Grand Design Propane Regulator recall

[BillinTexas]

Bill,

I received the recall notice yesterday and purchased the Flame King for $50.00.

Jim

When I bought, it was $45.

[Guest]

When I bought, it was $45.

Yes supply and demand will take its toll. Thank you for the research in changing over to the Flame King. I have a trip coming up and I'm now smelling a hint of propane at the tanks.

Jim

[Abspapa]

I have been trying to reach Grand Design by phone and all that I keep getting is a busy signal on all the numbers they provide. I also sent an email inquiry and have not as yet received a response. I have received a Recall letter concerning the LP regulator on my coach. I took the issue to my selling dealer. They said I needed to tack a picture of my regulator and bring it to them. The service writer could not say how long the process would take. The recall letter says I should not use the propane system until the dealer checks out the problem. Not a happy camper.

[Guest]

I have been trying to reach Grand Design by phone and all that I keep getting is a busy signal on all the numbers they provide. I also sent an email inquiry and have not as yet received a response. I have received a Recall letter concerning the LP regulator on my coach. I took the issue to my selling dealer. They said I needed to tack a picture of my regulator and bring it to them. The service writer could not say how long the process would take. The recall letter says I should not use the propane system until the dealer checks out the problem. Not a happy camper.

I called them this morning and got right through. I asked if they could send me the regulator and understandably they declined since it needs a pressure check from a dealer. They also mentioned they would honor the recall at any dealer so I have an appointment in October with a Jayco dealer. Meanwhile, I will do a simple flame test on the stove at low and again on high with and without all the appliances running. Its all I can do at this time since I am not buying a manometer and I donated my slack tube manometers to the college I attended years ago.

Jim

[Guest]

I have been trying to reach Grand Design by phone and all that I keep getting is a busy signal on all the numbers they provide. I also sent an email inquiry and have not as yet received a response. I have received a Recall letter concerning the LP regulator on my coach. I took the issue to my selling dealer. They said I needed to tack a picture of my regulator and bring it to them. The service writer could not say how long the process would take. The recall letter says I should not use the propane system until the dealer checks out the problem. Not a happy camper.

You should not have to do that since you have the recall letter that was sent to you. And the replacement is not from the same vendor. What your dealer needs to do is take down your VIN, call GDRV for the replacement part and install it. My letter states the system should not be used if any of the symptoms are present.

Jim

[Abspapa]

I called (Grand Design) each these numbers three different times today 1-574-825-9679 & 1-574-825-8000 and got a busy signal all three times on both numbers. Then, at 5PM Pacific time I called both numbers and got a recording stating they were closed. Busy signal during working hours and recorded message after hours. Makes no sense. I also sent an email yesterday to warranty@granddesign.com and as of yet have not received an answer to my email.

[Jlawles2]

Guest I have one of these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you are willing to pay the shipping and return, I can loan it to you.

[StephenO]

Well, the Excelsior MEGR-253H and the Flame King came in today so I need to decide on which one to use. I am a little concerned using the Flame King as it may not have enough BTU's and the MEGR has too much!!

Both regulators should be designed to output 11" WC pressure, which is what an RV propane system is designed for. Where the delta comes in is the maximum BTU/hr, which is as it reads, the maximum rate of BTUs the regulator can output per hour.

From my readings, you want a regulator that is slightly above the maximum BTU/hr you would be using, and going way over has little benefit. However, you can go over. To find that value, simply add the BTU rating of all propane appliances in your trailer. In my manual I was able to find the BTU/hr rating of all the appliances in our trailer, and adding them up had a result of approximately 100k BTU/hr. This is why I tried to find the non "-H" (high capacity) model of the MEGR regulator, but again all I could find at the time was the -H.

Again, I am not an expert by any means, so if anyone finds an error in what I wrote, if I am missing anything critical, or is questioning anything, please let me know. I will update it ASAP. Last thing I want to do is give out any wrong info, especially for LP gas.

However, some things I am fairly certain of:

- If you are not comfortable doing any propane work, don't do it. Take it to a professional!

- You need to have your system tested for leaks every year or after changing anything
- You need to have a pressure test done when you change a regulator to ensure it is properly set for 11" WC in it's installed application

- Don't use a high pressure propane regulator on your RV. RV appliances (from my reading) are designed for 11" WC (~0.4 psi). RVs systems require a low pressure dual stage regulator

- Make sure you install the regulator in the proper orientation, some are designed for vertical and some are for horizontal installation. There is also a proper end for down

[StephenO]

Guest I have one of these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you are willing to pay the shipping and return, I can loan it to you.

Looks pretty close to the pressure gauge on my wife's sphygmomanometer from medical school. I wonder if she would notice if I 'borrow' it

[Guest]

Guest I have one of these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you are willing to pay the shipping and return, I can loan it to you.

Joseph,

That's a very kind offer and much appreciated but for now lets see how it functions. I'm still traveling between two homes and I do not want your manometer sitting on the porch while I may not be there. I'm headed to PA this weekend and will install the regulator to see how it performs and make a call on its use. Its supposed to be here in Michigan today.

After the PA trip the rig will end up at the storage facility in Ohio. The Jayco dealer up the street from the lot has agreed to install the new regulator in October. So once the dust has settled, I can accept your offer to adjust the temporary unit.

Jim

[Jlawles2]

Guest Jim, No problem I completely understand.

Only reason i have those is B/C dad wanted a set before he passed. I bought them for him as a Christmas gift, so when we were distributing tools, I asked for those since I had given them to him.

[Abspapa]

I am currently on the phone holding to speak to customer service rep at Grand Design concerning the LP regulator recall. I have been holding for thirty minutes so far listening to that horrible music they are playing over and over. A recorded message came on twice in that time saying estimated wait time is 30 seconds. What a joke. My selling dealer knows nothing about the recall. You would think GD would hire as many people as they could to answer their phone calls sooner. They have these beautiful websites saying how they take care of their customers. Never again. Believe me. There are so many people out of work. Why don't they hire some of these many unemployed to answer phones while this recall is going on? The dealer smooses potential buyers. After the sale, you are on your own. This is what the world has become. They still haven't answered my call while I've been writing this post.

[Guest]

Installed the Flame King and ran the stove at low and high and again at those settings with all appliances turned on. This matched the original regulator performance where I feel its good for a temporary solution until the OCTOBER appointment. Can't be any worse than singing my eyebrows while cooking bacon with the recalled unit.

Jim

[BillinTexas]

I am still waiting to hear back from the dealer on the replacement though I have the Flame King in hand. I will give them a bit more time but will likely hire a mobile tech to do the change out and test. I have not been able to confirm whether he is certified or not at this point which I would prefer to attempt reimbursement from GD. We have had our rig 11 months now and have never used the stove. I cook outdoors on a griddle or grill. If we do need a burner I have a small portable to use. We really only use the propane for the water heater or heater on rare occasions.

[rwebb38]

Just got my new 2021 Imagine 17MKE a month ago, so a neighbor gave me an fyi copy of his recall notice. Went out and checked my regulator after landing on this site. Mine came with a TPA Mod. ACR-2 (with a white plastic cover over it) from the factory. Must of been a model they used after learning of problems perhaps?