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Old 11-30-2015, 03:40 PM   #1
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Noise from propane tank..........why?

So we were boondocking this past weekend in the desert. Saturday night when we got into bed wife & I heard this clicking noise. Very faint but seemed to be below us. I got up & checked & found the right side propane tank making the noise. I turned it off & noise stopped. Turned the other one on & noise didn't come back. Figured that tank was running low on propane. Filled it the next day & only took 5.7 gal so wasn't empty. Only propane being used at the time would be the fridg & water heater.

So why was it making that very faint clicking noise I sure
Anyone with ideas?
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Old 11-30-2015, 04:08 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by DesertRat View Post
So we were boondocking this past weekend in the desert. Saturday night when we got into bed wife & I heard this clicking noise. Very faint but seemed to be below us. I got up & checked & found the right side propane tank making the noise. I turned it off & noise stopped. Turned the other one on & noise didn't come back. Figured that tank was running low on propane. Filled it the next day & only took 5.7 gal so wasn't empty. Only propane being used at the time would be the fridg & water heater.

So why was it making that very faint clicking noise I sure
Anyone with ideas?
No idea as to why, but I have heard the noise before and I have heard them whine a bit when under a heavy draw.

Aaron
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Old 12-02-2015, 01:19 AM   #3
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I've worked with propane powered equipment for 18 years and have never heard a ticking noise, except when tipping or carrying a tank and the fuel level float is knocking around.

I can't vouch for the accuracy of this, but there may be cause for some further investigation.
Why Does a Propane Tank Knock or Ping? | eHow
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Old 12-02-2015, 02:46 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by dawniewest View Post
I've worked with propane powered equipment for 18 years and have never heard a ticking noise, except when tipping or carrying a tank and the fuel level float is knocking around.

I can't vouch for the accuracy of this, but there may be cause for some further investigation.
Why Does a Propane Tank Knock or Ping? | eHow
Yea I read that article but sure doesn't give a good reason. Found on the Forest River site that might be the regulator or line to the tank.
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Old 12-02-2015, 03:13 PM   #5
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Last night I heard a loud noise that sounded like my neighbor was vacuuming out his truck.

When I went outside I realized it was coming from my basement and after looking around it was the regulator for the propane tank vibrating to where if I held it with my hand the noise stopped. I turned off the tank and reset the adapter and it quit vibrating.

Now that cold weather has set in I'm using a tank every three to four days and it's really getting to be a pain in the arse to go fill them up!!!
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Old 12-02-2015, 03:53 PM   #6
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...Now that cold weather has set in I'm using a tank every three to four days and it's really getting to be a pain in the arse to go fill them up!!!
Mike, are you only using your furnace to keep the rig warm? If so, you may want to look into getting 1 or 2 small electric ceramic heaters like these...




Of course, there are many different types, but I have 2 of these that I've been using the past couple years, and they work great.

If you're on the RV park's electric, then it'll cost you nothing to run them... and if you are on the meter like I am here on my monthly rate, the cost to run them is very minimal. Just make sure to get one with an adjustable thermostat that doesn't run at full power all day.

The only time I use my furnace now is in the morning when I get up to take the chill off... and after that, I run one of these most of the time. Keeps my LR toasty all day long.
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Old 12-02-2015, 05:04 PM   #7
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Mike, are you only using your furnace to keep the rig warm? If so, you may want to look into getting 1 or 2 small electric ceramic heaters like these...
I have Stanley electric heater that I'll run in the garage during the day but my wife won't let me use it overnight as she is afraid it could start a fire.

I didn't realized that it is a ceramic heater until I looked it up just now on the Home Depot site...

Stanley 1500-Watt Utility Ceramic Portable Heater with Pivot Power-675919 - The Home Depot

I'll assume from your post these ceramic type heaters are safe to run overnight?
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Old 12-02-2015, 10:56 PM   #8
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I'll assume from your post these ceramic type heaters are safe to run overnight?
That's all I run in our camper, it has a thermostat so it cycles on and off and if it tips over it shuts itself off, even has a timer and remote control. I'm not sure the furnace is any safer...

here's the one we use Lasko Digital Ceramic Tower Heater 5586 - Best Buy
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Old 12-03-2015, 12:01 AM   #9
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We use an infrared heater something like this.

Dr Infrared Heater Original 1500-Watt Infrared Portable Space Heater with Dual Heating System-DR968 - The Home Depot

I replaced the table between our recliners, so we stay just right when we're reading or watching TV. I had to do a little surgery to remove the wheels and put some legs on it to get it up off the carpet. Drilled a hole in the top to bolt down the lamp, then screwed the heater down.

We've also got one of the parabolic infrared heaters. That thing makes a horrible noise if you haven't got it set up level. It has a safety switch with a buzzer in it, that won't allow it to turn on if it is not level or upright.
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Old 12-03-2015, 12:23 AM   #10
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I'll assume from your post these ceramic type heaters are safe to run overnight?
As other have said, they're fine to run overnight. A friend of mine runs his 24/7 in the winter.

As for me, I like a cool bedroom at night, so I don't run any heat at all once I go to bed. But I've got one of those little heaters in my bathroom... and when I get up in the morning, it's the first thing that gets turned on!! Makes the bathroom toasty in about 5 minutes.
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Old 12-03-2015, 01:40 AM   #11
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As other have said, they're fine to run overnight. A friend of mine runs his 24/7 in the winter.
I've been meaning to get one of these ceramic heaters as I've read they're safe to run overnight, just didn't know I had one all along until I looked it up today. I'm going to try my Stanley tonight and see if my propane last a little longer!!! Thanks.
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Old 12-03-2015, 08:52 AM   #12
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My local fire marshal says that the absolute safest electric heaters on the market are the oil filled radiators. I use a couple in my shop to keep things from freezing up.

I like the compact size of the ceramic heaters for use in the trailer too, to take the chill off in the morning. Look for one with a digital thermostat. I have one of the less expensive ones without and it has a hard time regulating itself sometimes.

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Old 12-03-2015, 03:49 PM   #13
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As my post has been hijacked I'll chime in on the heater issue.
If having 110 power why aren't you using the fireplace if you have one? Mine sure does a good job of warming the living area up. It also keeps the furnace from coming on as much.
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Old 12-03-2015, 04:13 PM   #14
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Sorry desert rat... My first post was about the propane noise.

I've only been able to test out the fireplace, at night I bring the dog kennel in from the garage and the only place to set it is in front of the fireplace.
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Old 12-03-2015, 04:22 PM   #15
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As my post has been hijacked I'll chime in on the heater issue...
Mea culpa, mea culpa... mea MAXIMA culpa.

Sorry...
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Old 12-03-2015, 04:29 PM   #16
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Tom, Mike.................Not a problem at all. Wife & I sure don't like to be either.
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Old 12-05-2015, 01:59 AM   #17
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On the OP the vibrating noise my regulator made was because the adapter wasn't tighten and it must have leaked propane as that tank only lasted a day compared to the three or more days I normally get from a tank.

On the hijacked post this was my last full tank that ran out in the middle of the night so I had to use the fireplace and Stanley ceramic heater and they kept the camper a toasty 71 degrees without the furnace.

As a West Texan I don't have a lot of experience cold weather camping, so I was glad I hijacked the thread and figured out a better way to heat the camper. In the past I didn't go out in the winter very often, but we're full timing in the camper now while we build a new house so I need to get set up to make it through the winter.
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Old 12-05-2015, 12:46 PM   #18
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Originally Posted by HornedToad View Post
On the OP the vibrating noise my regulator made was because the adapter wasn't tighten and it must have leaked propane as that tank only lasted a day compared to the three or more days I normally get from a tank.

On the hijacked post this was my last full tank that ran out in the middle of the night so I had to use the fireplace and Stanley ceramic heater and they kept the camper a toasty 71 degrees without the furnace.

As a West Texan I don't have a lot of experience cold weather camping, so I was glad I hijacked the thread and figured out a better way to heat the camper. In the past I didn't go out in the winter very often, but we're full timing in the camper now while we build a new house so I need to get set up to make it through the winter.
Since you're living in the rig for the duration you might want to invest in a hundred pound tank. I did that run to town for propane every three days when I first got here. I bought me a big tank and fill it before winter arrives. I have the small ones for backup still but with the big tank I have a little more control of when I have to go to town.
Also, propane tanks are designed to empty themselves at night only
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Old 12-06-2015, 11:05 AM   #19
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Since we are put in one spot for the winter, we have a gas service come around and fill a tank they put next to the trailer...it is 120 gallons (about 480 lbs) of propane. I don't worry about it, it gets filled when needed. Last fill was at $1.65/lb. it is cheaper for me to run propane services than it is for me to run electricity...

With that being said, I have a thermostat heater in the garage set at 65...it between the furnace and that heater, the front bedroom stays at 66, main living stays at 68, garage stays at 68...we have been contemplating the like filled heaters, we used them in our Florida Room in the winter, did a decent job...it is a slow steady heat, you aren't going to heat anything up fast, unless you drop your pants and sit on the unit....

Cale
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