Camco 59843 20-Inch Propane Pigtail Hose, ACME x 1/4 NPT

The Camco 59843 is a propane pigtail feed hose, the short flexible link between your propane cylinder and your regulator. If you own an RV or a boat with an LP system, you already know these hoses don't last forever. The rubber gets stiff, the fittings start to weep, and eventually a soapy-water leak check shows bubbles where it shouldn't. When that day comes, this is the replacement pigtail you reach for.

This one measures 20 inches and carries a Type 1 ACME nut on the cylinder end and a 1/4-inch male NPT thread on the regulator end. That Type 1 ACME connection is the big hand-wheel style fitting you'll find on modern 20 lb and 30 lb refillable propane cylinders, the same tanks that feed most RV furnaces, water heaters, ranges, and marine galley stoves. The 1/4-inch NPT end threads straight into the inlet of a standard single-stage or two-stage LP regulator. Camco ships this one without a regulator, so you keep the regulator you already have and just replace the worn hose.

Two safety features are built into the fittings. There's a thermal shutoff, which cuts the gas flow if the connection gets exposed to enough heat, like in a fire. And there's an excess-flow feature that closes off the line if it senses a sudden rush of gas, which is what you'd get if a downstream hose ruptured. Neither one replaces good habits, but both are the kind of quiet protection you want sitting between a pressurized cylinder and your living space.

Installation is straightforward. The ACME nut is designed to hand-tighten, no wrench needed. In fact, you shouldn't put a wrench on a Type 1 ACME nut at all, since over-torquing can deform it and ruin the seal. Just spin it on snug by hand until it stops. On the regulator side, the 1/4-inch NPT is a tapered pipe thread, so a wrap of gas-rated thread sealant tape or a dab of pipe dope rated for propane keeps it leak-free. Snug that end with a wrench. Then open the cylinder valve slowly and brush every joint with a 50/50 soap-and-water solution. Watch for bubbles. No bubbles means you're good to go.

One nice thing about the ACME connection is how fast a tank swap goes. Close the valve, spin the nut off by hand, move it to the fresh cylinder, spin it back on, leak check, done. No tools, no fuss. That's a real convenience when you're refilling on the road or dockside and just want heat and hot water back.

At 20 inches, this pigtail suits the typical tank-to-regulator run where the cylinder sits right beside or just below the regulator, which covers most RV propane trays and a lot of compact marine LP lockers. If your setup puts more distance between the tank and the regulator, measure first, because a pigtail that's stretched tight is a pigtail that'll fail early. You want a gentle curve with a little slack, never a hose pulled taut around a corner.

Compatibility is simple. As long as your cylinder has the Type 1 ACME valve, which every refillable 20 lb and 30 lb tank sold in recent years does, and your regulator has a 1/4-inch female NPT inlet, this pigtail bridges the two. That combination is about as standard as it gets in the RV world, and it's common on boats with a proper LP locker feeding a galley range. It isn't the hose for disposable one-pound camping cylinders, and it isn't a regulator, so match it to a full-size refillable tank and an existing regulator.

LP hoses are wear items, plain and simple. Sun, ozone, road vibration, and the constant flex of connecting and disconnecting cylinders all take their toll. It's smart to look yours over at the start of every season and replace any that feel hard, show cracks near the fittings, or fail a leak check. Keeping a spare 59843 in the storage bay is cheap insurance, especially if you camp or cruise somewhere a propane fitting isn't easy to find. This is a single hose, sold without a regulator or any adapters, so if you're also updating your regulator or need a different length, plan those separately.