Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Okay so I am trying to figure out the propane plumbing for my teardrop build and I think I've figured out everything I need to do it right but was hoping that someone else out there had already done this and might be able to tell me if I'm barking up the right tree.

The plan is to run a Coleman stove designed for use with disposable cylinders located in the galley area but to keep a 20 pound cylinder up on the tongue. From what I've been able to read and figure out a propane Coleman stove will not work with propane regulated to low pressure. So in order for this to work correctly I need a high pressure feed to the stove but running a high pressure line the length of the trailer seems to be potentially dangerous and a big no no. So the solution is to regulate the tank cylinder down to 10psi then run it to the rear and connect it to the stove where it will again be regulated to what the stove wants.

So the setup would be 10psi regulator at tank to a flex hose to black iron pipe run the length of the trailer to a shutoff valve and fitting in the galley to which another flex hose would be connected with an adapter to the throwaway cylinder thread.

Anything I'm missing, will it work? Any insights? I tried searching but haven't come up with where anyone has done quite this before.

The regulator in the stove won't work with just 10 psi on the input side. If you regulate the pressure down from "tank pressure" at the tank end, you need to bypass the regulator at the stove.

The gas in the 1# disposable cans is at "tank pressure" also, so there's a local regulator at the stove.

<Chas>

use the proper stove for the regulated pressure, http://www.rvpartscenter.com/ProductDet ... 69&CID=558 is an example of a 2 burner cooktop

I started a reply earlier but decided not to post. The job can be done but the level of complexity, number of fittings just struck me as being false economy with weaknesses. I do not know the internals of the Coleman but you would probably have to cut the inlet pipe and mount a new valve. If you do decide to do this I can tell you how which fittings to find etc. This the exploded drawing of the Coleman stove.

http://www.coleman.com/Diagram?imageFil ... ne%20Stove

ON some Coleman stoves the adapter to disposable cylinder with control knob (valve) IS the regulator... I have heard the Coleman stove operates at about 15 psi (do not know this for a fact).... With our camping we always put Coleman stove on picnic table, use short high pressure hose from bulk tank to the Coleman hose and were quite happy with performance with bulk tank...

Most Coleman stove use a regulator at disposable cylinder (at least this is my understanding)... It is #12 in drawing below....

http://www.coleman.com/Diagram?imageFil ... ne%20Stove

Key to solution here is to determined first what pressure Colman stove requires to operate properly.... Guessing just does not cut it and so far I have not seen any fact to pressure required by stove to operate properly... IF 15 psi is correct there is not much of a problem using adjustable regulator and plumbing propane from front of trailer to galley area (under trailer) using hard piping (1/4 inch black steel maybe)... IF stove requires tank pressures (125 to 175 psi) I would abandon Coleman stove for some other option....

Dale

I'm hoping to use the Coleman stove because space is tight in my tear and I do not have proper room for a drop in type. I would also like to have the option to remove it from the galley and use it on a picnic table with 1 pound cylinders if I had a need to.

From my understanding of Coleman stoves the regulator is right at the bottle in the metal arm that it connects to and yes the bottles are obviously at tank pressure I understand that. I have found variable pressure regulators that would allow me to feed up to 30psi to the hard line under the camper. If in fact the Coleman regulator is set to 15psi as Dale suggests I don't see why this wouldn't work as long as I am feeding the coleman regulator a higher pressure that it is regulating to it should work, or is that not correct? The heat output on these Coleman stoves isn't that great so I can't imagine the pressure they are running is that high. But maybe i'm wrong.

My original thought was just to run a high pressure hose from the tongue back to the stove at the galley but the more I thought about it that seemed a bit sketchy verse regulating it down to something safer.

I did figure out that I could locate a 10 pound tank in the galley area and save myself a lot of plumbing but I'm not so sure I like the idea of having the cylinder inside at the rear while traveling.

Well I did some more reading and research and have learned that some coleman/fleetwood popup campers have a "high pressure" feed for an outside high pressure stove. This feed uses the standard 1lb disposable cylinder connection and people have reported connecting coleman appliances designed to connect directly to 1lb cylinders to this feed with good results. Further research determined that this high pressure feed is regulated to 15-16psi and that is what the regulator on a standard coleman propane camp stove is set to.

So I ordered an adjustable pressure regulator that will do 0-30psi and the fittings to get it connected up to my stove. When the parts come in I'll plumb the regulator right to the stove and give it a trial run. If all looks good I'll work on plumbing it into my tear. I'll be sure to post my findings in this thread when everything shows up.

Cool. I'm interested in the results, but also am not worried about having a high pressure line plumed in my TTT.

When we camp my son has a stand pipe that connects directly to the big propane tank that has hose for the stove and the lantern. He said they also make a short pipe with one connector and flex hose about 4 feet long. try just lengthening the hose, that is what I plan to do. I am going to run it in pipe under my trailer. I have lived with propane at home for cooking and heating for 20 years. When we put it in the house no problem I have a outdoor grill hooked to the house propane and have connected my Coleman stove too. works great. If the connections are made with no leaks then not to worry.

Suggest you call a propane company and talk to them Most will give you lots of information.

Mary C.

Just be aware the propane appliances in your home and gas grill hooked to home propane system run at extreme low pressure... Generally at about 13 I.W. (Inches Water) or approximately 1/3 PSI.... Generally regulated with large "pancake" style regulator at tank... There is a difference in home propane appliances and portable camping gear that use #1 disposable canisters or connected through bulk tanks through a "high" pressure' (tank pressure) distribution system... The difference is what pressures are in hoses and connections and what appliance is self regulated to manufacturers design level or required pressures....

Dale

Well I finally got around to testing my setup last night and it works great.

I used a 0-30psi variable regulator assembly intended for some sort of large outdoor burner I purchased off amazon (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007PS0938/ref ... 1_ST1_dp_2). This regulator has a stainless steel hose with a 3/8 flare fitting attached. I picked up some adapters at home depot to connect it to my 1/4" NPT disposable tank fitting, and a 5' disposable thread hose. I plumbed it all together got out the soapy water and checked for leaks then fired up the stove. With both burners running I could adjust the regulator down until the burners very clearly started to drop off then I adjusted it back up slowly until they seemed to level off and not get any hotter. At this point I still had a fair bit of adjustment left with my regulator so I'm pretty sure at or above that level my regulator is feeding the Coleman stove as much pressure as it needs to run properly. Once on the camper with the copper line run in between I plan to do the same test again and set the regulator at a little above the level off point of the stove so I'm not running any more pressure than I need to.

Here's a quick video I shot of the setup and how it all worked