Date: Mon, 2 Apr 2007 14:49:17 -0600
Reply-To: alfred bagdan <abagdan@SHAW.CA>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: alfred bagdan <abagdan@SHAW.CA>
Subject: Re: Fed up with Auto-fill valve
Content-type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1; reply-type=original
You have the infamous auto-fill valve. You can easily fix the problem
yourself,
or take your van to a propane parts or RV store and let them do it.
Here is a reprint of how I fixed the problem in 1987, way before this list
existed:
My 85 Vanagon had an automatic fill valve which caused nothing but trouble
at the fill stations. Some even refused their service as it was not worth it
to spend 15 minutes
and only put in 1/2 a gallon!
Here is how I fixed it:
Emptied tank by lighting burners. (outside with windows open)
Unscrewed fill valve and took it to a local propane parts store and bought a
plain manual fill valve for about $25 Canadian and a bleed valve.
Screwed new valve back in (used a bit of Teflon on the threads). Make sure
the bleed valve is installed as well.
Went to a propane place and filled tank with no problem. (On your first
fill, let them flush out the air first)
No problems since (about 19 years now), can get it filled by any propane
jockey.
This was a long time ago, I forgot all the details but use your common
sense.
Also, some VW purist will try to convince you to "fix" the valve. It is
possible, but why bother. Problem will reoccur, since most propane fill
stations don't know how to fill properly with the autostop valve.
Alfred
85 Vanagon
PS: Donated the automatic valve to the brass recycling pile at the propane
parts store.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dennis" <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Sunday, April 01, 2007 8:05 PM
Subject: Re: Fed up with Auto-fill valve
> http://www.articlesender.com/articles/article6375.html
>
>
> Quote from site above: "(OPD devices have been required on ASME tanks
> since l984 and DOT cylinders since l998)".
>
> Our Westy tanks like most mounted RV tanks are ASME rated vessels. So, any
> propane supplier that fills anything besides BBQ tanks should be able to
> fill it and the service area should be able to fix it.
>
> Dennis
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
> Michael Elliott
> Sent: Sunday, April 01, 2007 8:56 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Fed up with Auto-fill valve
>
> Dennis typed:
>> There is really nothing special about the auto-fill valve. It is
> standard
>> fare in the RV world.
>
>
> I'll be hornswoggled. Maybe I have been running into more than my share
> of inexperienced or incompetent propane tank attendants. It doesn't seem
> to be a standard fitting to some of the folk that fill my tank.
>
> The copy for a manual replacement propane fill valve at
> http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=426729 states that
> "...propane tank attendants actually know how to use the manual filling
> valve---a big bonus."
>
> Yeah -- a big bonus the next time some propane jockey spends 10 minutes
> trying to figure out how to put LPG into the tank.
>
> --
> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
> 71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
> 84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
> 74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
> KG6RCR
>
