The south end of the beach at Hua Hin, Thailand.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Hua Hin, Thailand.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Maldives on March 23rd.

Thursday, January 4, 2018

Minor propane problem

We knew we weren't driving very far yesterday, so we waited for a couple of hours in the morning before heading out from Falcon State Park down to past McAllen, Texas.

At Falcon State Park, they have a propane truck that comes through and if you put your name on the sign up list, he'll stop at your site and fill you up. We were just getting ready to leave when the propane truck pulled up.

I asked how much, and it was $3.00 a gallon. Not cheap, but certainly convenient. So I asked him to put 10 gallons in. That will get us well in to Mexico where the price is better.

I was standing there holding the compartment door open for him, and as he disconnected the fill line, he heard a very quiet hissing sound coming from the fill valve. Good thing he heard it, because I'm not sure I would have.

Anyhow, we got some WD-40 and sprayed it into the valve. Tapped the side of it with a hammer a few times, and fortunately, the seal seated itself. We checked it with some propane leak check fluid, and the valve was no longer leaking. I'll check it again today, but it should be fine.

And, it might now be good for years to come, but really it should be replaced. The problem is, finding one here before we leave. It can't be changed without the tank being empty, so we would have to wait a few weeks before doing it, even if we did find one in town. I can order one online, but it won't show up by Sunday.

If we can't find one, we'll have no choice but to leave it until we get back to the U.S. in April. I doubt we would be able to get one in Mexico, but you never know.

Anyhow, we headed out on the highway headed towards Mission. Not much to see, and so we didn't take any photos.

Oh, while we were waiting for the propane guy, I spotted this bird out the front window...

Male roadrunner.

It had it's rear feathers all puffed out like a peacock. Never seen that before, and it took me a while to realize that it was actually a roadrunner. It would sit like this for a while, and then the feathers would go back in place, he would scurry over to another spot, and puff them out again. We thought it must be some kind of mating ritual, but couldn't see a female around.

We pulled in to a Walmart east of Mission. That whole Mission/McAllen area is so busy! I'm afraid it's not an area we would enjoy for any length of time. Driving down the highway, there was a Walmart about every five miles!

I've never seen so many Walmarts in such a small area.

We needed to do a grocery shop, and did a bit of stocking up for Mexico. Spent $261 USD ($339 CAD)! We bought four 5 liter boxes of wine. We're technically over the limit, but we've never heard of anybody having booze taken away entering Mexico, so we're pretty confident we'll be okay. 

We drove right by the Mission West RV Park where we're meeting the caravan group. But that's okay, we'll see them when we arrive there today. We were heading a little further east to visit with friends Bill and Bonnie. We first met Bill and Bonnie in 2009 at Xpu-ha, a small coastal area south of Cancun with a beautiful beach. They were in their pick up truck camper at the time. We've met up with them a couple of times since, and we even stayed at their house in Michigan a few years ago.

They're staying at Paradise South RV Park. The park wanted $47 USD for us to come in for one night! Bonnie tried to get us a deal, and the best they would do is $43 USD a night. No thanks! And yet, for first timers you can stay here for $299 a month! Strange pricing policies, and I think we'll pass.

There is a small health center and seniors facility next door, I went and asked at administration if it would be okay to park for the night, and was given permission.

Taken this morning, just before sunrise.

Bonnie came and picked us up, and we went back to their motorhome. Their friends Laura and Larry from Owen Sound, Ontario who have only just started reading our blog came over to say hello as well, and we all had a nice visit.

Later on, Bill and Bonnie took us out for tacos. This was a real Mexican place. The girl taking our order didn't speak any English!

Out for tacos at Tequeria de Jalisco.

They had a special for $7 each. Four tacos, a loaded baked potato, and a drink. Ruth and I each ordered one, but Bill and Bonnie split one, which is what we should have done. A ton of food. Ruth and I were stuffed, plus we had enough to take home for lunch today! Pretty darn good food for $26 for the four of us!

This was supposedly four tacos. 
The corn tortillas are buried under the meat and onion mixture.

Went back to their place and played a fun couple of rounds of euchre. The girls won one round, and the guys won the other. We were all beat, so the playoff round will have to wait for another day.

Slept fine last night, but it was cold again. Down to the freezing mark overnight, but today is supposed to be a nice day and the cold snap looks like it's pretty much over and done with.

Today, we're heading over to Mission West RV Resort, and we're excited to be meeting up with some more of the caravan group that we're going to be spending the next three months with!

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Good deal on a comforter... various prices and various colors. Some pretty cheap...


And in Canada...






35 comments:

  1. Nice that you got your propane fill valve working again , hope it continues to work for you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, it was definitely nice to get it working properly. Hopefully we can find a new one to carry around with us, just in case we need it.

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  2. I would try to find a replacement and take it with you. Should be easy enough in a place the size of Mission. The RV park owners probably know where. Maybe at least get some teflon plumbers tape. You can probably remove the valve & reseal it with that enough to make it last.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There's yellow gas tape available at plumbing supply stores. I don't know what the difference is, but the yellow stuff is sold for gas lines.

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    2. We are trying to find one but it isn't as easy as it looks. Tape won't do any good, it isn't on the threads, it is the interior of the valve itself. With any luck all it needed was some lubrication to get it moving smoothly again.

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  3. Good tip re: WD-40 and propane leak check fluid. Thx!

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    Replies
    1. Hopefully that was all that was necessary.

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  4. Actually I guess its not the threads, it's inside the valve, Your WD40 just may do the trick

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  5. Also, I imagine even if the valve is leaking, it won't leak once you have the hose attached, so you should be OK.

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    Replies
    1. Paul we don't have regular tanks like trailers and 5th wheels. Ours is a built in tank so no hose gets attached to where the fill valve is.

      Delete
  6. Looks like a peaceful , quiet spot. Those seniors probaly are not big party folks:)

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    Replies
    1. The seniors only partied until mid night, so they weren't too much of a problem. ;-) However, there was too much freeway noise! Not an ideal location but it worked out good enough for us for the one night.

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  7. I know as we cross the border in Baja we'll be getting butane vice propane, as the cold tolerance of Propane is not needed. Never had any issues, and no idea how it may effect a weak valve. Keep an eye on it and test frequently. Safe Travels!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We also have never had a problem with the butane blend that they use in Mexico. Kevin, doubts that it would have any problem with the valve but he will certainly we keeping his eye on it.

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  8. I've never heard of using WD-40 like that before. Have always used a Water/Soap spray to find any kind of gas leak.
    Be Safe and Have Fun with your travels in Mexico.

    It's about time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You misunderstood what I wrote. We used the WD-40 to loosen up the stuck valve and tap it into place. Then we used propane leak check fluid to test and make sure it was no longer leaking.

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  9. I hope the gas line holds up. Perhaps you can get something sent to one of the RV parks you will be in Mexico?

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    Replies
    1. It's not the gas line, just the valve and it would only be a problem when we fill with propane and the valve won't close. Kevin doubts that there will be a problem again but we want to get a new valve just to be on the safe side.

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  10. Hi Kevin and Ruth
    Nice meeting you at Bill and Bonnie’s Have a safe. Trip to Mexico
    Hope we cross paths again Larry and Laura

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    Replies
    1. It was wonderful meeting the two of you as well. Yes, hopefully we will cross paths again. :-)

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  11. Everything sounds so exciting now that you are heading for Mexico. Enjoy!

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    Replies
    1. Yep, there are always things to get lined up before crossing the border into Mexico. It's all part of the adventure. :-)

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  12. We developed a slow leak in Mexico and could not find anyone to deal with it. We had to live with it until we got back to the US. We were losing about 1/10 of a tank per day and there was a strong propane smell around the door so we kept the tank valve turned off until we needed hot water and then just turned it on for a few minutes. We also turned it on for a couple of hours while we were driving to keep the fridge cold as it was really hot weather. Get the part before you leave, you will not find it in Mexico.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow, that would have been a little hard on the nerves!

      Yes, we are doing our best to find the part we need before crossing the border but it isn't as easy as we had hoped!

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  13. Good luck with the propane issue. Hope you get it fixed or at least find the parts you need. Travel safely.

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    Replies
    1. It is fixed at the moment the only time that it will present a possible problem is the next time we fill it. We hope we can find the part as well, not much time left though.

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  14. Another day, another RV maintenance adventure. I wish we were going with you. Hope it’s a good group and you all have a smooth border crossing.

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    Replies
    1. We actually do pretty good with Sherman when it comes to maintenance issues. Hopefully we can find the part we need today.

      So far the group of people coming on the caravan look like a great bunch. :-) We only have two more couples to meet and that will happen later today.

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  15. Replies
    1. On certain items, yes. Unfortunately the list isn't very long yet and my propane filler vale isn't on it.

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  16. You're the second person on the blogs today to have the same problem. He fixed his with a rubber washer.

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    Replies
    1. Hmmm...not sure if that would be the same problem as us but it is something to think about. We actually can't do anything to the valve until the tank is empty now.

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