Dear Dave,
Can I use the LP gas connection on the side of the coach to supply a small Weber grill? I have been told that this supply is at low pressure and will not work for my intended purpose. Thank you! —Paul, 2021 Rockwood 2109
Dear Paul,
Since your Rockwood is a travel trailer, the main propane supply is either one or two DOT cylinders mounted to the front frame of the rig. These are high-pressure cylinders and have a pressure regulator just after the connection to reduce the pressure to 11” of water column pressure. This is the pressure your stove, refrigerator, water heater, and furnace require.
Pressure for Weber grill
I am not sure what pressure your Weber grill is designed for; however, it should have a regulator in-line with the connection hose that will provide the correct pressure. This photo has the regulator mounted on the front of the rig with the POL valve connected to the cylinder and the hose going to the regulator.
After the regulator, the hose goes under the rig and typically a black pipe is plumbed to the various appliances. “T” connections allow for multiple connections such as your quick disconnect valve. Your Weber grill most likely came with a POL connection and hose like this one shown here.
Quick disconnect valve on RVs for use with gas grills
Many RV manufacturers are plumbing a quick disconnect valve for the propane system to supply gas grills, just as you are intending to do. Since you referenced connecting to the side of the rig, I assume you have one of these. You will need to get a quick disconnect that will fit this. You’ll also need to check the pressure needed for your grill.
We just installed an Extend-A-Stay propane adapter on a 2015 Thor. It has an ASME tank rather than a DOT cylinder, so the connection was different and went before the regulator. Our Blackstone had a hose with its own regulator and it worked very well.
As I stated before, your Weber grill probably came with a POL valve and hose with a regulator that you can just hook directly to the DOT cylinder on the tongue. I have seen RVers that have two tanks disconnect one and use it for the grill so the other can still supply the water heater and refrigerator.
If you want to connect directly to the quick disconnect, check the pressure requirements of your grill and keep in mind the pressure at the QD is 11” water column. I really doubt your grill needs high pressure.
You might also enjoy this from Dave
Ask Dave: Doesn’t my LP tank have an excess flow valve?
Dear Dave,
On the propane tank, isn’t there a safety valve that shuts the tank off if there’s a sudden leak such as a ruptured line? Also, you mentioned open flames used on appliances. I believe that on mine there is no open flame; they have a sparker. —Ben
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I have removed the regulator from my Weber Baby Q, it has 1/8″ pipe thread, then attached a propane quick coupler (male end) in place of the regulator. I run a propane hose from the low-pressure quick coupler on the RV to the Weber, works great.
There are many kits and adapters on the market for adapting a Weber to the propane outlet on your RV. As noted by Rick Myers, you generally have to remove the regulator on the Weber and then use the coupler or kit required to use the propane outlet on the RV. That’s what we did for our small Weber Q. You can even buy long hoses if you don’t want it to be used right next to the RV.
It’s really not that complicated. If you intend to keep the Weber regulator attached then you need to T into the LP line before the RV’s regulator. If you want to use the line that comes off after the RV regulator, you need to remove the existing regulator on the Weber, or other LP cooking device.
The drawback, that I see, is that if you intend to use the, before the RV regulator method, it should be clearly stated at the quick connect. Just to be safe, add a permanent note that a regulator MUST remain inline for use with any device.
I got a couple of comments via email on this article so thought I would post them for your review:
In response to question of Weber grill being used on low pressure quick disconnect. I removed the built in regulator from the grill and can attached a quick disconnect fitting. This allows the grill to be connected to the trailer’s quick disconnect fitting. It works great and allows the grill to be placed further away from the trailer by using longer hoses. Donald
My wife sells gas grills (big Weber dealer) and fireplaces. As you stated, opening the regulator to the grill, even your BBQ with a 20 pound cylinder, causes the regulator to slow flow. Reset it immediately by closing all the appliance burners and disconnect from the propane cylinder itself. This exposes both sides of the regulator to atmosphere resetting the safety. Some of the grills are 7″ WC pressure. Gene