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Old 05-20-2013, 12:38 PM   #299
hot rod
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 527
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grill or the coach supply tank in an rv that small amount of oil remains in the tank when the propane is withdrawn as a vapor. It is a very small amount and only builds up in the tank to the point where it is an issue in very large industrial type vapor applications where you are passing a large amount of propane through the tank, or over a long period of time. And even then it is realistically only noticed in that the propane is a little stinkier than usual if you smell it. That sort of thing will never be noticed in a consumer application like an rv.

Whatayaknow is referring to an engine fuel situation only where the liquid propane is withdrawn from the tank as a liquid, therefore bringing the oil with it to the vaporizer on the engine. The liquid is then vaporized by a heat exchanger at the engine, where the oil then comes out of the propane. Over time a slight oily buildup will occur on surfaces downstream of the vaporizer, as in the carb itself. Again really not an issue unless it builds up over a long period of time, and no more of an issue than a gasoline carb "gumming up" over time. As he mentioned, on a dual fuel system it is important to run the vehicle on engine on gasoline from time to time to keep everthing working properly. Basically the gaskets can dry out and parts can gum up just like the engine had been sitting and not running for an equivalent amount of time. We would run a vehicle on propane for sometimes years if you never needed to buy gas, then find out when you try to switch over that the needle and seat was stuck or a float bowl gasket was leaking gasoline.

All those problems are minor and not really worth worrying about vs. the advantages of propane as an engine fuel.
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