Passing Gas

At the flip of a switch the propane solenoid opens a valve that sends propane to the stove in the galley.  Kay made coffee this morning, then noted that she had forgotten to turn on the solenoid.  The valve controlled by the solenoid was apparently stuck open regardless of the switch position.

On the one hand this could be a good thing since the solenoid draws power from the battery while the valve is open. If it’s stuck open, no power is needed.  On the other hand it is safer to be able to turn off the propane when it’s not being used.

As it happens, I had a spare solenoid in my spares so I went to work this morning to replace it.  I had a feeling I would be replacing that thing at some point.  Thankfully the job didn’t turn out to be too difficult.

I also refilled the propane tank while I had it out.  Three weeks of cooking meals: 1 gallon of propane. Not bad.

Old and New Solenoids