In four years of owning Barefoot Gal, we’ve had a leaky propane tank three times. The first time, we assumed it was a bad fitting on the tank. The second time was when we came back to the boat after Irma and turned the propane back on. Okay, understandable after a Category 4 hurricane. And the third time, just recently. THAT caused us to look at what was happening a little more closely.
Each time, the leak was between the tank and the solenoid, but at a different place each time. Our propane locker is vented directly overboard, and we started turning off the tank each time, so it wasn’t a huge safety risk. Dave had been able to use soapy water, find the leak, take everything apart each time and re-connect the regulator and gauge and stop the leak, but the bottom line was that it shouldn’t leak.
Here’s a picture of the old regulator and gauge assembly we had:
The gauge and regulator extended nearly eight inches off the tank. While the regulator isn’t actually heavy, this assembly does make for a long lever arm with the weight of the regulator at the end. As the boat moves under sail or in waves, the assembly would bounce and eventually one of the joints would open up just a bit.
We needed a way to stop that.
There’s no good way to secure that “arm” in the propane locker. Our previous boat had sort of a ledge that the far end of the regulator rested on, and the locker was much smaller and fit the propane tank much more tightly, so it couldn’t move as much.
Here, after looking at different possible solutions, we opted for a new, bulkhead-mounted regulator with a gauge right on it. Now, a hose comes off the tank and all that heavy stuff is right on the back wall of the locker.
The tank gauge is a little harder to see there, but I’ll take that over having a leak.
As boat projects go, this one was pretty simple, taking about two hours, part of which included having to empty the locker on the other side of the mounting location. The biggest chunk of time was actually figuring out exactly where in the propane locker to put it.
Be sure to use sealant on the mounting bolts — while any leaking propane should flow to the bottom of the locker and out the vent, in bouncy conditions it can “splash” around and you don’t want any going into a locker without the “low point-directly overboard ventilation” required for propane.
The bulkhead mount propane regulator is made by Trident Marine and comes in two models. The only difference is how the hose connects to the propane tank (male or female; most tanks can use either style, having threads on both the inside and outside of the connection point) . Both are available on Amazon as well as from other marine chandleries.
- Trident Marine Bulkhead Mount Propane Regulator 1211-1401Â (on Amazon)
- Trident Marine Bulkhead Mount Propane Regulator 1211-1402 (at Defender)
The unexpected bonus? I never thought there was a problem with the old regulator, but my stove burners all burn hotter and more evenly since we changed!
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Carolyn Shearlock has lived aboard full-time for 17 years, splitting her time between a Tayana 37 monohull and a Gemini 105 catamaran. She’s cruised over 14,000 miles, from Pacific Mexico and Central America to Florida and the Bahamas, gaining firsthand experience with the joys and challenges of life on the water.
Through The Boat Galley, Carolyn has helped thousands of people explore, prepare for, and enjoy life afloat. She shares her expertise as an instructor at Cruisers University, in leading boating publications, and through her bestselling book, The Boat Galley Cookbook. She is passionate about helping others embark on their liveaboard journey—making life on the water simpler, safer, and more enjoyable.
Jim (in Essex) says
Is it practical to mount a propane detector in the propane box or would there be false positive alarms.?
Carolyn Shearlock says
Good question. I know it’d go off every time you changed tanks. It shouldn’t go off otherwise, so might be okay from that standpoint. I prefer as little electrical wiring in the propane locker as possible (not sure if this is an ABYC requirement) to reduce chance of sparks. The solenoid is the only electrical connection in our propane locker, and it kind of has to be there.
Jim (in Essex) says
Detector going off every time you change tanks would be a good thing… would be a good test of the detector.
Sue says
We do a pressurized leak test every time we change a tank. We run the stove then shut it off…leave the solenoid open and shut off the tank. We record the pressure on the gauge ..wait 20 to 30 minutes and check the pressure again. There should be no drop in the pressure. If there is you have a leak somewhere. This and 2 propane sniffers one unde stove and the other under our propane heater gives piece of mind.
Carolyn Shearlock says
Yes, but what if the leak develops after you’ve changed the tank? That’s what happened to us. There wasn’t a leak when we changed the tank.
Sue says
HI Carolyn.. agreed anything can happen but one needs to do everything possible to prevent and detect leaks. We have our regulator securely mounted in our vented propane locker. We put in all new propane lines when we bought Cariba and attached them with cushioned hose supports every 18 inches, The lines are one run to each appliance with no connections and we have 2 propane sniffers – one under heater, the other under the stove. We turn off the selenoid every time we turn off an appliance. We do the pressure test with each tank change and as we live aboard, that is every 2 months. We have seen boats with chafed propane lines, lines with connections and lines that run through bulkheads without the proper cushioned fittings. Some of this was the case when we bought our boat, hence the new lines so I can sleep at night! Thanks for bring up this topic as it is important to use propane carefully and safely on boats.
D M McIntosh says
Great Idea, Thanks for sharing.
Robin says
Also, a simple way of detecting leaks is to spray everything down with window cleaner … soapy water in a spray bottle. Look for new bubbles forming. On a boat, at home, etc, nothing seems to beat it for ease and simplicity.
Greg Cantori says
Just a practical safety note. Nothing should be stored in the propane locker other than the tank.
Klaudia Skyes says
Try bending a strip of polished SS to an angle (think of a human profile bending at the hip) and fit the vertical part to the bulkhead behind the gauge, you should see a reflection of the gauge face in the “mirror” looking forwards, at least enough to get an idea of the contents without having to contort into your least favourite yoga position to read it accurately.
Brian Stannard says
The solenoid should be a high pressure type and be the first item after the tank. Solenoids are more reliable than regulators.
Zelda Ella says
Great, I am looking for a new propane regulator for my RV. Because I am having the same problem you used to. Thank you