Last Updated on January 15, 2021 by Gas Grill Buy
On-board RV’s propane tank has low pressure regulator. You can find low pressure gas grill for this usage. The problem is there aren’t a lot of low pressure gas grill options available on the market. So if we want to use high pressure gas grill (regular gas grill), we have to modify it.
But if don’t want to do the modification, you can buy the airstream weber Q1200 gas grill that Weber design especially for Airstream’s onboard propane system.
The best gas grills that we recommend for Airstream RV are the Weber Q Series, and most people use the Weber Q 1000 or Weber Q 1200 units.
The Pros & Cons of the WeberQ Series Gas Grill
Weber Q 1000
Click here to see latest price of Weber Q1000
PROS:
- Weber Q1000 Grill is a portable gas grill that is reliable and easy to carry anywhere.
- Because the Weber Q1000 Gas Grill has a lid it is very practical for campers and outdoor cooking purposes. The flame will be stable and protected from the wind so that the food will cook evenly and perfectly.
- Besides being functional, the Q1000 design is also very aesthetically functional.
- This machine although sophisticated but very easy to operate.
- The Weber 50060001 Q1000 has a lid and side handles making it more comfortable and easy to use.
- Size wise, the Weber Q1000 is easy to store and carry in your Airstream compartment.
- In terms of power, the Q1000 produces 8,500 British Thermal Units (BTU) per hour with a total cooking area of 189 square inches which is enough for the needs of 2-3 people at a time.
Cons:
- Some users have complained that this machine takes a long time to heat up. But you can pre-heat the gas grill before starting to grill.
Weber Q 1200
Click here to see latest price of Weber Q1200
Pros:
- The Q1200 is basically the same as the Q1000. The difference is that the Q1200 has a lid thermometer so you can easily find out and control the temperature when grilling.
Cons:
- Several people complained about the small cooking surface area. However, it should be sufficient as long as you don’t bring a large group.
How Do I Connect My Propane Grill to My Airstream Rv’s Propane Tank?
We can’t imagine RVing without barbecue grill on board. The problem is most portable gas grill are set up to use small propane tanks. We figured why should we have to haul these tanks around and risk running out of propane while we’re in the middle of cooking dinner when we’ve got a giant tank full of propane on board already.
Now our motorhome didn’t come from the manufacturer with any way to connect the grill into the system, so one of the first thing we should do is to modify it so we could use it.
Here you can watch step by step how to connect gas grill to RV. (explained in the video below)
Usually our onboard propane tank position is a long distance away from where we want our gas grill to be.
Extend-A-Stay RV Propane Kit
It uses to be the propane came out of the tank went straight across to the regulator and up to the mainline feeding all the appliances inside the motorhome. Then we have to add in the tee which is called a stay a while or an extend-a-stay and what that does is allow us to do two things. It feed a tee off to other items like the gas grill which is where the up-way line goes up to the other side and also allow us to connect from additional large external propane tank.
Additional 15 PSI Propane Regulator
The upper side tee has a 15 psi regulator in it to prevent there to being full high pressure going to the other side of the RV. The reason we had to do that because high pressure propane going over a long run will create an oily build-up inside the hose.
Originally we didn’t have this regulator at all and we simply have the hose connected right into the extend-a-stay. The high pressure going all the way across to the other side of RV that could create an oily build-up. The answer to that is to regulate before the long run of hose with the 15 pcs regulator to drop the pressure in the hose enough to prevent it from getting that oily build-up but still leaves it pressurized enough to get the propane all the way to the grill.
Make Connection to the Right Side
Maybe you are thinking if we were going to do that, why we don’t adjust tee into the line on the downstream side of the regulator where we already got it cutback?
The reason for that is simple. If we were gonna do that when we hooked up to the additional external propane tank, we would be putting high pressure propane to the downstream side of the regulator up into the RV which you can’t do.
The pressure in the RV has to be regulated. It can’t be full pressure. That meant that connecting to a large external propane tank had to be done before the built-in regulator’s side. Not the side after.
To connect the propane flow from the tank to our grill, we could use 24 foot length of hose (you can use two 12 foot lengths of hose.
The high pressure hose come through the wall into the basement. You can use a lot of silicone on it to seal the hole.
You can add a fitting that goes into the quick connect and over the other side is the other side of the quick connect permanently attached to the grill.
So all we have to do every time we want to hook up the grill is take the protective cap out and connect. It can easily connect and disconnect as well.
Parts that You Will Need
You can buy the parts you need to do these steps from the links below:
- Extend-A-Stay with 12′ Extension Hose: Camco Propane Brass 4 Port Tee.
- 1″-20 Female Throwaway Cylinder thread x 1/4″ Male Pipe Thread Adapters: Mr. Heater F273754 1/4 Male Pipe Thread x 1″-20 Female (you’ll need two)
- 15psi Propane Regulator: Hot Max 24215 High Pressure Replacement Propane Regulator, 15 PSI.
- 1/4″ NPT Brass Male-to-Male Nipple: Anderson Metals 56122 Brass Pipe Fitting, Hex Nipple, 1/4″ x 1/4″ NPT Male Pipe.
- 1″-20 Male Throwaway Cylinder thread x 1/4″ Female Pipe Thread Adapters: Mr. Heater F276140 (you’ll need two)
- 12′ Propane Extension Hose: Camco 59043 12′ Propane Extension Hose (if you need more than the one that’s already included with the Extend-A-Stay)
Conclusion – Which Gas Grill is the Best for Your Airstream?
You can buy the Airstream Weber Q 1200 that special designed for Airstream, but maybe you’ll have to wait in line due to high demand. Or you can buy any Weber Q 1000 or Weber Q 1200 on Amazon and modify it by yourself or by professional technician.
Note:
- If you’re not comfortable to do it by yourself, you may ask for professional help.
- If you move your Weber regulator, it may void the warranty.
Happy Grilling!
Recommended Reading
- Best Gas Grill for RVing or Motorhome
- Small Portable Gas Grills for Camping
- Best Portable Gas Grill for Tailgating
- Best Gas Grill for Small Places
- Weber 50060001 Q1000 Liquid Propane Grill Review
Source: Some words in our post are quoted from the RVGeeks Youtube Channel.