Wednesday 14 August 2013

Propane stove and fridge

I bought a "Suburban" 2-burner stove and a small Dometic 3-way fridge.  I also bought a new regulator and a 20 pound propane tank.  There aren't any RV dealerships or service centres in my area, so I began calling around to local heating and air conditioning companies to see if I could get someone to hook up the gas lines for me.  I got a few "maybe" answers, but no one seemed willing to book me for a specific day and time.
I ended up buying my 3/8" copper tubing, flare fittings and a flaring tool, and I did the installation myself. (I am getting a licensed gas fitter to check my work.)
It went pretty smoothly once I figured out how much tubing had to extend beyond the flaring tool block to get the right size flare.  I didn't have much room to work at the back of the fridge -- just enough room for two wrenches and nothing else.
The back view of my Dometic RM 2193 fridge, flaring the ends of the copper tubing.
With just two appliances, the lines were quite simple: tank to regulator to a tee going to the fridge and stove.  The stove section went first, then the length from the regulator to the tee, then a short length to the fridge.
I got frustrated with the flexible pigtail connector between the tank and the regulator.  My RV supplier didn't send me a pigtail with my big parts order, and I was told that I could buy one at Crappy Tire.  And yes, I did find a connector hose made for RVs at Crappy Tire.
Tools and fittings, including the non-standard connector hose from Crappy Tire (POS!)
In fact, it was made by the same company as my regulator.  But the stupid thing had a non-standard threaded male fitting.  It was described as a 1/4" inverted male flare, but standard 1/4" flare fittings have a different thread.  This thread appeared to be a compression thread.  Crappy Tire had no other connector hose available.  In the end, I found a standard hose at a heating company.  The gas fitter there said he had never seen the kind of fitting on the Crappy Tire hose before.
Well, I got the gas connected, tested for leaks using a soapy water solution (yes, I found two and quickly tightened them up) and both appliances are running fine.  There's no gas smell, no bubbles, and the CO/gas detector hasn't made a sound.
Another view of the kitchen, with the Suburban cooktop.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks, I am looking at buying one for my boler, are u happy with it still?

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