Tapping LP system for a grill?

[Hypoxia]

I suppose we would be remiss if we didn't  mention the "higher pressure" low pressure regulators that some fire pits, etc. use which have some part of it painted red.

[Scotty Hutto]

I HAVE GAS!!!

Thanks everyone for the help and suggestions.  Here’s a pic of the finished project. 
 

 

Materials List:

1/2" BLK TEE

1/2"X3/8" BLK BUSHING

3/8" CLOSE BLK NIPPLE

3/8” PROPANE QUICK CONNECT BRASS

1/2” 90° BLK ELBOW

1/2"X1/4" BLK BUSHING

1/4" MIP X CLOSE HEX NIPPLE BRASS

1/4” RV PROPANE QUICK CONNECT BRASS

RectorSeal #5 Pipe Thread Sealant  - yellow (approved for propane & natural gas)

A smattering of elbow grease and a few drops of blood from skinned knuckles...

I also purchased a 24’ 1/4” propane hose with quick disconnects and an adapter for my Coleman Roadtrip Grill  (see earlier post).  I have yet to purchase the 3/8” hose for my fire pit, but seeing that it’s 80°F+ today and a low in the mid 70’s tonight, I might not need that yet...

 

[Paul J A]

GREAT! Now you can get rid of your "GAS"😀

[Hotrod - R.I.P.]

6 hours ago, Scotty Hutto said:

I HAVE GAS!!!

Thanks everyone for the help and suggestions.  Here’s a pic of the finished project. 
 

 

Materials List:

1/2" BLK TEE

1/2"X3/8" BLK BUSHING

3/8" CLOSE BLK NIPPLE

3/8” PROPANE QUICK CONNECT BRASS

1/2” 90° BLK ELBOW

1/2"X1/4" BLK BUSHING

1/4" MIP X CLOSE HEX NIPPLE BRASS

1/4” RV PROPANE QUICK CONNECT BRASS

RectorSeal #5 Pipe Thread Sealant  - yellow (approved for propane & natural gas)

A smattering of elbow grease and a few drops of blood from skinned knuckles...

I also purchased a 24’ 1/4” propane hose with quick disconnects and an adapter for my Coleman Roadtrip Grill  (see earlier post).  I have yet to purchase the 3/8” hose for my fire pit, but seeing that it’s 80°F+ today and a low in the mid 70’s tonight, I might not need that yet...

 

Way to go. Now put 3/8 fittings on all the appliances and a 3/8 on the appliance end of one of your 1/4 hoses and you can use the 3/8 hose to extend or a 1/4 hose to eXtend .  Never know when you want something 30 ft away. I have 3 hoses ... a 12ft 1/4 to 3/8, a 10ft 3/8, and a 10ft 1/4. I can use 1, 2 or all 3 to any appliance .  

Edited May 30, 2020 by Hotrod

[Dave Pumphrey]

I'm a little late posting what I did, but it may be helpful to someone else.

I re-purposed the propane line from the nevercold, as I have a residential fridge.

I put a coupler (with a ball valve) in the bay with the access port to run the hose out.

I may extend it a little below the outlet in that bay, but I always turn the ball valve off when not in use.

I removed the regulator from the grill, & replaced it with a  valve without a regulator I got from Amazon.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0024E62CU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It works fine now.

When I first tried the low pressure on the fire pit, (it was for high pressure), it had a very low flame.

There was a small orifice in a brass fitting on it, so I removed it, & put my coupler right on the tube to the burner. 

It now works fine on the low pressure supply. It may not burn as high as on high pressure, but it is sufficient for me.

Probably uses a lot less propane now as well.

See pics here.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Bn79QUuuLn8tDhga9

 

[Paul J A]

Great to see/read a follow up. Thanks Dave.

[Steven P]

On 5/24/2020 at 10:46 AM, Scotty Hutto said:

Follow-up #1.  Got the quick disconnect, etc. to tie in to the coach’s prep fitting, quick connect propane hose (24’), and an adapter for my Coleman grill that eliminates the regulator. I like this because I can still use the grill with the original regulator with 1lb bottles (or 20# tank and hose).

I also got a wye and a second hose so I can run the grill and fire pit at the same time.  I’ll post pics and a parts list when it’s all done.

 

Scotty, where did you get all of these supplies?  I've been considering setting mine up the same. 

[johncvandoren@gmail.com]

On 5/23/2020 at 7:40 AM, Mel S - '96 Safari said:

John

If you can't double-regulate the gas supply because your grill has it's own built in, (or permanently attached), regulator isn't the high-flow regulator you added before the quick disconnect problematic.

It allows minor adjustment below full tank pressure, allowing me to use on a small “green tank” grill.  I now have the “Baby Weber” so may now remove the hi-flow regulator & use the oneS on the grill and fire ring.

[Scotty Hutto]

On 6/1/2020 at 8:12 AM, Steven P said:

Scotty, where did you get all of these supplies?  I've been considering setting mine up the same. 

Propane quick-connects, brass fittings, and grill adapter came from propanegear.com 

Black iron pipe and RectorSeal #5 Pipe Thread Sealant (yellow) came from Ace hardware.

 

The only thing I would do differently next time is use a brass 3/8” close hex nipple instead of the 3/8” close black nipple.  You can get a wrench on the hex nipple to tighten it; not so with the black iron close nipple without damaging threads.

Checked for leaks, then cooked the first meal on the grill tonight!  Success!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Steven P]

Awesome!  Great view too!

[Mark Holt]

I have the black pipe coming from the driver side after the regulator coming over to the pass side. It was capped off and I found the required fittings to connect to the barbeque. Problem is no gas coming through. there is not an additional cutoff in the black pipe as i can see it all the way back to connection point. Yes on board tank is full and burners in kitchen work properly.

[johncvandoren@gmail.com]

35 minutes ago, Mark Holt said:

I have the black pipe coming from the driver side after the regulator coming over to the pass side. It was capped off and I found the required fittings to connect to the barbeque. Problem is no gas coming through. there is not an additional cutoff in the black pipe as i can see it all the way back to connection point. Yes on board tank is full and burners in kitchen work properly.

My 06 Knight has a flare fitting inside that opening like yours, but it has its own shutoff.  However, I found that trying to use a grill—like yours—with its own regulator did not work.  Something about two regulators is the problem.  So I added a T at the source. Ran a separate 1/2” copper line to the rear where I use the grill.

[Dave Pumphrey]

39 minutes ago, Mark Holt said:

I have the black pipe coming from the driver side after the regulator coming over to the pass side. It was capped off and I found the required fittings to connect to the barbeque. Problem is no gas coming through. there is not an additional cutoff in the black pipe as i can see it all the way back to connection point. Yes on board tank is full and burners in kitchen work properly.

Did you remove the regulator from the grill? You can't have 2 regulators.

[Dave Pumphrey]

23 minutes ago, johncvandoren@gmail.com said:

My 06 Knight has a flare fitting inside that opening like yours, but it has its own shutoff.  However, I found that trying to use a grill—like yours—with its own regulator did not work.  Something about two regulators is the problem.  So I added a T at the source. Ran a separate 1/2” copper line to the rear where I use the grill.

You have to remove the grill's regulator...

[Mark Holt]

35 minutes ago, Dave Pumphrey said:

Did you remove the regulator from the grill? You can't have 2 regulators.

yes no regulator on the grill

13 minutes ago, Dave Pumphrey said:

You have to remove the grill's regulator...

Did that. sounds like yours was same as mine. It had a flared 1/2" with a cap off end. removed both and replaced with a brass quick connect and no gas when hose hooked up.

[Ivan K]

Could there be one of those electric solenoid valves in the path? Like the one used with propane fridge? 

[Dave Pumphrey]

Most of the quick disconnects have a valve built in, are they on?

Also make sure the connectors are compatible.

Maybe leave line open, & have someone turn on the tank briefly to see if there is flow?

 

Edited March 3, 2022 by Dave Pumphrey

[johncvandoren@gmail.com]

Quick-connect not shown or identified.  If not bought as a set, the male end may lack the protrusion required to open the valve inside the female fitting.

[vanwill52]

One problem I encountered with this setup years ago was that the original regulator in the coach had an "excess flow" safety cut-off mechanism built-in.  I tapped into the system on the downstream side of the regulator and added a quarter-turn ball valve.  There was about 20 feet of hose I added.  I found that if I opened the quarter-turn valve quickly, it shut off flow from the regulator.  To get it to work properly, I had to very slowly open the quarter-turn valve.  When I did that, everything worked as expected.

[Tom Cherry]

Summarizing from about 20 threads on the OLD Monaco site and also some here.

The Downstream outlet, which is regulated to about 11" WC pressure (1/2 PSI), which is what Van posted about, will ONLY WORK if your grill has (or if you modify it) a connection for REGULATED Propane. If you screw in an LP Cylinder and get an adapter and then use a hose and feed it the MH's regulated LP....it AIN'T gonna work.  An LP tank (20 - 500 pounds) is in the 100 - 200 PSI range....which is the SAME as the LP Cylinders.

I remember Van's experience.  I tried to duplicate it and it did not cause the regulator's "Excess Flow" on mine to shut off.  Mine is 9 years younger. but odds are that we both have the Marshall "propane assembly".  I can run my Holland Grill (table top) using either high pressure Tank or MH Regulated fuel. I had to take out the adjustment screw in the Holland Regulator.  My Holland is designed for the Regulator to be attached to a cylinder, then there is a keyed slot and you insert the regulator into the burner tube pipe.  My Regulator also has the orifice in that Male end.  I may have "fritzed" a bit with it....but GENERALLY SPEAKING, I get about the SAME flow rate so it works, cooks a little hotter and I watch the temperature gage.

IF you are using a grill that has a Cylinder Fitting and don't want to go crazy....then you removed the regulator, put in a Brass T, WITH A QUARTER TURN SHUTOFF, and then a QD fitting (which also will have a shutoff). Then you use an adapter hose with the Male QD on one end and a Male cylinder fitting on the other. It works GREAT.  No messing with the orifice or such....You have DOUBLE protection as the inline quarter turn shuts off the flow to the QD.  The additional length of the T fitting will require you, probably, to cut a slot in the cover and move the cover a little downstream. I did not reuse the bolts or maybe the push in plastic retainers and used a couple of Zip Ties to hold the cover on.

[Paul J A]

You will enjoy spending some time on this site. https://www.marshallexcelsior.com/  Great old line U S A Co. which makes a complete line of product you can consider when addressing the various opportunity's of  using the L P you carry with you, by any container.

[Georgia Mike]

I did the same as Doug and just took off the regulator at the grill and installed a quick connect fitting. I purchased a quick connect LP hose from Amazon and got some of the fittings from Home Depot to convert it. I only have the stove top and the refrigerator that use propane for the 38 gallon tank so It will be nice not to use those disposable bottles.  It works great!