Marshall Excelsior MEGR-253 Reg 2-Stage Auto Vert Bulk

We decided to quit going cheap. We replaced the regulator on our trailer with an FK branded unit. It lasted less than a year and cost us $125 in lost food, $150 in replacement food, $40 for a cheap interim cooler, and $30 in ice to be able to keep the vacation going. Tired of junk, we spent the money and bought this. We can hear the quality difference in the flame: the old one was noisy and rumbly; this one is very quiet with a much cleaner flame.

Tried a different brand and it leaked and was loud. Picked this one up as a replacement for the original replacement that cracked after 7 years, and love it. Super easy to operate, easy to see indicator, super quiet and precise regulator. Easy to rotate selector for each tank. And company sent it next day, came before my prime tank lines.

Excellent Quality. If you have high BTU consumers purchase the 253H. This one is for moderate use. In other words, if you plan to run a stove, an on demand large water heater, and another appliance all at once, you better add up your BTU rating cause you’ll likely exceed the rating of this unit.Also, be aware that these units are very reliable and well built and usually won’t fail unless you run the currently available horrible quality propane. What? The propane now available in the US is horrible quality and has all kinds of oils and contaminates that will flow directly into your regulator and plug it up. This garbage can also ruin thousands of dollars worth of appliances. The faster you are pulling propane out the more likely you will get contamination in the regulator.If you look at this install, you will see two “drops” plumbed on the intake fittings and one drop on the output. This was done as an experiment to see how much oil I could stop from contaminating the system. My first regulator with only an output drop lasted 1 year. When it failed I got about 2 cc’s oil out of the drop and the regulator was heavily contaminated with oil and wax like substance when disassembled. I am hopeful the intake drops will minimize the problem.You can lessen the flow rate by turning both bottles on. The primary bottle (where the switch is pointed) will do the lions share of the work. But under high flow, the secondary will provide additional flow. The problem with this scenario is if you are not paying close attention, you may end up taking a cold shower because both bottles can run empty. You must watch the red/green indicator which tells you the level of the primary bottle.For people who have problems with these regulators I recommend investigating oil contamination or high demand exceeding the unit specs.There are expensive propane filters available, but the drops cost a few dollars each and gravity is free.

Item was easy to install and exactly as described in listing. The item was shipped and delivered quickly. Will buy from the vendor again, smooth transaction.

My original regulator was leaking through the vent hole and this was a perfect match and easy to install.

I bought this regulator 1.5 years ago and have used it daily ever since(live in RV). I've had no issue with the indicator nor overall function in 10 degree F weather(east TN, USA) up to 90F+.If you can find the warranty PDF on the official site, you'll see that this thing is warrantied for 5 years, so I don't understand why people are throwing it away after 3 years or less. FYI, I paid forty for it at that time so I definitely recommend it at that price.

I bought a camper with the same auto regulator in it and from what i can tell, they had driven the RV down the road with the propane tanks on which allowed the liquid to make its way into the regulator. It was stuck between showing full and empty and it finally bugged me enough that i had to buy this to replace it. It was nice to see the entire view glass green when i turned on the propane tanks for the first time. Great product. (so far). Time will tell how long it holds up.For those who are wondering.... this regulator is an auto changeover. You have to turn the switch towards the bottle you want to use immediately (primary bottle) and when it empties, the regulator will automatically changeover to the other bottle so you're not stranded. To remove the empty (primary bottle) while the secondary is being used, you have to physically turn the lever to point towards the other bottle (secondary bottle) and that bottle now becomes the primary which allows you to remove the empty bottle for refilling without leakage. The now filled empty bottle (old primary bottle) will be the secondary bottle when installed once again.UPDATE: 05/28/2021This regulator still looks and functions as new. I've had zero problems with it on the multiple outdoor trips I've taken which includes subzero temps and hot humid desert terrain. It always works and i don't have to think about it anymore. I would happily buy another when (if) this one goes out.

I wanted to buy one of these years ago, but was scared off by the bad reviews of them failing to switch, getting stuck, etc.But, I was revisiting the problem again this year and found that people were pretty happy with this brand, so thought it was worth trying.It has been good so far. I have a 20lb and a 100lb tank hooked up and it auto-failed to the big tank when my small tank ran out.I'll update this as we go along.I currently have it covered with a plastic bag as I've read people complaining about outside/cold weather use and icing, etc.I'll eventually build a small shed for it.