Having Propane Tank Valve and/or Regulator Not Working

[sean4fsu]

I own a 07 Terry Travel Trailer Camper.

I have bought and installed two different new RV regulators to be able to use the propane from the propane tanks for my stove and water heater. For some reason they both never seemed to work right. I have to have the lever/pointer pointed to the propane tank that is not being used for the propane tank that I am using to work, and the propane tank that I am not using has to be hooked up to the regulator, and its valve has to be turned off for the propane tank that I am using to work.

Is that how it is supposed to work? Or how is it supposed to work? What can I do to fix it without having to buy another regulator?

Also, the propane tank and valve that I am using for our water heater and the stove does work, but sometimes it won't work with even a brand new propane tank that I have exchanged for from Publix. It is an Amerigas propane tank. This issue of the propane tank and valves not working that I have had 3 or 4 propane tanks or valves not working out of 10 propane tanks not working from Publix. I don't think this issue is with Amerigas propane tank valves considering how many propane tanks I have exchanged from Publix. Lately, I have been exchanging either barely used or still full propane tanks to use. Something is wrong with that, and I am not sure what the problem is and how to fix it. What is going on with this and how can I fix it?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[time2roll]

sean4fsu wrote:
Thank you all for the great help! I know what I am doing wrong and how to fix it 🙂

Please let us know what you changed and that it was a success.

[Old-Biscuit]

OPD....Overfill Protection Device
OVERFILL.....NOTHING to do with 'Vapor' coming out just a float that shuts off 'Liquid' going in when refilling


Opening the OPD/Service Valve too quickly can trip the 'Excess Flow Device' which is in the Pigtail ACME Nut (or fitting on MHs). Nothing to do with the OPD/Service valve

Propane Changeover/Regulator
Lever points to Cylinder IN service. Then when that cylinder drops to >10# the changeover swaps to other cylinder. RED flag on indicator/move lever to point to other cylinder/GREEN flag on indicator

ACME Nut has 'stub' that pushes open the Spring Loaded Shutoff Valve (internal part of OPD/Service Valve). IF ACME Nut not tightened the shutoff valve will not open so no vapor can flow (If you open OPD/Service Valve w/o ACME Nut/Pigtail Hose installed NO propane will flow out)

[sean4fsu]

Thank you all for the great help! I know what I am doing wrong and how to fix it 🙂

[Padlin]

A picture would help. Assuming you have an auto changover regulator.

Close both tank valves and disconnect from the regulator.
Verify both tanks are full, or close to it. I go by weight.
Hookup both to the 2 sides of the regulator.
Slowly open the tank the lever points to, this insures the OPD valve does not trigger. The green/red indicator on the regulator should be green.
Try lighting the stove, it may take a few seconds till the gas gets there.

If it lights you can shut off the stove, close the gas bottle valve.
Change the lever to the other tank and slowly open that valve. Green/red indicator should be green.
Try the stove again.

If it lights both tanks are okay as are both pigtails and most of the regulator.

To verify the auto changeover function:
Leave the lever pointing to the tank you just used and leave that bottle open. Indicator should be green. Slowly open the other valve.
Light the stove again.
With the stove lit, close the gas bottle valve on the bottle that the lever is pointing to. Give it a minute. The indicator should go red and the stove should stay lit. if so the valve changed to the backup bottle and all is good.

If this were a normal day and you noticed the red indicator, you would know the gas bottle it points to is empty. move the lever to the backup bottle at which point the indicator goes green again, disconnect the empty one and get it filled.

With an auto changeover regulator you leave both tanks open. When the pointed to bottle goes empty the indicator changes to red. At that point you change the lever and can close and disconnect the one that is now empty. After refilling, reconnect it to the regulator and open it's valve. It is the standby till the other one goes empty.

The indicator tells you the status of only the bottle the lever is pointing to.

There are many YouTube video's that explain how the auto regulator works.

[wa8yxm]

Ok first you have a regulator and you have a change over valve. The rest of your post talked about the change over valve

The arrow points to the IN USE tank. for normal operation

NOW. so long as your only pilot light is the oven you do not need a change over valve. Just check valves. You hook up both tanks with a "T" (The T contains check valves) and open only one tank.. When it runs out you close it and open the other tank.. Now you may get a bit cold and Murphy says it will run out at 3am in the rain but.. That's how I did it.

[allen8106]

The pigtails that hook to the tank may be bad. They have a high flow shut off valve in them that automatically shuts the gas flow off in the event of a catastrophic failure. I had both go bad on my two year old 5ver back about 2012. Replaced the pigtails and it's worked every day since.

[eHoefler]

You may be tripping the Overflow Protection Device in the tanks. Bleed off all pressure, hook up your hoses, the slowly crack the valves open until pressure equalizes, then open fully.

[donn0128]

Tanks are required to have a OPD valves. If you open them too fast the valve assumes a leak and shuts down.
There are different types of regulators. Your buying a manual change over regulator. Turn the pointer to the full tank, slowly open the valve, go light the stove, then the water heater.