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Propane Tank Conversion
Converting from a single 20# tank to a 1# cannister In an effort to lighten the tongue weight on his 15' Gaucho (Sarah), Dominic removed the original propane tanks and added a converter so he can run his inside propane appliances using one pound propane cartridges. The bonus was in adding the new storage box (purchased at Lowes), he gained some extra storage space on the tongue. The coupler: Mr. Heater Disposable Bottle Adapter
Converting from a single 20# tank to dual 20# tanks Bill Whirl converted his single 20# tank setup into a dual 20# tank setup. After visiting a local RV Parts and Service facility, it appeared that the process was a DIY project. Wisely, however, I had them do it for me. It began with the purchase of a base kit, apparently a Manchester 20lb Double Bottle Rack Kit1801.1. My kit included the base, post, wing nut, bottle bracket AND the regulator mount which went on the post. The installation was relatively easy and took about an hour to complete. The additional parts required were two 12" Pig Tail Propane Hose Connectors, a replacement "T" to attach both bottles (It required a special size to fit the existing regulator.), and a straight delivery hose connection (as opposed to the elbow used on the single bottle assembly). The original tank holder was bolted with TWO bolts, one small and one large, on right and on left tongue shafts. We used the large holes to mount the new tray and I sealed the small bolt holes with silicone caulk before he placed the tray. He mounted the original regulator to the new "post" bracket (Note, the Top of the bracket rests ON TOP of the cross bar.) and ran the propane line through the hole in the tray. We had to re-route the Brake-away line and the Car- connector electrical line to run beneath the new tray.
Now....Why stay with the Single Stage Regulator? The only advantage of the Double-Stage Auto-Changeover Regulator is that you can leave both bottles turned on and when one becomes empty the other one is put into action automatically. We don't that continuous feature. We only leave one tank turned on. When the stove, or some other gas appliance, shuts down, we just turn off the empty tank and turn on the full one. This also lets us use one tank for regular camper services and the other for the Fire Dancer or outside camp stove, etc.
I had the extra bottle, so the total cost, INCLUDING completely filling both bottles, was $131.00
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