Questions about propane stove

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by skipmac

When I overhauled the propane system on my 30 year old boat I found the hoses and fittings full of a dark brown, oily, gooey residue. Apparently sludge from impurities in the gas that collected over the years.


Maybe pull some stuff apart and see what you find.

Good point. Hoses from the tank to regulator are dated and should be replaced about every three years I’ve been told. Both of mine, unknown age, were leaking. I discovered this on the day the regulator failed and emptied 15 # propane in the locker. Glad to have an ABYC proper locker. How about that flex line where the oven is allowed to swing on the gimbals? I also have a manual shut off valve where the copper enters the cabin.

[islandermike]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Mike.


Reset the Over Fill Protection Device (OPD) by turning the tank valve off, and then disconnecting the regulator. Set all of the stove burner knobs to "High", and wait for a minute. Then turn the burner knobs off, and reconnect the regulator, and open the tank valve slowly. This should reset the OPD safety, allowing gas to flow to the stove.

Lol "opd" stands for "Over-fill Protection Device"...has nothing to do with "excess flow" valve....which is what those directions are for. Lol! No big deal. (Texas Railroad Commision, licensed propane "everything", technician.

[islandermike]

Hey Rohan, did you check for the excess flow valve in the tank end of that hose? Chunk it!

Originally Posted by Rohan

Sorry if this is the wrong place for this question but not sure which forum covers propane stoves.

My newly purchased 36' boat has a pretty typical 2 burner gimbled stove.

When we did the survey, one burner worked, but the other one didn't. No big deal, I thought, I seldom use two burners at once anyway. Then later after purchase and transfer, we happily discovered that both worked for us just fine. OK, even better. Then next weekend we took it out in the bay, and while on the water neither worked, at all. When we brought it back to port I tried everything - I made sure the cut off switches were both on, made sure the connection to the tank was secure and that the valve was fully open, etc. I even swapped to another tank I knew was full. No change. OK, so I assume something broke somewhere. I come back a few days later, and check it and then - one burner works again! This is driving me nuts because it's so random and there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it at all.

TL;DR condensed version:

Week 1: one stove burner works
Week 2: both burners work
Week 3: neither burner works
Week 4: one burner works

Any ideas what the problem could be?

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

Good point. Hoses from the tank to regulator are dated and should be replaced about every three years...I also have a manual shut off valve where the copper enters the cabin.

OMG! I'm 30 years behind on that! Another rule I was ignorant of. No wonder I have so much trouble with my stoves!

And I have no copper! (just some flexible stuff with a reinforcing, protecting, woven fabric over it.) The guys at Boat Electric, 34 years ago, said it would last, it has, and that it would melt closed if burning. And anyhow, I trusted my ability to install reusable fittings instead of soldering copper. I'm sure that's a no-no now too.

Geez, I should just shut up. Someone is going to arrest me and haul me off for gross ignorance.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

Good point. Hoses from the tank to regulator are dated and should be replaced about every three years I’ve been told. Both of mine, unknown age, were leaking. I discovered this on the day the regulator failed and emptied 15 # propane in the locker. Glad to have an ABYC proper locker. How about that flex line where the oven is allowed to swing on the gimbals? I also have a manual shut off valve where the copper enters the cabin.

Gee, didn't know the hoses were dated. Have to look into that. Since my (proper, vented) locker only holds two small, 6 lb tanks, losing all of one would leave me pretty short if it happened some remote spot.



If I recall, I researched the US regs when I replaced the lines (and solenoid valve) and read that hose is approved for the entire run. Boat came with all hose so I replaced with the same. To be honest, I think the hose is safer than copper tube on a boat.

[wguinon]

Originally Posted by skipmac

When I overhauled the propane system on my 30 year old boat I found the hoses and fittings full of a dark brown, oily, gooey residue. Apparently sludge from impurities in the gas that collected over the years.


Maybe pull some stuff apart and see what you find.

Snow is the poor man's boat cover.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by wingssail

OMG! I'm 30 years behind on that! Another rule I was ignorant of. No wonder I have so much trouble with my stoves!

And I have no copper! (just some flexible stuff with a reinforcing, protecting, woven fabric over it.) The guys at Boat Electric, 34 years ago, said it would last, it has, and that it would melt closed if burning. And anyhow, I trusted my ability to install reusable fittings instead of soldering copper. I'm sure that's a no-no now too.

Geez, I should just shut up. Someone is going to arrest me and haul me off for gross ignorance.

Mine is 1984. There is 30 feet of copper from the lockers to the galley manual valve. Flex hose from the manual valve to the oven/stove. There are no joints allowed in hidden lines. Only complete runs are permitted. Two twenty pound aluminum horizontal tanks in a lazerette locker connected to a dual regulator. Regulator to the solenoid.

I also got many more years out of the hoses and bits than I should. When the dual regulator failed we lost nearly a full tank into the locker. We could hear it as we returned to the boat. The locker inside was ice cold and the smell of mercaptan was everywhere. We were on the hard in Trinidad and the gas cloud was drifting over the Budget Marine parking lot. I consider it grace and fortune that there was no conflagration. I replaced the regulator, $80 US. I replaced both tank to regulator hoses, less than $10 US each. I also determined that tank valves on both tanks were also leakers. They went in for hydro test recertification and new valves. A hydro on a tank requires that the valve is removed. A new valve at this time is an extra $15 US. Collectively, this is the world’s cheapest insurance.

You may choose to ignore your old propane bits as you wish. The stuff doesn’t last forever and when it fails you, your boat and anyone nearby is at risk. There are lots of things on boats that can hurt you that you can cope with. Fire and explosion are quick and have no mercy.

When under way, our main tank valves are off. They are off if we leave the boat. The manual valve and solenoid are closed unless the stove is operating. The solenoid’s breaker and safety switch are both also off.

Frankly, if the OP has a bunch of old stuff and non reliable run, no run situation it’s lucky the fault is that he can’t get gas. If the easy, obvious suggestions don’t fix it then this is possibly a warning. This is not a time for a band aid.

[Juho]

I had one stove (not on a boat) where some burners didn't work. I simply took the burner parts out one by one and cleaned them, and opened the blocked small vents. That worked fine. Maybe you have some similar problems with old dirt and rust.

[stormalong]

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

Good point. Hoses from the tank to regulator are dated and should be replaced about every three years I’ve been told. Both of mine, unknown age, were leaking. I discovered this on the day the regulator failed and emptied 15 # propane in the locker. Glad to have an ABYC proper locker. How about that flex line where the oven is allowed to swing on the gimbals? I also have a manual shut off valve where the copper enters the cabin.

Three years is preposterous. The guy that made my hoses said replace them after ten years. At fifteen years I replaced them. To prevent a boatyard scavengers from reusing them I cut them open. The inside was perfect.

I am surprised that of all the posters here no one mentioned the pressure regulator. Regulators do not fare well in a salt air environment. Always carry a spare. Start your diagnosis at the regulator output. Remove the hose and open the valve. If there is no flow you have found your problem.

IMO the electric gas valve should be on the high pressure side, the first thing after the POL fitting (an appropriately rated valve of course). A defective regulator can empty your tank so slowly that you never smell it. So if there is no flow at the regulator you can remove it and open the electric gas valve and check for flow to see if the gas valve works.

BTW the regulators that are sold by Trident in the marine stores are the same as those sold for non marine use except for the inflated price. Regrettably, most regulators sold today are made in China and for such a critical application I am wary of them.

[George DuBose]

On a 30 year old propane system, the hoses should be replaced to start with. If there are leak detectors/alarms they can be tested. I don't know about the life spans of solenoids or regulators, but renovating the whole system wouldn't be a bad idea considering the age.

Skylark's PO had his propane bottle hanging from the stern rail and a copper tube running to the heater. He had removed the alcohol stove. I don't like copper tubing for LPG due to the possibility of metal fatigue. I had to explain the the RCD instpector that the gas hoses on Skylark are designed specifically for gas and that I have no "unions" or "joints" at the bulkheads that can leak. The hose for the heater and the hose for the oven go from the storage locker to the appliance with no inline connections. Chafing protection every time the hose passes through a bulkhead however.

Gas leak detectors under each appliance along with a CO detector. I regularly test the leak detectors and whenever I use Lysol spray to control mildew, the Lysol propellant sets of the gas alarms.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by islandermike

Lol "opd" stands for "Over-fill Protection Device"...has nothing to do with "excess flow" valve....which is what those directions are for. Lol! No big deal. (Texas Railroad Commision, licensed propane "everything", technician.

Thanks for the correction Mike.

[skenn_ie]

Do they light, then go out, or not light at all. Are there electric valves in the unit itself ? If there is, then simply wiggle the connections to those valves. If not, then take the jets out (under the rose) and see if you can see light through them. If no light, then the jets are blocked. There are special tools, used mostly for pressure-oil lamps which consist of a thin steel wire crimped into a handle. I often use a single strand of thin electrical wire, but it is much easier with the tool.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by skenn_ie

Do they light, then go out, or not light at all. Are there electric valves in the unit itself ? If there is, then simply wiggle the connections to those valves. If not, then take the jets out (under the rose) and see if you can see light through them. If no light, then the jets are blocked. There are special tools, used mostly for pressure-oil lamps which consist of a thin steel wire crimped into a handle. I often use a single strand of thin electrical wire, but it is much easier with the tool.

In a pinch, pull a wire out of a SS wire brush.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by islandermike

Lol "opd" stands for "Over-fill Protection Device"...has nothing to do with "excess flow" valve....which is what those directions are for. Lol! No big deal. (Texas Railroad Commision, licensed propane "everything", technician.

Gord, Mike,

In my young days, LOL meant Little Old Lady.

[skenn_ie]

Are they thin enough ?