5 replies to this topic

[OregonIan]

Hi all,

 

So I took the plunge and bought a 2000 Hawk shell a few weeks ago, not knowing anything about four wheel campers.  It appears to have great bones, but I ended up tearing out all the janky shelving/counters that previous owner had installed.  So now it's almost a blank slate.  It has an Atwood furnace which seems to work well (as long as battery is sufficiently charged), so I'm leaving that in.  It has an externally accessed propane box that has one line coming in to supply furnace.

 

I think that I'd like for my stove to be a partner stove, for several reasons...I'd like to be able to have the flexibility to cook inside or outside.  Also, I raft, so would like to be able to take the partner on rafting trips.

 

My questions are...

 

1. does using a partner stove in a four wheel camper make sense, given my reasons?

2. my plan is to place it in on the counter which will be on top of the furnace, in the far rear drivers side of camper. Figured this is closest to propane, and also efficient use of counterspace. Can use it with bed extended. Does this location make sense?

3.  What is the best way to plumb propane to partner?  The "keep it simple stupid" part of me wants to router a hole down through countertop between the partner and the driver side edge of countertop, then having a 10lb propane bottle under the counter (but not in the propane locker) and feeding the hose from bottle up through counter to partner.  That way I could easily move partner and propane bottle outside, without needing an extra hose, and I could shut off the propane after use.  But I understand this may not be up to code.  Also wondering what the most efficient code-compliant way would be to plumb the propane to partner?  I'm attaching a picture of the current propane set up to furnace, for reference.  Either way I'd like to be able to shut off propane at source at night (but can't do this at tank because tank supplies furnace).

 

I'm really a newbie, so any and all recommendations are welcomed (i.e., don't assume that I know anything

 

Thanks!  Ian

 

 

[JWL]

I just use one of those T connectors from a sporting goods store, one side goes to the furnace and the other to the stove with about a 10 ft hose. I leave the tank in it’s box so I can also run the hose and stove outside to cook, where I do almost all my real cooking. I mostly just use a small backpacking stove inside for morning coffee. 

[OregonIan]

Thanks JWL.  I was thinking a T at the tank could be part of the solution.  Good to know that's been working for you.

 

But if you put a T splitter at the tank, then does that mean that I need to make another hole in the box, that the partner stove propane line would run through to enter the camper?  That's the part where I get stuck.

 

Also, if I did a T splitter at the tank, is there a way that I could somehow shut off propane to the stove, without shutting off propane to the furnace?

 

Thanks!  Ian

[JWL]

You would have to put a hole in the through the propane box. Mine would go through the battery box. My plan was to pot some pipe insulation on the hose and slide it into position to seal the hole. And yes you would just have to make sure you turned off the propane at the stove and keep the propane going to the furnace. But... you would have to do that with anything. 
But like I said I have yet to do a lot of cooking inside of the camper. When I do to keep from running hoses etc I just carry a 1lb propane bottle and use it inside or if I want to set up the stove on a picnic table someplace. It’s a lot easier than wrestling a 10 lb tank out of that hole. 

[Vic Harder]

I think code mandates a "thru-hull" style of fitting in the propane box to feed the stove.  And yes, you can install a shutoff along with the T.

[Seattle Mitch]

I have a 2018 fleet shell which came with the heater and cabinet. I also have a partner stove I am hoping to use both inside and out. When I take the heater vent off of the heater cabinet, I can see that there's a T connection with an available connection point. I think this must be where the hose from the propane tank comes into the interior of the heater cabinet. I'm planning to connect a length of hose from that T connection to the exterior wall of the heater box then to a quick disconnect mechanism fixed to the exterior heater cabinet wall. Then i should be able to easily connect / disconnect the final couple of feet of hose to the stove. My only concern is being able to do this correctly without having a gas leak issue.