Roadtrek Propane Tank and Bleed Valve

 

Tank Rust - February 3, 2017

Preventative maintenance of the Propane Tank

In 2016 I slid under the Roadtrek and did an underside inspection,  I noticed some dings in the propane tanks, flaking of the enamel and some rust. When at the Southwestern Lily Pad  I cleaned the tank exterior, wire brushed the rusty areas and then brushed on a coat of Rust-Oleum white enamel.  The location of the tank is such that it can be struck by rocks and stuff kicked up while driving.

The paint stopped the rust and based upon a recent visual inspection it is in good condition, 5 years later.

Note: It is my understanding that the tank on my Roadtrek is double-walled. I've been a member of the FMCA Roadtrek International Chapter since 2013/2014 and a recent discussion about propane tanks included this comment by a member: “I toured the Roadtrek plant in Kitchener, Ontario a year ago last October. Our plant guide said the propane tank is double lined and any deterioration to the outside is cosmetic and the tank itself should never have to be replaced. "  I can't say that is accurate. Nevertheless, I think preventative maintenance of the exterior is worth it.

I recommend the Roadtrek Chapter and it purports to be "about one of the TOP THREE FMCA Chapters in membership."

Specifications, my 210P:

Roadtrek propane tank size: 10 gallons. 

Weight of 1 gallon of propane: 4.2 pounds

My tank 80% full = 33.6 pounds of propane.

For reference: a small "green" disposable bottle holds 1 pound of propane. 

Photos of Roadtrek tank, before and after cleaning and painting:

Cleaned and wire-brushed

After painting with Rust-Oleum white enamel

Condition of the propane tank -  July 26, 2021

Propane Tank Outage "Bleed" Valve

Some of the Roadtrek manuals include a propane system diagram and a diagram of the propane tank. The tank diagram identifies the location of the fill, shutoff, outage valve and tank level gauge.  If you don't have a manual go to the official Roadtrek website and download one.  They are in pdf format.  Hint: Roadtrek made substantial improvements to later manuals.  Check them on the website and you may find a lot of useful information. Roadtrek website:

Roadtrek owners manuals

Here's a diagram of an RV style tank made by Manchester Tank Co. It is marked to show the "outage valve".  Next is a photo of one style of outage valve made by Manchester tank, and the third is a photo of the tank on my 2013 210P. This was taken with the rear access cover removed.  The arrow points to the "outage" valve. This valve is to be opened by the attendant when filling the tank.  When the tank level reaches 80% liquid will come out of the hole in the center, signifying a full tank.  In my experience, not all attendants do this and so at times the tank is not properly filled.  Usually the tank is underfilled because the attendant shuts off the propane fill at an arbitrary number of gallons.  I prefer to avoid gas stations because the attendants have been trained to fill propane bottles, and are not familiar with on-board propane tanks:

Manchester Tank Co - Illustration of propane tank showing location of outage valve
This is not a Roadtrek propane tank! 

One style of "Outage" or "Bleed Valve" -  Manchester Tank Co .

2013 Roadtrek 210P Propane Tank Bleed Valve - also called an "outage" valve

Main Propane Tank Valve & Components:

1 = Coach Propane Shutoff Valve

2 = Propane Fill Connection

3 = "Outage" valve

4 = Propane fill indicator and sensor for remote indication

Note: I removed the BBQ 10 PSI regulator & hose on my 210P.

Safety Labels on Propane Cover:

Roadtrek had specific safety guidelines.  This is the label on my 2013 210P:

Original Material: Roadtrek210.blogspot.com (c) 2021

Tire Carrier Surface Finish Issues - Rust!

Yakima Bike Carrier - No Rust after 10 years

The photo above is not directly related to the issue with the tire carrier finish. But this is the best place to put it on the blog. I added this photo of the bike rack on the rear of the Roadtrek. It is a Yakima "KingPin 4" which can accommodate up to four bicycles.  We normally travel with two.

The Yakima shows no rust, after 10 years. It has a powdered finish and Yakima obviously does a great job. No rust of any kind on this bike carrier after about 11 years!

I purchased this adapter in 2006 for our Malibu Maxx and use it on both vehicles. I added a hitch adapter to match the hitch on the 210P to the 1-1/4" hitch on the bike rack. This moved the rack out.

As shown in the photo, I can open the right rear door of the Roadtrek with the rack on the Roadtrek. Very convenient.

Comments March 1, 2017:

1. A reader suggested I consider using "Corroseal" which is a rust inhibitor.  Thanks for the tip, Wanda!  "Corroseal® is a water based rust converter combined with a non pigmented high quality latex metal primer. The converter segments turn rust into a barrier layer of black non rusting magnetite. The metal primer acts as a bonding agent for oil-based intermediate and finish coatings of epoxy, enamel, acrylic, polyurethane and moisture-cured urethane...."  http://www.corroseal.com/technical/technicaldata.aspx
2. I used Rust-Oleum® Stops Rust® Rusty Metal Primer. According to the manufacturer this "stops rust and prevents corrosion. Apply to heavily rusted metal (use Rust-Oleum® Stops Rust® Clean Metal Primer on clean or lightly rusted metal). Bonds tightly to rust to form a surface top coats can adhere to."

Original Post February 27, 2017
The surface of the metal tire carrier on my 210P began to show some distress about two years after purchase. Paint flaked off to show rust underneath. This became quite extensive by the third year.

I really don't know what grade of steel, or surface finishing was used. It appears that there was no metal primer, but that is difficult to determine. Let's just say that the black paint and the primer were identical, because the paint flakes were black throughout, with rusty metal beneath.

I prepared the surface by cleaning with mineral spirits. I then used a stiff wire brush and a wire wheel to remove as much loose or flaking paint as possible, and also removed as much surface rust as I could. However, it would take a lot of grinding to get to polished metal. I also did not want to disassemble the unit.

Here's what it looked like after the first pass of cleaning. The first was by hand with a stiff wire brush, to remove as much loose paint as possible:

Here is how it looked after using the wire wheel with a 3/8 drill and before cleaning. Soon I'll be applying a primer:

After doing this I cleaned the surface again with mineral spirits, allowed to dry and then with a tack cloth. I did have to open it and flip it several times, and I used a wooden shim to keep it from closing (going to a 90 degree position).

I wanted to assure that all loose rust and paint had been removed. I decided against using a spray primer, choosing a brush-on "Rusty metal primer". I painted it partially on a table, let that dry overnight and then completed by sliding it partially into the center hitch of the Roadtrek:

I let it dry in the horizontal position, then closed it partially and that allowed me to paint other areas. I used a wooden shim to hold the hitch in position (shim removed for this photo):

I used brush-on black enamel as the final coat of paint. I used a shim to hold the rack in the partially dropped position. The arrow in the photo points to the shim, which is a piece of scrap with partially black surface:

Here's the finished tire rack. I didn't put a finish coat on the section that slides into the receiver; it will simply be scraped off when inserting it:

While I was at it, I painted the hitch parts on the Roadtrek that were showing some rust. Same procedure as the rack; clean, wire brush, prime and then finish coat.

We'll see how well this does. I hope it slows the rust down.