The LPG (Propane) System
Take a look at the big cover over the propane bottles on your Airstream. Open it up and you'll see two painted steel or Aluminum bottles connected to hoses, and a device that regulates the flow of LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas), also known as propane. Each bottle has its own shutoff valve. When the trailer is stored, they should be closed. When the trailer is in use, they should both be open.
The reason for this is because you have an "automatic changeover regulator." The changeover regulator has a switch that points to one bottle. Try switching it from one bottle to the other. Propane gas will flow first from the bottle that the black switch is pointing to. We'll call that the "primary" bottle.
Here's the automatic part: if the primary bottle runs dry, the regulator starts to draw gas from the secondary bottle, giving the trailer an uninterrupted flow of gas. This means that you don't have to get up in the middle of the night to switch bottles—and believe me, that's the time propane bottles tend to run dry the most!
To be extra helpful, a small red indicator will appear on the regulator when the primary bottle is empty. It's a good idea to check the indicator on the regulator every day while you are camping. If it is red, move the black switch to point at the secondary tank, and you'll see the indicator become green again. Make a note to get the empty tank refilled at your next opportunity.
Take a moment to get down on the ground and see where those gas lines go. You'll find that they go underneath the belly pan, and disappear up into the body of the Airstream trailer at various points. The idea is that the propane gas is kept outside the living space until the last possible moment, when the lines go straight up to the refrigerator, stove, furnace, and water heater.
You may also see small valves mounted on the gas lines beneath the trailer or inside the appliance compartments. These are placed so you can shut off gas to part of the system, for example, when an appliance has to be removed for service.
In an emergency, during storage, or when traveling, always shut off the gas valves at the propane bottles. This can keep a small problem from becoming a big one!
