Camco 59013 Single-Stage Propane Regulator | RV LP

If your RV's propane appliances have gotten weak, slow to light, or just plain finicky, a tired regulator is one of the first things worth checking. The Camco 59013 is a single-stage low-pressure regulator that takes the high, variable pressure coming off your propane tank and knocks it down to the steady 11 inches of water column that RV appliances are built to run on. That steady output is the whole job. Get it right and your stove lights clean, your furnace cycles the way it should, and your water heater stops surging.

It's rated to flow up to 200,000 BTU per hour. For most travel trailers, campers, and motorhomes that's plenty of headroom to run the big three at once, a range or cooktop, a furnace, and a water heater, without starving anything. If you've ever watched a burner flame drop off when the furnace kicks on, that's the kind of pressure sag a healthy regulator is there to prevent.

This is a single-stage design, so it does the full pressure drop in one step. Single-stage regulators are common on smaller and mid-size rigs and on setups where the tank sits close to the appliances. They're simple, reliable, and easy to service. The tradeoff is that single-stage units are a little more sensitive to big temperature swings than a two-stage setup, but for typical camping and travel that's rarely an issue. If your coach was originally spec'd with a single-stage regulator, this is a straightforward like-for-like replacement.

Mounting matters. The 59013 is a horizontal-mount regulator, which means the vent opening needs to face down once it's installed. Pointing the vent down keeps rain, road spray, and debris out of the diaphragm, and it lets any moisture drain instead of pooling against the internals. Mount it sideways or vent-up and you're asking for trouble down the road. Take the extra minute to orient it correctly and it'll last.

A couple of things to know before you order. This regulator ships without a hose and without a shutoff valve. That's by design, it lets you match the pigtail, hose length, and any shutoff to your particular tank setup rather than paying for parts you'd only end up replacing. So if you need a pigtail or a hose to reach from the tank to the regulator, plan on grabbing those separately. Same goes for an inline shutoff if your setup calls for one.

Installation is well within reach for a hands-on owner, but propane is nothing to guess at. Use a proper thread sealant rated for gas on the fittings, never plumber's tape alone on flare connections, and leak-check every joint with soapy water before you light anything. If you smell gas or the soap test bubbles, stop and fix it. When in doubt, have an RV tech make the final connections, it's cheap insurance on a fuel system.

Who's this for? Anybody replacing a failed or aging single-stage regulator on a propane-equipped RV, or building out a tank setup that calls for an 11 inch WC, 200,000 BTU single-stage unit. It's approved for RV use, and it carries the Camco name, a company that's been building RV parts since 1966 and knows this corner of the market cold. If your appliances are acting up and the regulator is more than a handful of years old, swapping it is one of the most satisfying, low-cost fixes you can do on a camper.

One honest note: a regulator is a wear item. Diaphragms stiffen, vents get gummed up, and performance drifts over time. If you're already in there, it's worth checking your hose and pigtail for cracks and giving the whole propane run a once-over. Do it once, do it right, and you can forget about it for years.