Outside stove not working

[santa fe couple]

We bought a 2004 Fleetwood Santa Fe late last season. When I hooked up the outside stove it didn't seem to get much gas flow, it would light for a second or two then turn off. I hooked up a 1 lb. propane bottle to it and it worked great. It seems that I'm not getting proper flow to the outside hookup. I checked the line and found nothing obvious that would cause a flow restriction like a crimped line. This unit has two regulators coming off the tank. I assume one is for the low pressure to the inside stove, furnace and refrigerator. The other is for high pressure going to the outside stove/grill outlet. Has anyone had a problem like this? And if so can you tell me how you fixed the problem?

Thank you,
Santa Fe Couple

[AustinBoston]

We bought a 2004 Fleetwood Santa Fe late last season. When I hooked up the outside stove it didn't seem to get much gas flow, it would light for a second or two then turn off. I hooked up a 1 lb. propane bottle to it and it worked great. It seems that I'm not getting proper flow to the outside hookup. I checked the line and found nothing obvious that would cause a flow restriction like a crimped line. This unit has two regulators coming off the tank. I assume one is for the low pressure to the inside stove, furnace and refrigerator. The other is for high pressure going to the outside stove/grill outlet. Has anyone had a problem like this? And if so can you tell me how you fixed the problem?

You are right that the two-stage regulator sends "high" pressure gas to the outside stove and low-pressure gas to all other appliances, but "high" and "low" pressures are relative.

LP pressure, at the tank, varies between 120 and 200 pounds per square inch (usually around 150 psi).  One-pound bottles may be a little lower, but are still going to be close to 100 PSI.  The indoor appliances operate at 1/2 PSI (one half pound per square inch, or 250-500 times less pressure than the tank).  "High" pressure stoves are only a little more - about 2 PSI.

Hooking the portable bottle directly to the outside stove was actually more than a little dangerous.  When I was diagnosing my problem, I very carefully tried that, and with the burner valve barely on (I knew what I was doing was dangerous), I got about 18 inches of flames.  Do not try this at home.

The fact that your stove "worked great" rather than setting your hair and clothes on fire tells me you have a clog in the stove's line.  They can be replaced fairly easily, and your dealer probably has a replacement, or can tell you where to get one.   If you bring the old one in, they can make sure you get the right size.

Austin