Onboard Systems
LP Gas System Service: Cost, Hours and Process in Hacienda Heights
LP gas system service covers the propane supply itself: tanks and cylinders, the regulator, the manifold, the distribution lines and every appliance connection off them, plus a pressure and leak test of the whole system. This work is certification gated by law and cannot be performed by an uncertified technician.
What brings this in
- A propane smell anywhere in or under the coach, which is a stop using it condition
- Every gas appliance performing poorly at once, which points at the regulator
- The LP detector alarming intermittently with no obvious source
- A regulator that has never been replaced on a coach over ten years old
- Frost forming on a regulator or a line during operation
- A hissing sound at the tank or the manifold
- Rust or corrosion at a tank foot, a valve or a hose fitting
- Appliances that work with one tank and not the other on a dual cylinder setup
This job, by the numbers
$285 to $2,500
1 to 10 hours
RV systems estimate, $150. Covers slide, awning, water, electrical and generator. Credited to an authorized repair.
Parts and assemblies we work with
Suburban, Atwood, Dometic, Marshall Excelsior, Manchester
This page exists because the work is gated by law
Work on an LP gas system is certification gated. A technician without the certification cannot legally open the supply, replace a regulator, repair a line or make an appliance connection, no matter how many years they have been turning wrenches. On this site every one of those operations is performed by a certified LP technician.
We state this plainly because almost nobody in this market does, and because the consequence of getting it wrong is not a comeback repair. It is propane accumulating in a wooden box with foam insulation and one exit. The certification requirement exists for a reason that is easy to describe and unpleasant to picture.
The practical advice, which applies whether or not you bring the coach here, is to ask any shop who specifically is doing the gas work and what certification they hold. A shop that answers immediately and specifically is telling you something useful. A shop that gets vague is telling you something more useful.
The regulator is the part that explains most complaints
If every LP appliance in the coach is performing poorly at once, the regulator is the first suspect and usually the answer. It is a diaphragm device that sets delivery pressure for the whole system, and diaphragms age. A regulator drifting low starves every appliance simultaneously.
Regulators are inexpensive and they are a wear item with a finite service life. On a coach over ten years old with an original regulator, replacement is worth doing on its own merits before it becomes a diagnosis. Two stage regulators are the standard on modern coaches and the two stages fail independently, which produces some confusing partial symptoms.
The automatic changeover valve on a dual cylinder setup is a related part with its own failure mode: it stops switching, so the coach runs one cylinder dry and does not fall back. Owners read that as an empty tank problem when both tanks have gas in them.
- Regulator diaphragm aged and delivering low pressure to everything at once
- One stage of a two stage regulator failed, producing partial symptoms
- Automatic changeover valve no longer switching cylinders
- Rubber pigtail hose cracked at a crimp or degraded by UV
- Corroded POL or ACME fittings at the tank connection
- Line chafe or corrosion where distribution tubing passes a frame member
The leak test, and what it costs
The test that matters is a manometer pressure drop test on the whole system, not a soap bubble check at the fitting somebody suspects. The system is brought to test pressure, isolated, and watched. A system that holds is sound. A system that decays has a leak, and then the sectioning work locates it.
That distinction matters because LP leaks are frequently not where the smell is. Propane is heavier than air and it pools and travels, so the odor shows up at a low point downstream of the actual leak. Chasing the smell is how owners spend money in the wrong place.
The band on this page is narrow. Labor is 1 to 10 hours at the posted mechanical and electrical rate of $260 per hour, and the estimate tier is the RV systems estimate at $150, credited against an authorized repair. A hazmat and disposal charge of $45 applies where LP is involved. Regulators, hoses and fittings are 3 to 10 business days, and a tank is 10 to 25. One thing to note: we do not fill tanks. This is repair work, not a fill station.
Scope
What this line item does not include
- We do not fill propane tanks or cylinders. This is service and repair work, not a fill station.
- LP safety inspection as a standalone scheduled service belongs to our maintenance program.
- We do not perform LP work at a customer location under any circumstances.
Being explicit about the boundary is faster than discovering it at pickup. If the work you need sits outside this line item we will say so at intake and point you at the right one.
Questions
LP Gas System Service questions
Does RV propane work legally require certification?
Yes. Opening the LP supply, replacing a regulator, repairing a distribution line or making an appliance gas connection is certification gated work, and an uncertified technician cannot legally perform any of it regardless of experience. On this site all of it is performed by a certified LP technician. Ask any shop who specifically does the gas work and what they hold.
I smell propane. What should I do?
Stop using the system. Close the tank valves, ventilate, and do not operate anything that could ignite. Then bring it in for a manometer pressure drop test on the whole system. Propane is heavier than air, so it pools and travels, which means the smell is often at a low point well away from the actual leak. Chasing the odor wastes money.
All my propane appliances are weak at once. What causes that?
The regulator, in nearly every case. It sets delivery pressure for the entire system, and an aged diaphragm starves every appliance simultaneously. It is an inexpensive wear item with a finite life, and on a coach over ten years old with an original regulator, replacing it is worth doing before it becomes a diagnosis on four separate appliances.
Do you fill propane tanks?
No. This is repair and service work rather than a fill station. What we do is service the tanks, valves, regulator, manifold, distribution lines and appliance connections, then pressure and leak test the system as a whole. A hazmat and disposal charge of $45 applies on any job where LP is involved.
Related work
Often done at the same time
$350 to $2,500
Furnace and Heating Repair
LP forced air furnace, blower, board and limit switch repair, plus electric and heat pump supplemental heat.
$350 to $4,500
Water Heater Repair and Replacement
Tank and tankless water heater repair or replacement, including boards, elements, gas valves and bypass work.
$400 to $4,500
Refrigerator Repair
Absorption and residential refrigerator diagnosis and repair, including control boards, LP burners, flues and cooling unit assemblies.
$285 to $700
LP Safety Inspection
Certified pressure and leak testing of the LP system, regulator, mounting, appliance connections and detector.
Get a firm number on lp gas system service
The band on this page is honest, and the rv systems estimate at $150 turns it into a firm number. Covers slide, awning, water, electrical and generator. Credited to an authorized repair. We are 18.4 miles from Hacienda Heights.