SECTION 5
LP GAS SYSTEM
5-2
SELECTING LP
FUEL TYPES
We recommend using straight propane in your
LP gas tank. Propane gas is commonly available
at all LP gas outlets in the U.S. (According to the
National LP Gas Association, LP gas outlets in
the United States do not offer any other type of
liquefied petroleum gas than propane to the gen-
eral public.) Check local phone directory yellow
pages for locations of local LP gas refilling sta-
tions or bulk dealerships.
NOTE: If you travel outside the U.S. with your
motor home, you may find butane or pro-
pane/butane mixtures available in addi-
tion to propane. Because gas-burning
RV appliances are designed to run on
propane only, we recommend that you
request straight propane only. Butane
burns about 30 percent hotter than pro-
pane and can overheat some appliances,
particularly refrigerators, and cause
permanent damage. Other appliances
designed to operate on propane can be-
come sooted and lose efficiency by using
butane fuel.
LP GAS OUTPUT
Each gallon of liquid LP gas contains approx-
imately 92,000 BTU’s of heat energy; or about
36.2 cubic feet of dry gas for cooking, heating,
water heating and refrigeration.
To find out how long a gallon of LP gas will
last, you should determine the total BTU
input
on all your LP gas appliances in use. Let’s say
you have a furnace that has a 10,000 BTU
input
per hour of operation. A gallon of LP gas would
last 9.2 hours of continuous operation (92,000
BTU’s
¸
by 10,000 BTU’s = 9.2). To estimate
how long a gallon of LP gas lasts, try to deter-
mine what your total daily BTU input is, then di-
vide into 92,000 to arrive at an approximate daily
LP gas consumption.
LP TANK SYSTEM
The storage reservoir for the LP gas system is
a horizontally mounted tank which is permanent-
ly attached to the vehicle frame. The tank is ac-
cessible only from the outside of the vehicle. The
tank supply valve is located near the top center of
the tank, next to the regulator. Before opening the
supply valve, check to be sure all controls for gas
appliances are in the “Off” or “Pilot Off” posi-
tion. If this step is not performed, LP gas could
accumulate inside the motor home creating a fire
or explosion hazard.
*LP Gas tank capacity shown is the usable “full”
LP gas capacity, which is 80% of the tank manu-
facturer’s listed water capacity (w.c. shown in
parenthesis). An LP tank must have at least 20%
of tank volume free to allow for expansion and
proper vaporization of the liquid fuel. The tank is
also equipped with mandatory safety shut-off
equipment that prevents filling above this level.
REFILLING LP TANK
There are many LP gas refueling stations lo-
cated throughout the country. These stations are
listed in the telephone directory Yellow Pages
under “Gas - Liquified Petroleum - Bottled and
Bulk.”
LP Gas Tank Capacity:
................*4.7 gal.*
(5.9 gal. w.c.)
Overflow
Valve
Tank
Gauge
Pressure
Regulator
Tank Supply
Valve
Tank Fill
Valve
