Eco Temp L5 propane source, please enlighten me

[ChasingOurTrunks]

I would like to hear from someone who has the Eco Temp L5.

I have the Eco Temp L5 (I think thats the model I have - looks the same when I googled it) and I run it exclusively off of 1 lbs green bottles. I've had it for 6 years of reasonably heavy use (1 month or more per year) I've not had a problem with that setup as the ignitor generally fires up every time when the water is flowing. My problem with it - and why I will retire it from service as soon as I have the parts I need to switch systems - is that it airlocks very easily since mine is not permanently mounted, and so I'm disconnecting it every time. That means there's a finicky game of chase from hose to hose when I'm setting it up to make sure the air is out of the system.

On mine, when the water starts to run, there's a "click click click whoosh" sound -- the sound of the ignitor triggering rapidly until the gas hits the right ratio for ignition -- and within a few seconds the water is hot. Occasionally it will fail to light -- with the water flowing, that's 1 time out of 50, probably. Maybe less. In these cases, I simply close the flow of water (I use a garden hose sprayer, so I just let go the trigger), and reopen it, and then the "click click click whoosh" happens and water is all warm again. In your case is the water flowing well, just not heating? Or is there a problem with the flow?

Like I said, I'm leaving the Eco-Temp behind. They might work great in cabins and in solid mounting situations but I think there are better options for an Overland rig. I am hopeful this post is helpful for your troubleshooting, but if you decide "to heck with Eco Temp" I'm happy to share some of the alternatives I'm researching.

 

[dbhost]

Are you running your unit on a 20 pound tank?

To save space, I use a steak saver adapter and 1lb bottles. I haven't had it long enough to get that much testing in, but I did run one bottle through and found since I was curious, you know propane bottles always have SOME fuel in them. There was not enough fuel left in the bottle to light on the stove. No I did not weigh it.

The Flame King bottles at least last week were on sale for $15.00 last week. I managed to grab the fill kit and 4 spare bottles, as well as an insulated cooler bag that holds all the bottles, and the fill adapter, and hex keys etc... where I can stow in a small corner of the trunk, or roof top carrier no problem...

I have run it on a 20lb tank, but do not want to drag a huge tank with me due to space concerns. Hence the 1lb refillable bottles.

I do have a truck bed camper build in progress, and I do have a 20lb BBQ tank planned for that application though. But while I am clanging and banging an old mid size sedan down logging / hunters trails / roads I have to be more careful about space and fuel...

There really shouldn't be any real appreciable difference in performance of your heater running from a 20lb BBQ tank, or a 5LB tank. However if you are getting leaks, and odd pressure drops at the regulator, start looking there.

I cannot express this enough, there should be no operational difference between a 5lb, 20lb, 30lb propane bottle. If your regulator is leaking, and you mentioned it being excessively cold and escaping vapors. STOP USING IT AND GET A NEW ONE! This is a very dangerous situation with leaking gas near an ignition source. Even without the leak, the fact that it is shutting down while there is still plenty of propane, and thus plenty of pressure in the bottle is a huge indicator of potemtial problems with the regulator.

Unless you have replaced it with an aftermarket one, your regulator should be integrated into the supply hose. https://www.eccotemp.com/l5-propane-regulator-and-hose/

They state it works with propane tanks from 10 to 100lbs, so it is likely the Ecotemp is more sensitive than others on pressure, however I would not be shocked at all that the behavior repeats itself with a 20lb BBQ cylinder...

 

[dbhost]

I have the Eco Temp L5 (I think thats the model I have - looks the same when I googled it) and I run it exclusively off of 1 lbs green bottles. I've had it for 6 years of reasonably heavy use (1 month or more per year) I've not had a problem with that setup as the ignitor generally fires up every time when the water is flowing. My problem with it - and why I will retire it from service as soon as I have the parts I need to switch systems - is that it airlocks very easily since mine is not permanently mounted, and so I'm disconnecting it every time. That means there's a finicky game of chase from hose to hose when I'm setting it up to make sure the air is out of the system.

On mine, when the water starts to run, there's a "click click click whoosh" sound -- the sound of the ignitor triggering rapidly until the gas hits the right ratio for ignition -- and within a few seconds the water is hot. Occasionally it will fail to light -- with the water flowing, that's 1 time out of 50, probably. Maybe less. In these cases, I simply close the flow of water (I use a garden hose sprayer, so I just let go the trigger), and reopen it, and then the "click click click whoosh" happens and water is all warm again. In your case is the water flowing well, just not heating? Or is there a problem with the flow?

Like I said, I'm leaving the Eco-Temp behind. They might work great in cabins and in solid mounting situations but I think there are better options for an Overland rig. I am hopeful this post is helpful for your troubleshooting, but if you decide "to heck with Eco Temp" I'm happy to share some of the alternatives I'm researching.

Just FWIW, when I set up my Camplux, I connect, and effectively prime the system with water prior to connecting the gas. I haven't used it long enough, and hadn't even heard of "air locking" but due to the ignition being dependent upon water flow thought it was a good idea to prime the system at each connection time. Maybe this could help you?

 

[ChasingOurTrunks]

Thanks fellas -- @dbhost, you are absolutely right and that's the approach I take now (priming before use). But, that's still more steps than I like as I generally have to do it like this:

1) Intake hose in Bucket attached to pump.
2) Position spare catch can (pot or pan) at pump outflow.
3) Turn on pump to prime intake line. Switch off when primed.
3) Dump catch can back to bucket. Install second line into outflow running back to main bucket.
4) Switch pump on to prime outflow hose. Switch off when primed.
5) Connect outflow hose to EcoTemp.
6) Switch pump on to prime Ecotemp. Switch off when primed.
7) Attach shower head to Eco Temp.
8) Switch on pump to prime shower head hose.
9) Test to see if hot water is working.

In my case, I made the mistake of putting my switch panel on the opposite side of my truck to my shower setup. That means for every "Switch on" or "Switch off" step, I'm walking around my truck. Easy to fix by installing a second switch linked together, but I'd also like to reduce the number of steps by about 8 if I can I'm looking to move to a heat exchanger system that uses engine heat for hot water. It won't work in the mornings but that's fine, we'll adjust. It will be a closed, hard-mount system and it's less likely to have issues (I hope), and will only have a "plug in hose and go" approach.


@Verkstad - I've had a few airlocks create problems with superheating water. It certainly can be dangerous I think, as I've had brief moments of SUPER hot water coming out of the hose when I first set things up. I always do the first shot into the bucket to make sure it's not scalding just in case.

 

[dbhost]

Thanks fellas -- @dbhost, you are absolutely right and that's the approach I take now (priming before use). But, that's still more steps than I like as I generally have to do it like this:

1) Intake hose in Bucket attached to pump.
2) Position spare catch can (pot or pan) at pump outflow.
3) Turn on pump to prime intake line. Switch off when primed.
3) Dump catch can back to bucket. Install second line into outflow running back to main bucket.
4) Switch pump on to prime outflow hose. Switch off when primed.
5) Connect outflow hose to EcoTemp.
6) Switch pump on to prime Ecotemp. Switch off when primed.
7) Attach shower head to Eco Temp.
8) Switch on pump to prime shower head hose.
9) Test to see if hot water is working.

A lot more detailed than my prep steps.

Mind you, this can vary, a LOT depending on

#1. connect pump, to input and pickup hoses.
#2. Connect output hose to ensuite plumbing / shower head.
#3. Place shower head in catch bucket / pot.
#4. Flip shower head switch on.
#5. Plug pump in to power source. a few seconds of stuttering and spitting, water shoots out of shower head. Wait about 15 to 30 seconds for air to be bled out of system.
#6. Shut off shower head.
#7. Set caught water aside for handwashing, or dish washing later on.
#8. Connect gas line.
#9. Test for hot water, take shower as needed.

 

[ChasingOurTrunks]

@dbhost thanks for sharing your process - like you said it can vary a lot for me too.

Part of the fun of this hobby for me is also finding the "best" solution. My shower solution is perfectly functional, eventually, and it only takes 5 minutes to go through all those steps I described. Its' not like I NEED that 5 minutes to spare when I'm camping but it is fun to find the most efficient system or way of doing things in the pursuit of that "ultimate" overland rig (which we all know doesn't exist, but it's a bit like Bigfoot - we'll keep on searching for the fun of it!)

 

[perterra]

Finally called tech support. They advise that this model is designed to run off a 20lb tank.

I have been using a 5 lb tank for 4 years but the unit quits igniting after a half the tank is gone.
Anyone else have this issue? I don’t have space for a 20lb tank readily available.

For what’s it worth the Eco Temp 5L will and has run on a one lb bottle w/ adapter until half the bottle is gone. I thought the pressure in all propane tanks stays the same throughout the full to empty stage?

I really don’t need to lug a 20 lb tank on my trips….ugh. Please advise any solution or explanation.
Thanks

Keep in mind the pressure stays consistent as long as you arent pulling out more vapor than the cylinder is producing.

 

[dbhost]

@dbhost thanks for sharing your process - like you said it can vary a lot for me too.

Part of the fun of this hobby for me is also finding the "best" solution. My shower solution is perfectly functional, eventually, and it only takes 5 minutes to go through all those steps I described. Its' not like I NEED that 5 minutes to spare when I'm camping but it is fun to find the most efficient system or way of doing things in the pursuit of that "ultimate" overland rig (which we all know doesn't exist, but it's a bit like Bigfoot - we'll keep on searching for the fun of it!)

Hey now, after having camped throughout the Cascades, albeit while consuming copious amounts of Kentucky Bourbon, I can attest to the fact that Bigfoot does indeed exist. At least that is what the bourbon told me!