Running propane lines?

[JenniferWillow]

Hi folks,
This weekend my wife and I installed a Dickinson Marine Newport Explorer propane heater in our 24 foot bus. We have a wheelchair door at the back on the passenger side and the heater is installed on the wall just in front of the wheelchair door. I’ve got the electric (12 volt) run to the heater but I’m a little worried about the propane line? The heater is directly above the right side rear double wheels. I have a ASME tank between the main rails behind the rear bumper. I had thought to just run the propane line under the bus to directly under the heater and cut a hole for the propane line to run through. However, given that the heater is directly over the tires I’m having second thought?
We have a tall bus and the propane line would run attached by hose clamps to the bottom of the bus floor. It would turn upward to a hole directly over the tires.
Is this a good idea? I’ve followed the theory that I should keep the propane hoses out of the interior as much as possible. I’m thinking of essentially cutting a hole near the bus centerline either just before or just after our bed platform and doing the centerline to wall run inside the interior. That would keep the propane hose away from the wheels but put 4 feet of hose running inside.
I could really use an outside perspective on this question. Any opinions out there?
Sincerely,
Jennifer

 

[PorchDog]

Use 1/2 inch black iron pipe in the area you are concerned about. That used to be the norm for RV's.

 

[s2mikon]

Always check NFPA section 58 before you do any LPG work. Their standards change from time to time. Some LPG retailers can be real picky about DIY installs.

 

[desrtdog]

I would tend to keep propane lines far away from anything which, if it fails catastrophically (e.g., a tire blowout) could compromise their integrity...

I am not sure what the "standard" is for lines, but I would also not use any flexible rubber lines (e.g., grill hoses or the like) inside or outside. When I ran my lines, I used flexible SS gas line from the tank, through the floor to a valve manifold, and 3/8" flexible copper tubing (with compression fittings) to my water heater and stove.

 

[Iceni John]

Running propane lines inside is unavoidable; what can be minimized however is the quantity of connections inside for those lines. Partially for that reason I use ProFlex 1/2" stainless flexible CSST gas lines for everything, running unbroken continuous lines from the propane manifold to each appliance. For example, my next installation will be to connect my Furrion cooktop to the manifold, for which I'll run CSST from the manifold all the way to the cooktop, with only a ProFlex CSST shut-off valve at the cooktop. (I never understand why one would prefer to use rigid pipe in a vibrating/flexing vehicle, when every joint and fitting is two more potential places to leak. No thanks.) I run the CSST inside 3/4" steel EMT conduit wherever it needs to span long gaps or where the slings and arrows of everyday life could touch it; to run propane to my generator that's next to the door, I even put the EMT conduit inside some thick-wall heavy stainless pipe where it runs through the front wheel arch behind the tire, plus obviously I turn off and depressurize the entire propane system before driving anywhere. So far, so good.

I will have a propane detector in my underfloor storage bay "just in case", plus another detector inside near the kitchen (and a fire extinguisher there). The propane manifold is in an area open to the ground, so any leak there will harmlessly dissipate long before reaching its LEL.

John