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Old 08-13-2008, 07:35 AM   #1
Redrover98
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Red Regulator

My Red propane regulator was bad so I went to an RV dealer to get one and he was out of them. He told me it was not necessary and I could bybass it. Not being sure, I went to a gas place and bought a single stage regulator and installed it. When I switch to the backup cylinder, I can't get any propane to the coach. I took the new regulator off and now have the second tank without a regulator working thru the switchover two stage one. It works fine, but I am a little uneasy with high pressure propane going from one side of the RV via black iron pipe.

I can't seem to get a definite answer on having the red regulator or leaving it like I now have it.

Any input would surely be helpful.

Dee
 
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Old 08-13-2008, 07:55 AM   #2
JimF
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I know of quite a few folks that have removed the red regulator. The pressure is regulated out of the bottle through the fitting, it would not exceed the capacity of the iron pipe, it's connected by a rubber hose isn't it, that holds the pressure. The red regulator is so that when you turn that bottle on it fools the opd and safety override in the bottle to think that there is not a leak, so that it doesn't shut the bottle off. Without the red device you need to turn the bottle on very slowly until pressure in the crossover pipe is stablized.
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Old 08-13-2008, 08:19 AM   #3
SlickWillie
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Jim hit the nail on the head. Only thing is, you have to open that bottle very, very, slooooooow or the safety valve will slam shut. I had the same experience you did. All the regulators I found did not allow sufficient gas flow.
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Old 08-13-2008, 08:54 AM   #4
bsmeaton
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Yeppers - you should be fine Dee as said above. Montana didn't even come out with the red regulator until around 2004-2005. Our 2003 was high pressure across the bow to the other side.
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Old 08-13-2008, 09:02 AM   #5
OntMont
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What everyone else said is right. The RVIA changed the standards to include the additional red regulator in October 2005. Our unit does not have one.
(Just wondering though, you did put your new one in right way round? I would think that there should be an arrow to show flow direction somewhere on the valve body).
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Old 08-13-2008, 04:59 PM   #6
Redrover98
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I would like to thank everyone for the quick replies. It puts my mind at ease. I knew about opening the cylinder valve very,very slowly.

ONTMONT, The flow arrow was the first thing I checked on the new regulator. The only thing I can figure is that the gas leaving the standby tank regulator is only about 1.8 psi and then it goes through the switchover regulator. There may not be enough pressure to pass through the second regulator. The red regulator may have a higher output psi.

Thanks again for the help.
Dee
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Old 08-14-2008, 02:12 AM   #7
SlickWillie
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by Redrover98

I would like to thank everyone for the quick replies. It puts my mind at ease. I knew about opening the cylinder valve very,very slowly.

ONTMONT, The flow arrow was the first thing I checked on the new regulator. The only thing I can figure is that the gas leaving the standby tank regulator is only about 1.8 psi and then it goes through the switchover regulator. There may not be enough pressure to pass through the second regulator. The red regulator may have a higher output psi.

Thanks again for the help.
Dee
You're probably correct there. Seems my red regulator had a sticker on it; 18 PSI.
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Old 08-14-2008, 03:27 AM   #8
OntMont
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Assuming the "red regulator" is made by the Marshall Gas Regulator Company, and is not some brand X from China, you could try calling them for help. Friends of ours did that when they were having regulator problems, and received good advice and assistance.
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Old 08-14-2008, 03:35 AM   #9
SlickWillie
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by OntMont

Assuming the "red regulator" is made by the Marshall Gas Regulator Company, and is not some brand X from China, you could try calling them for help. Friends of ours did that when they were having regulator problems, and received good advice and assistance.
Definitely Chinese. They are available from Keystone dealers. I checked here in Rockport at Camper Clinic, and they were out of stock. They finally sent me an email that they had them, but by that time I decided I didn't need it.

BTW, mine was full of thread sealant. I don't know how it ever functioned properly. I tried cleaning it with no luck.

Edit: I ran across my old "red" regulator. I was incorrect. It was made in India.
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Old 08-14-2008, 03:58 AM   #10
OntMont
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Too bad, that is one of the hidden disadvantages of off-shore imports, you can't easily get back to the manufacturer for support.
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Old 08-23-2008, 01:39 PM   #11
sreigle
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RedRover, I tossed my red regulator after the second one failed. Just take that regulator and go to Ace Hardware (where I found the proper parts) and get adapters to connect your hose to where the regulator used to connect. Each side of the regulator is a different size so that's why the adapter. If you take the regulator with you and get a male to fit one side that has a female to fit the other, you're set. Home Depot and Lowe's may also have the parts. I tried several RV dealers and none had the adapter I needed.

Now I just open that tank very slowly. As noted above, the purpose of that regulator is to keep you from locking the safety valve by mistake because of the sudden flow of propane from that bottle all the way across to the regulator on the other side. This was reiterated to me last month at the Keystone Service Center when they noted I had removed the regulator. I told them to not put a new one on. That red regulator is known to be a weak link.
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Old 08-24-2008, 06:22 PM   #12
rldriver
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I found today that the brass fitting on the short hose that goes from the bottle to the red regulator was leaking because of crossed or stripped threads from the factory. Can I purchase a new one from the hardware store and find fittings that will connect it to the black iron pipe? Is there a removable fitting between the regulator and the hose? I want to remove the red regulator because I assume that the threads are damaged in it also.

Lots of thread seal and Teflon tape. I thought that you should not use those on gas lines. Very interesting.

Thanks for any help and sorry about stealing this thread.

Dick
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Old 08-25-2008, 01:29 AM   #13
SlickWillie
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I would definitely use thread sealant on gas line threads, unless the fittings are the type that do not use the threads to seal. I had always used "Rectorseal", but when I pulled the red regulator out, I bought a small tube of sealant from Lowe's to use. It was approved for propane, and was a teflon base.
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Old 08-25-2008, 10:08 AM   #14
sreigle
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Dick, when I removed the red regulator I got an adaptor at Ace Hardware. No RV dealer I checked (7 or 8 of them) had anything that would work. This adapter is just an ordinary fitting with male on one end and a female of different size on the other. If you take the red regulator with you, just find a single adapter with a male to fit the regulator's female and a female to fit it's male. I found it with all the other gas pipe fittings.
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Old 08-25-2008, 02:35 PM   #15
rldriver
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by sreigle

Dick, when I removed the red regulator I got an adaptor at Ace Hardware. No RV dealer I checked (7 or 8 of them) had anything that would work. This adapter is just an ordinary fitting with male on one end and a female of different size on the other. If you take the red regulator with you, just find a single adapter with a male to fit the regulator's female and a female to fit it's male. I found it with all the other gas pipe fittings.
Thanks Steve, will give it a try.

Dick
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