Date: Wed, 30 May 2007 15:20:16 -0800
Reply-To: Mark Tuovinen <mst@AK.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Mark Tuovinen <mst@AK.NET>
Subject: Re: Back to that Auto-Stop LPG valve subject...
In-Reply-To: <465DFD1D.2030002@gmail.com>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Mike,
I am not qualified to speak to the legality of converting to the manual valve but I can say that I have done so on our `87 Westy Syncro. I purchased the parts from a local propane and parts vendor and while he said for liability reasons they were supposed to install it I instilled enough confidence in him that he sold me the parts and I did it myself. According to him there was no reason I had to purchase another Auto-Stop valve and two good reasons to switch to the manual valve, reliability and price. Cost for the parts was under $50.00 and installation took less than 20 minutes(my tank was already empty). Since then I have had no problem getting it filled and at least one place was pleasantly surprised to find the manual valve in place, of course I am in Alaska not California and we are a little more "third world" like in our operations.
Mark in AK
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike \"Rocket J Squirrel\" Elliott" <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Date: Wednesday, May 30, 2007 2:48 pm
Subject: Back to that Auto-Stop LPG valve subject...
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> ...that I raised a few months ago. Those who read my words
> breathlessly,will recall that the Charlie Manson-esque fellow at
> my local propane
> filler place had a lot trouble with Mellow Yellow's Auto-Stop
> valve. And
> that while some some on this list said that the Auto-Stop valve is a
> common, ordinary valve that propane guys deal with all the time,
> othersagreed that it was pretty odd.
>
> I just now got off the phone with a fellow who's been doing
> propane for
> 30 years (Roses Propane in Alpine, CA) he says that he's seen
> maybe two
> or three of these things in his career, which puts him in the
> latter camp.
>
> But anyway, the reason I had called this fellow is because I was
> drivingout that way in a couple of weeks and I figured that maybe
> he could
> drain the LPG tank so I could put on this manual fill valve + manual
> bleeder combo that I purchased for the purpose. The fellow said he
> could, but that he didn't think that manual valves were legal on such
> tanks as this. He didn't say that he knew for sure, but it was
> what he
> understood, and that some propane guys might object to filling the
> tankif they see such a thing.
>
> Is he mistaken? If he is, is there some DOT chapter and verse I could
> download and take along to ease his concern?
>
> --
>
> 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
>
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