You Need a Low Pressure RV Grill for Your Quick Connect

>Did your RV come from the factory with a quick connect propane port conveniently mounted to the side? Fantastic! Just grab your low-pressure RV grill, and let’s get cooking! But, if your propane grill isn’t a low pressure gas grill, that conveniently mounted RV quick connect isn’t going to work for you.

In today’s post, we’ll explain why, and we’ll give you some options for setting up the perfect cooking area right next to your RV, using your rig’s onboard propane tank to fuel your propane grill.

Let’s get those steaks sizzling!

What Is a Low-Pressure RV Grill?

A low-pressure gas grill for RV use is designed to work using the low pressure propane from your RV’s onboard propane tank (i.e. plumbed in downstream of, or after, your RV’s onboard regulator). This means that you don’t have to carry an extra propane cylinder to use your portable propane grill or gas-fueled camping griddle.

Low pressure grills for RV use are great because they allow you to simply grab the quick connect hose, connect it to the propane quick-connect mounted on the side of your rig, and start grilling!

Why Doesn’t My Propane Grill Work With My RV Quick Connect?

Unless you have a low-pressure RV grill, you won’t be able to simply connect your portable propane grill to your RV’s propane quick connect port and start cooking.

Here’s why:

Like all of the propane-fueled appliances on board your RV, RV quick connects are connected to low-pressure propane. However, not all propane BBQ grills will work with that low-pressure supply.

Most BBQ grills are designed with a built-in regulator that’s expected to be connected to high-pressure propane directly from a portable tank. If you connect these grills to a low-pressure propane supply, one of two things will happen.

1. The grill won’t work at all because the regulator won’t allow any propane to flow. This occurs because the pressure of the incoming propane supply isn’t high enough to force the regulator to open.
2. It will work (sort of), but very poorly. This is because the low pressure supply isn’t enough to heat completely.

That’s where low-pressure RV grills come into play. They will either have the correct regulator (designed to be supplied with low-pressure propane) or they won’t have a regulator at all, instead just controlling the flow of the already low-pressure propane being delivered by your RV’s regulator.

Where Can I Get a Low Pressure RV Grill?

Some RVs that come with the low pressure quick connect will also come with a low-pressure grill to go with it. But if yours didn’t, you may need to get one. (There’s also a secondary solution that we’ll look at later in the post.)

First, let’s take a look at some quality low-pressure RV grills to consider.

Flame King – YSNHT500 RV Or Trailer Mounted BBQ

This is a 12,000 BTU low pressure RV grill with 214 square inches of cooking surface and an adjustable flame controller. It has an upper grill deck and a bracket for mounting to the side of your rig. The hanging rack can also be used as a set of foldable legs, allowing the grill to be used as a free-standing unit (instead of mounted to the side of your RV).

This Flame King low-pressure gas grill for RVs comes with a mounting bracket, three handles, and a carry bag for easy transport.

Note that no hose is included with this grill. The seller recommends using Flame King hose model #100395-72 to connect to your RV’s propane system, or Flame King hose model #LPRH8 to connect to a standard propane cylinder.

As always, we suggest checking reviews from experienced users of the product.

Camping World Low Pressure Gas Grill

The grill features a 214 sq. in. grilling surface with a 10,000-BTU stainless steel burner. The grill mounts easily to the side of your RV but can also be used on a tabletop with a provided rack. It has an electronic ignition and an easily adjustable flame, as well as a temperature gauge.

This low-pressure RV grill also features insulated handles, a grease drip tray, a locking lid with a dual clasp, and a carry bag for compact storage and portability.

This Low Pressure Gas Grill from Camping World will run you $100.

The grill above is designed for use with an RV’s built-in propane system, but it doesn’t come with the necessary hose and/or adapters needed to connect it to your RV’s quick-connect fitting.

Some RVs may come with everything needed for use with the quick connect fitting on the side of the RV, but even then some adapters may be needed to connect the hose to the grill. These are usually available at big-box hardware stores.

Camping World also has an RV propane connection hose available. Here’s an 8-foot-long hose:

Can I Convert a High-Pressure Grill to a Low-Pressure Grill for Use With an RV Quick Connect?

In many cases, you can! We’ll use the very popular Weber Q grills as an example. These high-pressure grills come with a hose and regulator for use with portable propane canisters. For this reason, you can’t simply connect a Weber Q (or any other high-pressure grill) to your RV’s low-pressure propane system via the quick connect.

Let’s take a quick look at a Weber Q, and then we’ll show you exactly how you can connect your high-pressure grill to your rig’s low-pressure onboard propane system.

Weber Q1200

This is one of several Weber grills that are extremely popular with RVers and campers everywhere… maybe because the Q1200 comes in a variety of colors?

This porcelain-enameled grill offers a single stainless steel burner that produces 8,500 BTU to heat the 189-square-inch cooking surface. It features folding side tables, a lid thermometer, electronic ignition, and a removable grease catch pan.

Now… out of the box, you can’t use this high-pressure grill with your RV’s onboard propane system. It’s designed to be used with high-pressure portable propane canisters.

However, if you want to convert a Weber grill for use with your rig’s built-in low-pressure connection to the onboard propane tank, you’ll need a quick connect conversion kit (it comes in lengths of 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 feet).

Note: this conversion kit will only work with Weber Q models 100, 1000, 1200, 200, 2000, or 2200.

Here’s the 10-foot version:

The kit will allow you to remove the grill’s onboard regulator and then connect the grill to the low-pressure quick-connect port on your RV. Additionally, it includes the parts needed to convert the grill’s regulator to attach via quick-connect… so you can easily revert the grill to it’s normal state, allowing you to then use a high-pressure propane source (like a disposable or portable propane tank).

For a step-by-step tutorial on how to use this conversion kit to convert your Weber Q for use with your RV’s onboard propane system, we encourage you to watch this video.

Can I Connect My High-Pressure Grill to My RV’s Propane Tank If My RV Doesn’t Have a Quick Connect Port?

You can, and we did! We use our portable grill all the time, so it only made sense for us to convert our grill for use with our onboard propane tank.

To see how we did it, please have a look at our post on converting our BBQ grill connection.

If you prefer a more visual tutorial, here’s how we did it, step-by-step, video style!

Final Thoughts

We love our BBQ grill and use it daily. We can’t really imagine traveling without it, but we also can’t imagine hauling around a bunch of small propane bottles in order to be able to use it. That’s why we wanted to get this post out.

There are lots of options for connecting to your rig’s onboard propane tank(s) for use with your portable grill. We hope this information is helpful to you if you enjoy grilling like we do!

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