40 pound propane tank
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Forum Name: Camping Adventures
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URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=3368
Printed Date: 30 Apr 2024 at 5:28pm
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Topic: 40 pound propane tank
Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Subject: 40 pound propane tank
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2013 at 1:24pm
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We do a lot of dry camping even in cold weather so I'm wondering about putting a 40# bottle on the tongue. The diameter is the same as a 20# bottle. I'd have to come up with another strap, and I'm not sure the hose for the 20# bottle reach the top of a 40# bottle. Anyway, all those issues aside, will I be able to tell any difference in road handling with an extra 20# on the tongue? Are there any other safety issues worthy of consideration?
TT
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Replies:
Posted By: CharlieM
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2013 at 2:18pm
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As an engineer I would be leary of a single 40# tank from a mechanical stability standpoint. Securing that tall bottle in the dynamic towing environment might be a problem. A preferable solution would be two 20# bottles, side by side, as is commonly done on travel trailers. Two 30# bottles would probably be possible if you need that much LP. This approach has several advantages in addition to mechanical: redundancy, refill convenience, automatic empty switchover.The extra weight on the tongue will not be an issue, particularly with a weight distribution hitch . And there really is room on the tongue for two LP tanks, two batteries, the spare tire, a WDH connection, and a 15 gallon "blue tank" sewage carrier. I know because that's the way I have my RP-172 set up. ------------- Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2013 at 5:58pm
In terms of effort, two 20s would probably be about the same amount of trouble as stabilizing one 40 and getting a longer hose. I'd thought about the redundancy and refill issues and the inertia of motion problem. I might have a way around that, but in our general part of the world at least, it's also often easier to swap tanks than refill them. I know of one place that swaps 40s but the places that swap 20s are ubiquitous.
Thanks for the thoughts,
TT
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Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 04 Apr 2013 at 10:28pm
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Lots of large TT's have dual 40's.. We are running a single 30 right now, but I will be upgrading to dual 20's or 30's with auto switchover this spring. I have to tell you though.. if you are just cooking, (when boondocking) we only heat water as needed, and running the fridge, a 30 lasts a L O N G time. Dual batteries (and a charging solution) are more important than more propane... ------------- |
Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2013 at 3:43am
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We don't hesitate, much, to camp when it's 14 degrees at night with no hookup. You can go through some propane in a week under those circumstances. How does an auto switchover work? Specifically, when one bottle is empty and the other is in use, can you disconnect the empty bottle and take it for a refill? Do you even know when one bottle is empty? I guess it's easy enough to tell which bottle is in use if you pay attention to the condensation or frost on the bottle. I've never really cared too much for an auto switchover, but I suppose it would be nice as long as you don't have to wait for both bottles to empty before filling them. TT |
Posted By: gnawbone
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2013 at 6:55am
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The auto switchover seems to work well for me. I've never had a problem with them. One thing I did, which was an expensive upgrade, was to buy 2 plastic 20# cylinders. They are a lot lighter than the steel and also allow you to see the liquid remaining. http://www.litecylinder.com/Portals/litecylinder/Products/specs === about 13# empty, I think. ------------- 2017 Toyota Sienna 2016 R-180 "the Wee Pod" |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2013 at 8:29am
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Yes the auto switchover has a little pointer that shows which tank is empty. You switch that one out, while the other is "live". You can even get them with a "remote" mounted indicator, you place in the coach, so you don't have to "go outside" to check it... LOL. BTW, we went with the 30lber because we have three for the 'stream, and it went on with no modifcation needed at all. We have some friends that have the fiberglass bottles.. neato they are.... and not cheap. If we get the CampLite as I suspect we are going to, I may put them on it. ------------- |
Posted By: CharlieM
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2013 at 1:09pm
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Two 20s are easier to secure than a single 40 because they have twice the base area and a lower center of gravity. Your point of availability of swapping is good. Also, with the auto switchover, one tank gets completely depleted before the switchover, thus you don't have to give up some usable LP when you swap. $$$$ ------------- Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
Posted By: thadd
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2013 at 1:56pm
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I thought about going with a clear tank since we travel with our baby and running out of propane isn't just an inconvenience. What we found instead was that Worthington makes 20# tanks with a built-in float gauge now. They sell them at Costco for less than $50. Now we can tell at a glance what the levels are and just top off when low. |
Posted By: TIDALWAVE
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2013 at 2:04pm
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I went with 2-20lb tanks. That way, you can take one in for a fill while the other one is used. I think a 'portable' 40lb would be really bulky to dismount and then pick up and reinstall when full. Using a 'fixed' 40lb would mean that when your 40lb tank is empty, you have to haul the Pod in too. I had an RV with a fixed 60lb tank...a real pain to have to break camp to drive to a fill station when the tank went empty. ------------- TIDALWAVE |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2013 at 8:10pm
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A quick tip for finding out your actual LP level (if you don't have a float gauge) in under 30 seconds. Get a cup of hot water and slowly pour it down the side of the tank from the shoulder. Wait a few seconds and then run the back of your finger down the side. The steel will still be hot where there is no fluid, but will be cool below the fill level.
------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual 
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Posted By: thadd
Date Posted: 05 Apr 2013 at 9:05pm
I tried that several times but could never really get it to work. The float gauge approach is much easier too :).
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Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 06 Apr 2013 at 9:59pm
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Odd, I've never had a problem finding the exact level that way. The liquid propane acts as a heat sink.
------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual
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Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2013 at 8:03am
If the tank hasn't been in use everything will settle down to the ambient temperature, unless the ambient temperature has changed significantly very recently. What's really going to cause the parts of the tank with and without propane to be different temperatures is the evaporation of the liquid propane when the tank is in use. Depending on the humidity, even without pouring water on the tank you'll often see dew or even frost on the tank that indicates the LP level when the tank is in near-constant use. Check the tank in the morning when the heat has been on and the water trick should work great. TT |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2013 at 6:00pm
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There is liquid below and vapor above when a LP tank is at rest or while in use. Where there is vapor the steel of the tank retains the heat, where there is liquid it acts as a heat sink and pulls the steel back to ambient temperature which is why it feels cool. I've done this test in all types of conditions and the only time it doesn't work is when a tank has been sitting in the hot sun in the middle of summer. Covering it for a little while solves that problem. ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual
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Posted By: Racer|X|
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2013 at 7:47pm
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IMHO...two 20’s and an auto-switch is the way to go vs. one 40. Good luck! ------------- |
Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2013 at 8:35pm
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Sorry, I didn't read your message carefully enough. I was thinking of the cooling caused by the evaporation of the liquid propane (or most any liquid quickly converting to gas). When the tank is in use you can do the water thing and the upper (gas) part of the bottle can cause the water to freeze, or you can easily feel that the upper portion of the bottle is cooler than the liquid (lower) part. Your method should work too, but it might be more subtle. Anyway, I've never really worried about the propane level in portable or disposable bottles. I've never had an auto switchover set up, so when one bottle hits the bottom I just disconnect it and hook up another one. It's always seemed reasonable to me to carry a spare. TT |
Posted By: SteveC
Date Posted: 07 Jul 2013 at 9:43am
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The lite weight LP tanks caught my interest until I found the company is out of business. For those considering the lite LP tanks, lite cylinder has gone out of business after their LP tanks were deemed unsafe and a force recall placed on them. For current owners it is stated you should immediately discontinue using them. Here is a link to the recall notice. http://www.phmsa.dot.gov/portal/site/PHMSA/menuitem.ebdc7a8a7e39f2e55cf2031050248a0c/?vgnextoid=7c7384ae997be310VgnVCM100000d2c97898RCRD&vgnextchannel=d248724dd7d6c010VgnVCM10000080e8a8c0RCRD&vgnextfmt=print ------------- 2014 R Pod 178 |
Posted By: Craneman
Date Posted: 07 Jul 2013 at 10:57am
Holy cow Tars where do you live to camp in 14 degree temps, I'm shure not in Florida Moe ------------- Jo and Gary, 2010-174,2011 F150 
Jo and Gary 2010 174 2011 Ford 150 |
Posted By: Sleepless
Date Posted: 07 Jul 2013 at 1:12pm
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I had dual 30# tanks on my Dutchman Zoom which is not much larger than a pod. For me these were overkill in terms of capacity. One good thing about 30's is that a hard shell cover is available for them almost anywhere. (I don't know if similar covers are available for 40's). I still like the dual 20# setups because you can go almost anywhere and exchange them for full tanks. I don't feel like lugging 30 or 40 pound tanks around.
------------- 2014 R-Pod 178 (OUR POD) 2009 Chevrolet Avalanche |
Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 07 Jul 2013 at 8:28pm
Well, I live in Nashville but it's been 14° or less in the Smokies in January and February, the Canadian Rockies and Yellowstone in late summer, and Big Bend around Christmas time. The old min/max thermometer I used to use only went down to 14, so that's all I can claim, but I'm pretty sure it was somewhat cooler. None of those adventures has been in the pod; all were in a tent, sometimes with heat and sometimes not. I think the coldest I've been out in the pod has been the lower 20s. I took a chance and didn't winterize and was lucky enough not to burst any pipes, though I went through some propane that night to get some heat under the sink, etc. And I set of the CO alarm due to redirecting my generator exhaust under the pod for the heat. (I was outside and awake when the alarm went off about 1am.) I'll dry camp next time it's that cold. Of course that night was toasty, but I've been out on other not quite so cold nights, used much less propane and still stayed too warm in the pod. TT |