The Cube propane system The propane supply is housed in a small hutch attached to the West side of the Cube. When the building is unoccupied this is always kept locked. There are two shelves with a pair of tanks on each shelf. Each pair of tanks is connected to a T-valve with a lever to switch the flow of propane from one tank to the other. If a tank should become empty, its neighbor can be brought into service with a turn of the handle. Propane provides the heat source for the water heater and the stove and oven. If all the connections are secured tightly it is safe to leave the valves on the top of the tanks open. In this way the propane supply will be available upon arrival for hot water and cooking.

Troubleshooting It the pilot light for the water heater does not light, or if the stove will not come on a propane tank may be empty. In this case it is necessary to open the propane hutch and examine the tanks. If one of the active tanks is much lighter than the others it is probably empty and needs to be replaced. First switch the T valve to the reserve tank and check to see that the stove or water heater now are receiving  propane. There may be a delay in the flow because of air in the hoses. Once the flow of gas is restored and the stove or water heater are running normally, disconnect and remove the empty tank. The threads on propane tanks are left handed, so turn the coupling in the opposite direction from what would be normal for loosening.

The empty tank can exchanged for a full one in the nearby village for about $15. The new full tank now becomes the reserve tank and should be connected in the same location from which the old one was removed.