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Mon Jul 14, 2014 4:34 pm

Folks:

I'm new here (hello!). I'm having a hell of a time trying to find a way to hook up the propane canister to the under-the-sink propane stove hookup in my 78 Westy. Everywhere I go (Bass Pro shop, Lowes, Home Depot, Camping stores, etc.) they either have the wrong end or the wrong size. Does anyone know of the exact way to hook up to this old system? I have a brass fitting for the 1 lb container, and I could get a hose to hook to it, but I can't find this combo with a regulator already installed (or else there isn't the right end to hook to the Westy). I'm about to give up...any help would be super duper. :cry:

PS I know there have been threads on this, but they are several years old I think--and they don't exactly answer this.

Tue Jul 15, 2014 8:55 am

Are you trying to connect to a small propane canister under the sink or to an external one in the original Westy location?

The original setup used a small male-to-male bulkhead connector that mounted through a hole in the floor just about straight down from sink drain. A metal flex hose went from the stove to this bulkhead, and a rubber hose under the bus went from the other end of the bulkhead to the tank's regulator. I can help you with original details and photos, but not necessarily how to rig something else up.

Some detail photos of original connections here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6560118#6560118

If this applies at all to your situation, I'll post detail of replacement inside hose and bulkhead connector here.

Tue Jul 15, 2014 11:14 am

eche_bus:

Thanks for the reply! Unfortunately, I seem to have ONLY this piece coming down from the stove and that is all, in terms of the propane prospects. Should there be something else there?

Tue Jul 15, 2014 12:00 pm

If you follow the link I provided above, you will see photos that should show the flex-line that connects from the Stove down to the floor bulkhead connector, as well as photos under the bus showing the other end of the bulkhead connector.

Here is a photo of my original flex-line (grey) and a replacement I found at a local Ace Hardware (yellow). It came with a removable adapter (shown on label) which is not used for this application.

Here is a closeup of the replacement's label.

Here is a photo of my original bulkhead connector. I was not able to find an aftermarket replacement (didn't really need to, but looked anyway). It is a male-to-male (same size, both ends) adapter that uses a nut and washer to retain it.

Please look this all over and let me know if you have more detailed questions.

Tue Jul 15, 2014 12:11 pm

When I was having a hard time finding an odd adapter for my propane heater this winter, I went to a high end BBQ shop and success. Home Depot or any more general stores didn't have anything close.

Tue Jul 15, 2014 12:19 pm

A while back I tried to rig up something to use 'green bottle'^ propane under my stove and never could find the right combination of adapters/connectors. I have the regulator like this;

http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Stove-Pressure-Regulator-Valve/dp/B000646U3Q

Just couldn't figure out a way to get it safely connected.

^personally I think these bottles are incredibly wasteful, but I rarely use my stove in the bus. Really wish people would use the 'red tank' style stoves. They are great!

Tue Jul 15, 2014 1:29 pm

kkjellquist, do you ALSO have just the pipe coming down from the stove (and nothing more) in your cabinet? I'm mostly wondering at this point if there's some part I'm missing. Something must have changed since 1978 to make the adapters/connectors no longer work. What did folks without the big propane tank under the bus do to work their stove? Was it NEVER meant for small canisters? I wonder if I could replace the stove...hmmm

Anyway, thanks for the replies!

Tue Jul 15, 2014 1:32 pm

Have you tried a propane supply place?

Tue Jul 15, 2014 1:47 pm

kkjellquist wrote: A while back I tried to rig up something to use 'green bottle'^ propane under my stove and never could find the right combination of adapters/connectors. I have the regulator like this;

http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Stove-Pressure-Regulator-Valve/dp/B000646U3Q

Just couldn't figure out a way to get it safely connected.

^personally I think these bottles are incredibly wasteful, but I rarely use my stove in the bus. Really wish people would use the 'red tank' style stoves. They are great!

You can buy an adapter to refill the little cylinders off a larger grill tank, and are convenient for lanterns, etc.

My under bus tank was all leaky, so I pulled it off. I used to haul a 20 lb tank around and hook it up, but later bought a hose and adapter to use a small bottle placed in the cabinet.

I'll try to remember to take a couple pics later!

Tue Jul 15, 2014 1:56 pm

VWwestyman, it sounds like you have it!!!

Tue Jul 15, 2014 2:31 pm

I converted to using the green bottles. It took a while to find the right connections . I cannot remember exactly what I used, but I ended up at a propane supply store and showed them what I was trying to do. They were able to get me everything I needed. On a side note I also refill the green bottles with my bbq tank, you can get those adapters at Harbour freight or walmart.

Tue Jul 15, 2014 9:12 pm

Ok, so I went out and took some pics. I hope it helps.

I don't remember exactly what parts I used either, but looking at the excess thread sealant, I didn't buy it exactly like this-I put it together: hose, regulator, and connector. That probably means I bought three parts and/or kits and put it together. Again, this was a couple years ago, so I don't remember exactly what parts I used.

As I recall, I first tried connecting the bottle connector straight to the hose, and (duh!) it leaked propane immediately through the burners! Buying the regulator (again, duh!) solved that problem.

Tue Jul 15, 2014 9:51 pm

Salernoc3 wrote: What did folks without the big propane tank under the bus do to work their stove?
Those people didn't have a stove. If you don't have a propane tank, the Bus didn't have a stove and vice versa.
Salernoc3 wrote: Was it NEVER meant for small canisters?
No, it wasn't. It was designed to use the 7lb. propane bottle they attached to every Deluxe Camper with a stove. This is speaking for Westfalia models of course.

Tue Jul 15, 2014 11:42 pm

vwwestyman, your setup looks pretty easy to recreate. Do you not have a shutoff between your bottle and the stove? Looks like the stove controls are your shutoff.

Wed Jul 16, 2014 5:11 am

kkjellquist wrote: vwwestyman, your setup looks pretty easy to recreate. Do you not have a shutoff between your bottle and the stove? Looks like the stove controls are your shutoff.

No shut off. I just remove the bottle after using the stove. And really, about the only thing I use the stove for in my bus is making coffee! I can get that going on the stove without any drama (or making the bus stinky) while I get a fire going for cooking.

To perhaps clarify for another poster, my bus is the deluxe camper. It did come with the stove, and the propane tank underneath. However my tank's valves were leaky so I removed the whole thing.

Wed Jul 16, 2014 5:24 am

vwwestyman wrote: kkjellquist wrote: vwwestyman, your setup looks pretty easy to recreate. Do you not have a shutoff between your bottle and the stove? Looks like the stove controls are your shutoff.

No shut off. I just remove the bottle after using the stove. And really, about the only thing I use the stove for in my bus is making coffee!

Sounds just like me....I have used the stove twice, total, for coffee. Green bottles just make a lot more sense for my situation.