Serious concern about my Olympian Wave 3

[One Awesome Inch]

I have a serious concern about my Olympian Wave 3. When it is in the process or running out of propane I get a very strong propane odor in my van. I checked all my connections and this is the third time it has happened when my tank is empty. Once I refill the tank... no odor. 

 I am not sure if there is a problem with my unit or if this how all the Wave heaters work. This can be very dangerous because if my butane stove is on while my propane tank runs out the flame from the stove may go boom.

I am guessing it has something to do with the pressure of the fuel in the tank but I'm not sure. 

Any other Wave owners experience this?

 

[rvpopeye]

I had my Wave hooked into the RV propane system , 18 gallons so never ran it dry.

BUT my Big Buddy has that odor when the 20#er starts to run out , it also sputters a bit.
I just switch tanks when it starts doing it.

So I'm guessing the Wave is fine and it's probably a low pressure symptom??

 

[MrNoodly]

Okay, you know the smell is a sign the propane is running out. So turn off the heater and the tank. Besides, propane is heavier than air, so it settles toward the floor. If your stove isn't on the floor, then no problem.

 

[John61CT]

No I would take something like that darn seriously in a confined space.

Solution IMO would be a proper dual tank system with an auto switch regulator, some start tapping both when pressure drops, wired to blink inside when it switches, time to fill up or swap.

 

[Mobilesport]

If your almost out of propane there would'nt be enough propane to make a boom ,  at the most there would be a small fire , i would think the wave 3 would spark it before your stove would , with the stove being up higher and all.
With that type of setup i would be more concerned about the times when you have a supply of propane .
I've notice that with the buddy heaters and 12 ft hose , i turned off the gas at the 20 # tank and left the buddy heater running , it ran for 5 minutes just off of what was left in the 12 ft hose, thats's why its a bad idea to having a long propane hose running through the interior.
Also bad to have the high pressure side of the regulator indoors , but to each there own.

 

[TMG51]

This may not be a scientific answer, but, I've spent a lot of time around a variety of propane tanks, used to run a propane fill station, propane forklift etc, and my impression has been that when a propane tank is ostensibly empty, it still contains a strong "propane smell."

The smell of course is not actually the propane but a scent added so that we have something to smell when there's a leak. It seems to me that the smell remains even after the propane is sufficiently exhausted to no longer act as fuel. It would make sense to me that when the fuel is running out or no longer has sufficient pressure to operate the appliance you would get some scent past it.

Again, not scientific, just my impression. I'd keep my propane full and open a window if that ever happens.

 

[akrvbob]

It's not the Olympian or Buddy, it's the tank. I've experienced this many times--although I have no explanation for it. I agree that the tank is empty so it can't really be a risk.

I just stopped giving it any thought, just a weird oddity of van living.

 

[AngryVanMan]

The methyl mercaptan (odor additive) accumulates in the bottom of tanks over their lifetime, leading to an increased density in the bottom of the tank. This in turn causes additional odor when they are almost empty, itself a handy indicator of needing a refill. Unvented appliances are usually the only way to smell this change - but the presence of the odor itself should not concern you as long as the heater is still burning - the flame front is consuming the propane gas itself.

Your propane detector will warn you if there is actual flammable gas in the air; they are installed at floor level so they pick up leaks of the dense heavier-than-air gas as quickly as possible.

edit: if you smell the odor strongly and you check your tanks and they do NOT appear almost empty, either by your RV gauge or by weight of the tank/sloshing the liquid inside - you should still of course be cautious and check for plumbing leaks.

 

[One Awesome Inch]

Excellent information... thanks!