #9
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Re: How much propane on board and where?

We got the bigger of the two tanks (8 gallons?). We can run our propane heater full blast for 3 or 4 days in the winter, and can run our propane refrigerator full blast for about a week in the summer.

The smaller tank would probably be big enough, but we figured why not use up all the space available. The only issue with the propane tank is if the van has OEM rear AC, the freon piping goes through the space needed for the propane tank.

We refill through the SMB access door at any propane supply outlet. We don't use the tank for portable appliance, but if you search on this site you can see how others have tapped in.
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Old 10-28-2014, 10:31 AM   #10
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Re: How much propane on board and where?

I spoke to SMB, the 8 is pretty standard and they just use a regulator and hose to feed external grill, etc.

I think 8 should suffice for my long weekends, which are the primary use of my rig.

Argh, only 8 months to go until mine is ready.
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