Dual Propane Tanks

[Kathi]

Paul is a little proplexed as to how you can tell when one propane tank switches over to the other tank. And how do you know which propane tank you are running off of? How do you tell just how much propane you have left? These are just a few of the many questions that I am sure that I will be in here asking. So bare with me please. By the way, I too have 2 pointy thingys!!!!!!! Just checked cuz I didn't want to be left out of the thread. And for the price of these Montanas you'd think that all of them would have the pointy thingys!!!!
Paul & Kathi
2002 Dodge 3500 w/Banks Power, Prodigy Brake sys.
2005 3400RL

[H. John Kohl]

Do not be afraid to ask the questions.
Near one of the tanks is the regulator and it has a switching lever on it. The switching lever will be pointing to the left or right hose. The hose it is point toward is the primary tank and the other is considered the reserve. For this discussion we will call the curb tank as primary and the road tank as reserve. Dead center and above the lever is a small plastic cap. Inside this cap it a cylinder that will be green or red. If the cylinder shows green you are working off the "primary" tank. If it shows red the regulator has automatically switched over to the "reserve tank".
You move your selector lever over to point to the "reserve tank", the road tank, which now makes it primary and prevent any propane from leaking out the curb side. Voice of experience, I did not switch the lever over. I left it pointing to the curb tank but was drawing off the road tank. When I removed the curb tank propane (a small amount) leaked out the hose. As soon as I switched the lever to the road side it stopped".
To tell how full they are is another question. I have not tried any of the after market sensors. One old fashion way is to be using the tank and pour hot water from the top down the side. When you see the condensation show up on the tank it tells you the level.
I am sure others have better ways. And someone will tell you it is empty when it runs out. We all have found that out on the 1st of Nov during our last trip. Yes another one of those been there, got the tee shirt, and sold it. lol.
Good and safe camping.

[DiananColin]

Maybe I am a slow learner but I did manage to completely empty both tanks - of course in the middle of the night on a cold night, so heating went off. Fiver is at the dealer right now and one of the jobs is "Install a propane meter so I know when the tanks switch".

I don't know (or care) how much it will cost - my middle of the night comfort will be worth it!

[Montana_3539]

As far as LP gas leakage, we have enough to set off the alarm inside which is quite unnerving, especially for the women & children. It happens during switchover and stops when we throw the lever between tanks. I think it is a real hokey setup & will look for something a little better when we buy our new Monty (June 2005). Anyone have good ideas as to better equipment?

[kdeiss]

I run off of just one tank when I run out of gas I just switch to the full tank and take empty to get filled.This way I don't have to be checking for the red and only end up with one empty tank not two.

[HamRad]

I've always been under the impression that the lever had to be in the "up" position for the auto switching to take place. But I'll be the first to admit that I'm not really sure of how this thing works. But I had the lever in the up position and I ran out of propane in BOTH tanks. Now, like Ken and Ginny, I always point it to one tank only. When that one gets low or runs out I turn the lever to the other tank. I also turn off the valve on the tank I'm not using. So, of course, my system could NOT auto switch even if it wanted to!

We do not "full time" yet so I'm not as familiar with this as I should be AND I'm old and forgetful!

Oldguybc.... if I were you I'd certainly get something fixed on your system if you're getting so much gas that it sets off your alarm. That wouldn't scare just the women and children in my family! It would scare everyone!

DiananColin... let us know how your new system works and the general cost of it too. I sure would like to have a better system. I know Sreigle has installed a device that alerts him when his tanks get low and the cost on it wasn't too bad. But I'd like a system similar to the fuel gauge in a truck or car.

HamRad

[Bill Hill]

I'm with kdeiss, as soon as I have to switch from one tank to the other, I get the empty one filled. Makes life much easier since Shari doesn't have to "remind" me about getting it filled.

[Kathi]

Thank You All Very Much! That was just the answers that we needed. Now we have another delimma. We went to Lowe's today to get some stuff for our up coming trip next week. When we returned we went to unlock the Monty and guess what!!!!
Yep you guessed it. We couldn't unlock the deadbolt.
We tried and tried but nothing. So we came in the house, and while this was on my mind I remembered the laundry shute so I told Paul lets unlock the storage bin and I can crawl in and go through and unlock the door!!!!! RIGHT! NOT!! I got in there ok, but I am not a very peite person. The door still won't unlock. OK, so now I have to crawl back down and out. (Oh by the way, I have had 4 major back surgeries, and am currently going through P/T 3 days a week). Soooooooo, I told Paul, here I come. Wellllllll, I got down into the compartment ok, but getting back out was another thing. My legs couldn't reach the curb. And Paul was laughing so hard that he was of no use to me. I did finally get out. And we will be taking the Monty back to Mike Thompsons on Monday just to have them get that door open. What a nightmare. First we brought it home and couldn't get it unhooked from the truck and now this. These are all learning experiences I guess.
Thanks again for all the very valuable knowledge that you have given us.
Paul and Kathi
'02 Dodge 3500 Deisel
3400RL

[Searchers]

HamRad, My propane changeover switch slides horizontally and points to the tank in use. With both tanks full I leave both tank valves open. When the tank in use empties the green indicator changes to red and propane is automatically pulled from the other tank as long as that valve is open. The indicator remains red until the slide switch is manually moved to the tank now supplying the fuel, then turns green. Now, shut off the empty tank for refill, hook it back up, open the valve and wait for the other to empty. If both valves are open it is possible to run both tanks dry no matter what position the switch is in on mine, but I'm not sure about yours. I prefer to leave both tanks on so if one runs out during the night, the furnace or refer (if boondocking) won't shut down.

[Montana_1240]

Kathy,

I am thinking that maybe the door’s mechanism was affected by the way it was sitting, there.

When we camp, I put the front landing pads down first, of course. Then I crank down the rear stabilizers. I’ve noticed a little stickiness in the door latch, and deadbolt, depending on how tight I crank down the stabilizers in back.

I know the floor beams of the fiver flex, depending on the loading. And I think that the door in mine has just the right amount of clearance to allow it to open, regardless of whether the ends are being held up, or the middle is higher than the ends. But it still makes slight difference in my door mechanisms.

I’d guess the dealer might not put it in the same position you had it in when it seized up on you. So if it does it again, note whether you have the rear stabilizers used, and cranked down hard, or not used, and the back is hanging free. No matter which way it sticks, try reversing it and see if that helps.

Let me know if that helps.

Heck. Let me know if you can make sense out of what I just said.

Steve

[sreigle]

Dennis, if the handle is up it will not draw from either tank. A year or so ago we had a thread wondering what it would do in that position. I emailed Marshall, mfr of the regulator, and the reply was it will fully shut off the gas flow.

As others said, when the glass goes to red, switch the handle to the other side, close the valve on the tank it was pointing to before you switched it, remove the tank and get it filled. When you switch the handle, the glass should go to gree again. If not, go open the valve on the other tank. I keep both tanks open so it will auto switch and start drawing from the "other" tank.

That said, I got tired of checking every few days to see if the glass is green or red. So I installed a remote changeover indicator in the bedroom that blinks when the regulator switches (when the glass goes to red). Nice thing is the way I have it installed I can see the blinking in the closet mirror when I'm sitting in the living room. When it starts blinking I know the primary tank is empty. I got the remote indicator from Campers Choice but they've now been bought out by Camping World so I don't know where it's available. Camping World does not carry it.

[jpkelpe]

guess what! last night we ran out of propane in both tanks. We looked at that guage earlier in the day and noticed it was red with a tiny bit of green showing--we said, the other tank is full so there should be no problem--well you guessed it it got sort of cold last night when the temperature outside was in the 30's. at least we had a small electric heater and some extra blankets. Hopefully we will get this thing figured out some day. glad to see this post.

[captbanjo]

Gyro, cool truck siding to match the Montana...how'd ya do it?

[CRUZIN 2]

jpkelpe

You guys are getting to be hard core campers in this type of weather, but it's times you will remember. We carry a spare tank in the front compartment (3 tanks altogether) just in case. Hope our paths will cross some time this summer. Happy Camping

quote:Originally posted by jpkelpe

guess what! last night we ran out of propane in both tanks. We looked at that guage earlier in the day and noticed it was red with a tiny bit of green showing--we said, the other tank is full so there should be no problem--well you guessed it it got sort of cold last night when the temperature outside was in the 30's. at least we had a small electric heater and some extra blankets. Hopefully we will get this thing figured out some day. glad to see this post.

[campbud]

Kathi, The other day when I was putting some items in our Monty, I had a heck of a time undoing the deadbolt. I kept thinking now DH will thing I am just losing it, not to know how to unlock a door. Well after messing with it a bit I finally got the key in and it unlocked! I tell you I really did not think I was going to unlock it. I am going to ask DH to have a look at it. Let us know what the dealer tells you the problem is..

[Montana_2779]

Interesting divergence of methods noted above! We finished off our curbside tank a couple of weeks ago, and I switched the lever over to the street tank. Darned the luck, still no gas inside. Red on the indicator. Crud!! Figured I had a less than full tank from the dealer. Unhitched both tanks- the curb tank was,in fact, empty, but the street tank was PLENTY heavy(scratched head again). Took both tanks to my local Hank Hill (propane and propane accessory dealer for those of you who don't watch King of the Hill). Yep, street tank darned near full (Propane dealer checked the valve for me, too. All was well.). Took 'em home and hooked 'em up. Same deal.... Switched tanks-- same deal (now it appears to be a line or regulator issue). Swapped 'em back so I'd have the exact same setup as before (hate to change anything during an investigation). Removed the street tank, switched the lever to the curb tank and opened the valve. Got some leakage coming out of the street tank hose!! A little strange as the valve was set to the curb tank! Figured I had a bad regulator. Decided to install both tanks, open both valves and set the regulator to the up/middle position. I'm hoping that this setup will allow me to use up both tanks and then re-fill. Since we don't use the heater down here more than once a year, I figure I have several months to investigate this before I have any issues other than a half-cooked meal. At our rate of usage, it'll be a couple of months before we find out if this "all open" setup does in fact use all of the gas in both tanks.

This leads me to my question for sreigle-- It appears that our regulator does, in fact, work with the lever in the up position. Might this be a change in the regulator design from the one in your manual? Any thoughts? Anyone else having a similar issue?

[sreigle]

Pete, I am redfaced. I found the email from Marshall and you are correct. Here's what it says in reply to my question about what happens when the handle is straight up. I had it backwards:
----- quote -----
It would withdraw from both tanks, leaving you completely empty. You do
not want to leave the lever in this position. If you have more
questions, please do not hesitate to give us a call at 1-800-877-2495.
----- end quote -----
The way the regulator is supposed to work is to have both tanks open and the handle pointing to one of them. When that tank runs out the glass will go to red and it will begin drawing from the other tank. At this point you can flip the handle to the other side. The glass should go green if the other tank has propane and is open. You then shut off the first tank and remove it. If it is working correctly you will not have leakage from the disconnected hose from the first tank. You may initially smell a little propane that was in the hose when you disconnected it. When the first tank is refilled, reinstall it and open the valve. When the second tank is empty, the glass will go red and it will now draw from the first tank. Flip the handle, etc. This is how mine works and how I understand it is supposed to work.

Sorry I got that confused. I guess CRS is worse than I thought.

[Montana_1240]

quote:Originally posted by captbanjo

Gyro, cool truck siding to match the Montana...how'd ya do it?

Captain,

Thanks!

We got our dealer to order the graphics we wanted, using the sheets he has of all the graphics on all the models.

Then I had Auto Trim Design put them on, so there'd be no bubbles.

It worked out really well for us. We bought the white truck because we had planned on doing that ever since my wife saw the '05 graphics at the factory, last fall.

Steve

[Montana_2779]

Thanks, Steve! Don't feel bad abouth the CRS. At 38, I believe that I may be the youngest fella on earth blessed with full-blown senility (Cheryl can attest to this). On the up-side, I get to wake up to a really good looking stranger each morning . Glad to hear that my regulator is working correctly, at least in that respect. I still think it has an issue, but, as noted, running out of gas is not a real issue for us. Looks like this will be a long-term investigation for us. All of the cold weather up north is pushing wonderfully cool air into the Houston area. We are having Chamber of Commerce weather down here this week!

[WACOT]

The gas selector and quantity (guess meter) is a problem. A propane dealer told me that the automatic switch over valve "doesn't", period. Also, when one of my tanks go empty and I remove it for refill, the gas from the other tank leaks out at a pretty good rate. He gave me a shutoff valve from a bottle with the old type of shutoff, I attach it to the open line until I get back with the refill. I know these lines are supposed the have check valves in them but he claims that most of them do not work, so the old tank valves are uesable for something again.You would think that with all the technology this country has we could find a way to accurately tell how much porpane is in a tank? Wacot