This week at our service shop we ran into an interesting problem. We are sharing this with you in the hopes that none of you will have to deal with this problem yourself.

After installing an under-slung propane tank and a furnace in a cube van, we instructed the customer to go down the street to the very reputable propane filler to have his tank “purged and filled”. Unfortunately the filler was on the road and wouldn’t be in until early the next day. In a panic, the customer continued on, looking for another propane filler. Eventually he found a filler willing to purge and fill his new tank. However, the filler was not experienced at this and did not properly purge the new tank before filling it.

The next morning, the man arrived back at our dealership complaining that the new furnace he had purchased wasn’t working. The fan would come on but it would not ignite or produce any heat. After having a look our technician determined that the tank had not been purged and as a result no propane was traveling through the lines to the appliance.

To avoid this problem it is essential that any new propane tank/cylinder or tank/cylinder that is revalved be properly purged BEFORE it is filled with propane.  This procedure removes air and moisture from the tank/cylinder.  Without doing so, you can have erratic or poor operation of all your appliances.  The worst case scenario being that the moisture would in fact ruin all the propane valves and regulators in your RV.

Be sure to use a reputable propane dealer in your area.