# Propane Smell



## stapless (Feb 20, 2005)

just got back from 5 day trip. opened the camper once parked in the driveway and got a strong propane smell














. immediately turned off the gas and opened all the windows, etc. no propane alarm going off, maybe not enough propane in the TT, maybe a propane alarm issue. needless to say, the camper is all aired out now, and the gas is shut off.

I traveled with the fridge on. could that have done it? also, we were traveling with a 10# propane tank. DW stuck it on the bed in the front of out TT 'so it wouldn't tip over'. a good thought, but my question is - - could a very rough ride home have caused the OPD to leak small amout of propane into the TT? never had a problem with the propane system before. never traveled with the small tank in the TT before. If it wasn't the smaller tank that leaked, I've got a much bigger problem!!

After airing out the TT, I now closed it up again with the propane disconnected, just to be sure all the smell is gone once closed up. If so, I was considering hooking up the propane again and checking frequently to see if the smell recurs, unless you all think I'm NUTS for doing that. I guess I just wanted to see if it is the propane system that is the problem, or if it was my storage of a cylinder inside on a rough bouncy trip home that was the probelm. my dealer is a 2 hour trip away, and hate to drag it all the way down there to find nothing is wrong. is there an easier way to check? I certainly don't want to do anything to risk an explosion or fire!!

thanks in advacne for the advice!!
















scott

on edit, i did check stove. not turned on. fridge is now turned off, was on gas for awhile this weekend, electric at another CG, then on gas on 4 hour trip home. never used the furnace. did use the stove and oven and outside camp stove a couple days ago, not since. no odor/leak at all for 5 days until got home today. did use gas hot water heater this trip, but was turned off prior to coming home. checked the outside vents, no blockages.


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## 2500Ram (Oct 30, 2005)

The easiest way to check for a propane leak is with soapy water and a small paint brush on the fittings and lines. My guess is the 10lb storage tank has a leak. I'm not sure what a 10lb tank is but about 50% of those small Colman grill lantern tanks leak when I remove them from the appliance.

No way would I call you crazy for rechecking for smell/leaks with the lines all connected again before storage. Reconnect the propane supply lines, turn on a tank. I wouldn't purge air by lighting the stove just yet. Open up your water heater and test the connections with soapy water, check the stove, there should be a propane line under the stove you can see. No bubbles anywhere close it up for ~30 minutes. Check, if no smell purge the air from the lines and turn on the fridge close up the TT again for ~30 minutes, repeat the process and run the furnace for a few minutes. Check for smell, no smell or leaks your storage tank is bad.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Bill.


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## stapless (Feb 20, 2005)

2500Ram said:


> I'm not sure what a 10lb tank is but about 50% of those small Colman grill lantern tanks leak when I remove them from the appliance.
> [snapback]116149[/snapback]​


thanks for the advice!!

it's actually a 10# cylinder, not the throw away coleman ones. like a 20# tank on a BBQ grill, only half the size, like this one

http://www.campingworld.com/browse/skus/in...fm?skunum=16070

when we got it, the sales lady said not to use it for travel, that it could leak. I had never heard that before. has anyone else had this experience? what makes the big cylinders on the front of the TT any safer?

i'll do the soap thing after work tomorrow.

scott


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

The smell of propane is MUCH stronger then the level required to set off the propane alarm. Now that you are aired out put every thing back to normal and just keep checking it. Use the appliances and see if any of them are leaking.

The propane bottle in the trailer could have been the cause and would have only needed to leak a very little to smell.

There has been one leak I remember being report that the stove valves leaked due to an o-ring failure. I would also check that.


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

CamperAndy said:


> There has been one leak I remember being report that the stove valves leaked due to an o-ring failure. I would also check that.


That was on our Outback. Sounds very similar to what we experienced. As Andy said, check all the stove fittings (requires pulling the top off the stove). I would be suspicious of the extra tank as well. Especially if you were told not to use it the way you did! Was it laying on it's side? Many (most?) propane tanks will freeze the valve if not kept in the position they were designed to be in. I don't know if this could lead to a leak, but...

Good luck!

Happy Trails,
Doug


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## Doxie-Doglover (Apr 19, 2006)

first of all, if someone tells you don't use a tank, it might leak, tell them to GIVE YOU ONE THAT DOESN'T LEAK. Tanks should not leak because they tip over.However, never,never,never lay a vertical tank down on it's side and use it. You risk getting the actual liquid propane into the lines instead of vapor.Ditto for vice versa with horizontal tanks, don't use upright.Also, you should not transport propane tanks inside your tt or your tv, for obvious reasons.If it leaks, it's in enclosed area and subjected to sources of ignition. Keep in mind, static electricity is enough to ignite propane. That is why, if YOU SMELL GAS, OPEN WINDOWS AND GET OUT. Do not ever turn off or on any appliance, light switch, use a phone, etc. Just leave.
With that said, when a tank gets low or is empty, you are likely to smell it.The reason is the residue in the bottom of the tank contains high concentrate of ethyl mercaptan, the additive in propane that makes it smell. Same for in your home, if you run appliance on propane ( I have propane range, propane dryer, propane heat). When my 50 gallon tank is down to 5-10%, the smell in strong. Of course I check for leaks, but have only had one.All the other times I smell gas has been because the tank was low.
So if tank checks out, it wasn't low and the valve isn't leaking, then start checking your appliances.
Probably gave you more info than you wanted! Tawnya (13 years in the propane industry)


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## huntr70 (Jul 8, 2005)

If the smell was there, and your alarm was not going off, I would check that too right away.

Use a small LP tank, like a Coleman, or a soldering torch and just crack it open near the alarm.

I test mine like that every couple months to make sure it works.

Sounds like yours does not work.

Steve


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## Steve McNeil (Aug 30, 2004)

stapless said:


> just got back from 5 day trip. opened the camper once parked in the driveway and got a strong propane smell
> 
> 
> 
> ...


This may seem crazy, but I had a samilar issue last year whiling pulling my tt. I had other drivers pull up beside me, to tell me that I had a propane leak --smelled real bad. I took my tt into the dealer and had it checked for propane leaks. When we opened the tt doors, it about knocked us down, it was strong. The alarm was not going off. They checked the tt and found no leaks. They suggested that I get my truck checked out. I took the truck into the shop and found out that it was from my carburetor. They had to replace some part. This would happen only if I pulled the tt any lengthy distance. I haven't had the problem since then.

Steve


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## prevish gang (Mar 19, 2006)

I am suspecting the extra tank although I am not a professional. I know when I have taken my grill tanks to have them refilled I was told to keep them in the vertical postion and to crack car windows if it was inside. In addition strapping it down is recommended to keep it from tipping. If the salesman said not to use, don't use. In addition to that I would absolutely do the soap test and check my sensor for the alarm for sure.
Good luck.


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

A couple more things we learned when our stove was leaking...

1. It is very easy to bump the knobs on the front of the stove, and open them just enough for a very tiny leak, that adds up over the course of a couple of hours. Always double check that the valves are all the way closed (especially if you have little hands around).

2. Just because you are smelling propane, and the alarm is not going off, does not mean the detector is not working. I spent a lot of time being educated by a certified propane tech, and what I learned is that the percentage of ethyl mercaptan in the propane is designed to become very evident, long before the propane concentration in the air is high enough to be an ignition hazard (or set off the detector).

True, the safest thing to do is to get out if you smell gas. And for liability protection everybody with a stake in it will tell you to do so. The tech told me, however, that the smell would be way worse than you could stand to be around, long before the gas concentration gets dangerous from an ignition standpoint.

Am I advocating ignoring the warnings, or taking the threat lightly? *ABSOLUTELY NOT!*. But it is comforting to know that there is a lot of safety margin built into the process, and the slightest wiff of propane, is not cause for panic.

Happy Trails,
Doug


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

PDX_Doug said:


> ..sniop...
> and the slightest wiff of propane, is not cause for panic.
> [snapback]116501[/snapback]​


Concern - Yes

Panic - No


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

Like others have stated, I would go ahead and check the propane alarm, but most likely it is working fine. Not sure of the exact alarm value, but most detectors require a concentration somewhere in the neighborhood of 10% LEL (lower explosive limit) before they will alarm. You will smell the mercaptan long before that level is reached, unless there is a catastophic failure of the propane plumbing into the coach itself.

Remember, propane is heavier then air, and will collect in low points, hence the location of the alarm just above floor level. I would suspect the 10# cylinder was the culprit, but check for leaks on the TT regardless for peace of mind, and stay safe.

Off my fire prevention and safety soapbox now.

Tim


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## Doxie-Doglover (Apr 19, 2006)

assuming it is a slow leak and it has just begun. Should it be a sudden leak,i.e. broken valve, broken appliance and you were not aware and the concentration had been building before you discovered it, the scenario would be different. Yes, ethyl mercaptan is very potent and for good reason. Accidents are more prone to take place when the owner was not aware there was a leak while he was absent.The quantity of propane vapors would be building( I am referring to enclosed area) and would then just be waiting for that source of ignition, and keep in mind, the sources of ignition are very simple: static, turning lite swith off or on, appliances with auto off and on, etc. This is why one should take that smell very seriouesly, you don't know the concetration that has built in enclosed area.Granted, if your are present when smell begins, you can turn off the source of gas, open window and then you can take immediate action to find source of the leak, if you came upon the smell, your response should be different. In the years I worked I was aware of many accidents across the country. Even our own very qualified personnel were not immune to the hazards, flashbacks happen and I saw eyebrows and hair and skin singed more than once! Of course we kidded the guy when it happend, but we all knew it could have been different.
I know this is long,but I want to share the worst story in my career, it happend the week I started all those years ago. A tranport truck was unloading into storage tanks at a location. Unbeknown (sp) to the driver, there was a leak taking place. Propane is heavier that air, so it travels low. Long story short, the leaking gas went into the office and found it's source of iginition.The coffee maker turned off or on (can't remember), the explosion was awful.The office gal ended up dying of her injuries, 2 others were severly burned. Granted , the gas concentration was likely greater than what any of us will experience, but even a small concentration is sufficient to cause a bad scenario.
Think about it this way too, when you get your tanks filled and transport them in your car if that is all you have, you will (should) be told to keep the tanks upright and secure them. The provider should also have supplied you with plastic plugs.He should also have told you to keep windows open.Why? if a valve begins leaking (most often happens when tank has not been serviced, or the tank was over filled), the sources of igntion in that vehicle are many, radio, lite a cigarette, phone rings. Do we ever hear of these stories, most likely not, but they do take place. Tanks are tough and typically people are aware. Obviousely both don't always take place.
ok, long winded, but one more thing. The reason the tanks have new vavles on them as of a few years ago is for 2 reasons. The first being it has auto shut off when the tank is 80% ( if I remember the % correctly) therefore preventing overfilling. The second, unlike the old valves,if you open this valve with nothing attached to it, a bbq, stove, etc., the gas won't come out. For the valve to release the gas,it has to have something hooked up to it. Wow, why didn't someone think of that before?








Please don't give me too much of a hard time for what I am saying and how long it is. Yes by all means, propane is safe when used properly, yes appliances and tanks are built to use gas safely but nothing is perfect or without being suscetable (sp?) to flaws. The safety rating is very high, which is why accidents rarerly happen. People are typically aware and that is also why accidents rarely happen.The ethyl smell will alert anyone early and action can be taken. If the area has been enclosed, please understand to use extra caution. That scenario can be very diffterent.
One (I promise) last thing. One time a railcar came into the facility, it was not unloaded that day into the storage tanks. When locking back doors, the very experienced service mgr smelled gas. When he followed his nose, he found the car was leaking.The cars hold thousands of gallons of gas. Keep in mind, how little it takes to ignite propane. All of our training instantly kicked in.Although my instinct was to run iike hell and get a state away







, we jumped into action. Called 911 from across the street. Drug every hose and sprinkler we could find to get the water on the car and keep it cool. Propane expands when outside temps are warm, if the car had been over filled and therefore the pressure causing a leak, the sudden release gas could be disastrous for wide area(providing the gas found source of ignition). Keeping water on the car would cool the temperature of the car. The fire dpt arrived and provided more water than we could while while our personell got car hooked up and some gas into the storage tanks to relieve pressure on the car. Many hours later we all went home ( except the service guy, he was there til midnite). To this day I can't beleive I didn't run like heck! 
Ok guys, start the responses....I am expecting some. Summary: gas is safe when used properly and the user knows what to do when they smell gas. If you smell gas in area that has been enclosed, use extra caution.
As many of you say " just my .02 worth).


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

Well put!

Stay safe out there.

Tim


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