Propane Tank Mounting

[Stu & Filo. T]

I'm in process of building my propane tank mounts, the place I'm mounting them is in front of the right rear tires & behind the rear storage compartment, I've been looking thru the RVIA standards trying to find out if the tanks are supposed to be enclosed or some sort of protection to keep debris from flying up from the road, their also next to my fuel tank.

[nat_ster]

Expanded steel for the floor so the propane can escape in the event of a leak.

Propane is more dense than air, and therefore sinks.

Be sure they are secured with a metal mount.

Nat

[Stu & Filo. T]

Originally Posted by nat_ster

Expanded steel for the floor so the propane can escape in the event of a leak.

Propane is more dense than air, and therefore sinks.

Be sure they are secured with a metal mount.

Nat

I figured something like that under them I'm wondering do they need to be completely boxed in

[nat_ster]

I would build a steel box with the mesh floor.

You don't want road debris smacking a tank and damaging / knocking a fitting off.

Nat

[Stu & Filo. T]

ok spent the day mounting tanks, I originally thought my bottom tank would be flush with the storage bay but it sticks down about 2 in farther, if I leave it there I will only have 13 in ground clearance, should I relocate the 2nd tank or would that be enough?

Thoughts?

[Tango]

13 inches sounds much better than many RV's. But...you can always add some armor plate below...just in case.

[Stu & Filo. T]

Originally Posted by Tango

13 inches sounds much better than many RV's. But...you can always add some armor plate below...just in case.

I did a little different mounting today & manage to get the clearance exactly the same as the fuel tank ,the brackets stick down a little bit but that gives me a couple inches between the expanded metal I'm going to install & the tanks, So now I have 2 ea 23.8 gal propane tanks.

[NaturalStateNomad]

Where did you get your propane tanks, if you don't mind me asking? Searching online is proving relatively fruitless.

[EastCoastCB]

I've gotten a few on CL.

[Stu & Filo. T]

CL for me also

[Tango]

Found my little Manchester on Epay.

[NaturalStateNomad]

I was thinking about a Manchester and those are one of the few I found online. What are the pros/cons of going with a ASME permanent tank vs a few 20lb tanks? It almost seems like the 20lb tanks would be a lot easier to deal with as far as refilling for a person who is full timing in their rig.

[slaughridge85]

I've bounced back and forth about fixed or removable propane tanks. I think since we plan on boondocking most of the time removable 20lb tanks makes more sense for us. I plan on building a storage bay under the bus with expanded metal as the floor. I figure taking a few 20lb cylinders in to town to fill them up is way easier than driving the bus into town every week or couple of weeks...

[Scooternj]

Some states have limits to the number of portable tanks you're allowed to carry. A good rule of thumb would be to have at least three portables (IIRC, that's the Texas limit on portable tanks for an RV) and an ASME certified permanent tank.

[Tango]

There are pros & cons for either. Permanently mounted, DOT approved tanks are the safest and welcomed almost anywhere. But...you do have to take your vehicle to a refill station.

Portable tanks are much lighter weight and absolutely must be secured somewhere outside the bus's shell. A leaking tank inside will be disastrous and if not anchored down quickly becomes a small nuclear missile in a collision. Many hang them on the back bumper. A bad idea for what I hope are obvious reasons and can also get you banned from many parks and campgrounds and are illegal in most states to carry through any tunnel. But, when properly secured & stored, they are easy to replace or swap out at lots of locations via a toad or some other means of transport besides the bus.


I plan on using a small Manchester plus one 20 pounder as backup. But...it will be anchored in a very secure location.

[Stu & Filo. T]

Not that it sounds like to big of issue but permanently mounted DOT certified tanks don't need to be inspected, portables do.