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Old 03-27-2013, 06:15 AM   #1
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LP Quick Connect Conversion - Stoves & Grills

This an article that I wrote for another forum that the Mods liked well enough to turn into a sticky. Hopefully, it will help someone here with all of the questions we get on propane quick connects. Who know, maybe one of the mods here will do the same.



We frequently see questions from both new and experienced owners asking how to modify their gas grill or stove to run on their existing trailer propane system. The responses usually contain a lot of information, usually good, but sometimes not so good. A short time back I responded to one of these threads and later received a request from a forum member to make it into a sticky. After receiving the blessings of the Moderators, I decided to put everything I have learned, both through personal experience, reading and talking to the parts people at the dealerships.

Propane Basics- All of your trailers gas appliances run on low pressure propane. This pressure is regulated at the tanks to 11"WC. This pressure is measured with a manometer and there have been occasional threads on how to make your own, but that's beyond the scope of this post. What you need to know is that the propane in your trailer is kept at a constant pressure.

Stoves & Grills - With a few exceptions, when you buy a propane grill or stove it is going to have a self contained regulator and is intended to operate on high pressure systems, either connected to a supply tank, which can vary in size from one pound to 30 lb., or connected to the high pressure or input side of the regulator on your trailer's system. If you choose the latter, you are pretty much limited to the aftermarket products that let you "tap" into the output of the tanks and is pretty much a permanent installation. Many people use this type of setup without issue, but my personal preference is to not introduce any more fittings to the system than necessary. The more fittings and connections you have, the more chance there is of developing a leak or other such problem, so I just think it's better to keep it simple. JMHO.

More than likely, your trailer it is equipped with an outdoor kitchen of some configuration or at least has an outdoor propane connection. If that is the case, you already have a suitable supply of low pressure propane ready to connect to that new stove or grill. Now the problem, as I stated above, is that most propane appliances are going to have a self contained regulator. The problem is that you can not regulate the pressure twice, because the result will be not enough pressure to produce a suitable flame for cooking or grilling. You have a choice, you can either use one of the aftermarket high pressure adapters, or you can remove the regulator on the grill and fit it with a quick connect fitting that will allow the use of your existing low pressure propane system. This leads us to the real topic of this article, converting your appliance to work on low pressure.

Grills - I'm going to limit this discussion to the Weber grills, mainly because they are an extremely popular brand and it's the one with which I have actual experience. The procedures discussed here will most likely be applicable to about any brand out there with the exception of Coleman. I have not been able to verify this, but I've read from more than one source that Coleman uses a proprietary thread size for their grill and stove fittings. So far no one has posted that they have knowledge of the thread sizes and Coleman will not disclose it. I did read a post from one owner that he cut the regulator off the stove and attached a hose using a hose clamp and it has worked for years without issue. That would not be my choice, but you have to decide if that will work for you, or if you should look for a grill that is more suited to this conversion. For you Coleman users, there are hoses available that allow you to connect the stove to a large bottle or to an adapter that connects between the house propane tank and the regulator. I've not used one of these adapters, so my only advice is to check any connections that are going to be permanent with a soap solution for leaks. You can also get an adapter that will allow you to refill the small disposable bottles. Keep in mind that these bottles use a plunger type system for opening and closing and have been known to leak after several fillings, so be sure that you store these outside and not inside the trailer.

The regulator/control assemblies on most grills are going to be of similar construction. You are going to find a regulator, screwed into a valve assembly. On the Webers, and most other brands, this is going to be 1/8" NPT thread. The thread size of the QC nipple is going to be either 1/4" or 3/8", depending on what you buy. Either will work, but 1/4" seems to be pretty standard. You'll need an adapter with 1/8" male/ 1/4" female. The male nipple for the QC is going to be male threads. When yo put gas fittings together, remember that you use yellow thread tape for gas. The white teflon tape that you use for air fittings will break down with exposure to petroleum product, including propane.
In the even you end up with flare fittings, only pipe threads get taped, flare fittings are assembled bare. Unless you have access to flare tools and have worked with them, you'll most likely end up using all screw type contours.

Quick Connectors - Here is where someone is going to say,"i've used them for years and they work fine". They are referring to standard air compressor fittings that you buy at Home Depot and Lowes. These are not suitable for flammable gas use. Regardless of what anyone tells you, they leak. Propane is heavier than air. What this means is that if you have a propane leak, without a breeze to disperse it, gas will accumulate in a low spot or pocket under your trailer waiting for a spark, and if that happens the result will not be good. Propane is a dangerous gas, but proper handling will go a long way towards preventing accidents. The point here is that if you are going to go cheap on something, do it on the water regulator if you have to, not propane fittings and connectors.

The Hose - You will need a length of suitable propane hose to connect your grill to the trailers QC. The fitting on the trailer is female, so it obviously has to be a male nipple. If you are buying a QC in a set of male and female, there is no compatibility issue, however, if you are looking to match one piece with another, be aware there can be some compatibility issues and you can waste a lot of time and money looking for the right part.
Keystone uses QCs made by Fairview. It's a common brand and is available everywhere online. As far as what piece goes where, I recommend putting the male fitting on the stove or grill. The reason is that you are going to have limited space near the control assembly and it's easier to manipulate the female fitting if it's on the end of a hose rather than attached to the grill. Another reason is that this gives the layout of female/male/female/male and there is never a question which end connects to the trailer, which can be problematic if you happened to mix brands of connectors that are not mechanically compatible.
On brand compatibility, be aware that there are high pressure and low pressure quick connect fittings. Since you are dealing with low pressure propane, either will work, but male and female fittings won't be compatible even if they are the same brand. Don't ask me how I found this out. if you are just putting together a hose to use a single appliance, then use any complete set for the stove end and be sure to get a compatible nipple for the trailer end. As far as compatibility, I have very limited info on that. I do know that Olympian/Camco is compatible with Fairview. FWIW, Mr Heater is not compatible with anything but another Mr Heater component, so if you are setting up for multiple appliances, I would steer clear of those. Other than that, a low pressure nipple should fit a low pressure nipple., but it's always better to get a part number of the fitting you are trying to match and go about it that way. Every fitting is going to have a number stamped on it, and a good propane guy will be able to help you with what you need. The main thing is just don't try to match HP and LP connectors, I promise it will be an exercise in futility.

Brand compatibility - To my knowledge, Mr Heater parts do not work with anything but Mr Heater appliances. Hansen is compatible with MB Sturgis and with Fairview(Keystone trailers. Olympian/Camco works with Fairview. If any one knows of others, please let me know.


In conclusion - The information here is correct to the best of my knowledge, but I'm human too, so don't shoot the messenger. Instead, send me a PM with corrections or information on part numbers, compatibility or sources, so I can edit this post, or post a response with a correction. It won't hurt my feelings and everyone benefits from good information.

Below are some photos of how all of this should look when you get finished, and hopefully, this will help someone get a little closer to grilling those rib-eyes or frying that batch of fish.

I did run across a couple of good sources for propane fittings and hoses, so with the Mod's permission, I'll post them here.

http://www.summitcampinggear.com
http:/www.propaneproducts.com.



Home Depot and Lowes carry some of the more standard brass fittings as do most plumbing stores


Happy Camping!!







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Old 03-27-2013, 06:18 AM   #2
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Thanks Bob. Thread is now a sticky.
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Old 03-27-2013, 11:32 AM   #3
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Great write-up, thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience!
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Old 05-01-2013, 03:16 AM   #4
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Man am I glad I read this!!!! I was on my way to purchasing the Coleman Road Trip with every intention to connect it to my existing quick connect LP connection. Looks like it's time to start searching Weber, or anyone else.
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Old 08-31-2013, 12:58 PM   #5
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For any of you folks trying to find an easy way to connect your existing Weber Q (also works on Camp Chef Outdoor Oven) to your RV's propane quick connect, try this tip I found on another site. I've been able to covert both my grill and my camp oven for $22 plus the cost of a 10' extension hose with quick connects for $25. The parts are:

1) Camco 57282 10' Propane Quick-Connect Hose ($25.10) on Amazon
2) Camco 57274 RV Control Valve with Quick Connect ($11.11) on Amazon - you need one valve per stove hence the $22 referenced above

So all you have to do is remove the regulator from your stove. Take the quick connect fitting off the valve assembly, slap on some yellow teflon tape and thread the quick connect from the valve assembly onto where the regulator was before and you're done.

For under $50, I was able to take care of both of my stoves. Good luck!

Here are the two items:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0024E62CU/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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Old 10-18-2013, 09:42 AM   #6
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this is just what i need to do, thanks pics and info are of great help
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Old 05-21-2014, 10:52 AM   #7
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Thank you for this post!! I just completed my QC to my Q120 last night... Will post pics on my thread that i have going later today.
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Old 07-17-2014, 11:46 PM   #8
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I have a Camp Chef 3 burner stove that I would like to hook up to my quick connects for my outdoor kitchen but am worried about the BTU availability. I don't want to go through all that work and not have enough gas to cook right.
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Old 07-18-2014, 05:12 AM   #9
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Originally Posted by mjcromp View Post
I have a Camp Chef 3 burner stove that I would like to hook up to my quick connects for my outdoor kitchen but am worried about the BTU availability. I don't want to go through all that work and not have enough gas to cook right.
I hooked my camp chef explorer (2 burner) and both work perfectly. This project didn't take more than 15 minutes and can be done with two wrenches-not very much work IMO.
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Old 07-22-2014, 06:45 AM   #10
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Thanks for posting this. It took me about 15 minutes to perform this mod and my Weber works perfectly!
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Old 04-05-2015, 05:05 PM   #11
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Do you need the valve assembly from the post above? Seems it would be cheaper to get the correct quick connect fitting and just put that oh the grill rather than buying a valve you won't use?
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Old 04-05-2015, 08:26 PM   #12
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If you can find the correct one. The valve isn't needed but the adapter works perfectly.
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Old 04-06-2015, 05:11 AM   #13
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Ok thanks!
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Old 04-06-2015, 10:51 AM   #14
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Glad I read this yesterday before I bought more brass fittings. Would have been nice if the factory had sent the match to the female quick coupler on the coach. Will ask the service department if they know the exact fitting, but might just have to buy a matching set for a hose attachment. I also didn't know not to run through the second regulator. Thanks.
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Old 05-08-2015, 09:17 AM   #15
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Camp Chef Exceptions

Beware with the Camp Chef 2 burner stovetops. The Mountain Series (Sierra model etc) are NOT LP quick connect convertible. This is posted on the Camp Chef site- I found out after we had purchased it. :face palm:
That's life. I purchased online from Cabela's. The only way I knew it was a Mountain Series was the box. So ask questions before buying.

Happy Camping!
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Old 05-14-2015, 10:19 PM   #16
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Coleman Roadtrip conversion and QC hose connection

Hello all,

This is my first post on the site; I hope its helpful.

Here is a video I referenced to convert my Coleman Roadtrip to the trailer LP QC. The parts thread to gather no problem.



As a safety note your hose should end with the female QC. The male end should always point towards the supply.
If the connectors somehow come apart; the female end stops the gas flow and the male doesn't.
We had an occurrence at work where the end of an air hose was a male QC. When they suddenly became disconnected we had the male end whipping around and it hit someone in the head requiring stitches.
The PSI is much lower and it won't whip around but the gas will continue to flow if the end is the male QC.
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Old 07-19-2015, 08:06 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Quahog View Post
For any of you folks trying to find an easy way to connect your existing Weber Q (also works on Camp Chef Outdoor Oven) to your RV's propane quick connect, try this tip I found on another site. I've been able to covert both my grill and my camp oven for $22 plus the cost of a 10' extension hose with quick connects for $25. The parts are:

1) Camco 57282 10' Propane Quick-Connect Hose ($25.10) on Amazon
2) Camco 57274 RV Control Valve with Quick Connect ($11.11) on Amazon - you need one valve per stove hence the $22 referenced above

So all you have to do is remove the regulator from your stove. Take the quick connect fitting off the valve assembly, slap on some yellow teflon tape and thread the quick connect from the valve assembly onto where the regulator was before and you're done.

For under $50, I was able to take care of both of my stoves. Good luck!

Here are the two items:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0024E62CU/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Awesome. We just went and pulled the regulator off our Q220, then nabbed the quick connect from our SideKick grill that came with our trailer and went and tested it out and bingo, it works great! We're going to head to a propane supply place tomorrow and see if they have some quick connect hoses as the one that came with our SideKick is only a couple feet and we would like 6'. 10' is a bit long for us (currently using a 10 footer near the tongue as we use the propane there right now). If the propane guys can't help us, we might be able to find the Camco 10' in stock at an RV place here. Ordering online won't get it here quick enough for our next trip and the prices are stupid in Canada anyway so may as well give the stupid amount to a local RV dealer.
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Old 08-22-2015, 01:41 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 68 Camaro View Post
Glad I read this yesterday before I bought more brass fittings. Would have been nice if the factory had sent the match to the female quick coupler on the coach. Will ask the service department if they know the exact fitting, but might just have to buy a matching set for a hose attachment. I also didn't know not to run through the second regulator. Thanks.
The camco QC hose fittings does not match with Jayco valve on the rear of the TT. Anyone know what fitting I need to plug into the Jayco female valve ? I also wish they would of supplied the male fitting for their female valve....
Thanks
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Old 05-30-2016, 06:15 PM   #19
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If you can find the correct one. The valve isn't needed but the adapter works perfectly.


I did this mod today. Separating the valve from the connector was a real challenge. Probably would've been easier if I had a stationary vice grip to hold the half that's not needed.
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Old 12-19-2017, 10:06 PM   #20
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All that gas stuff can be had at tractor supply also. Larry
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