Features: The useful and not-so-useful

[MarkBC]

Well, I sure wish I had a picture of it. In Saline Valley there was a fellow, Desert Dave, with a beautiful travel trailer that was custom made on a Wells Cargo chassis. He forgot to turn off his propane on the way out. Still on Bat Road it went up like someone had thrown a stick (or two) of dynamite in it! That trailer was reduced to around 6 cubic feet of molten aluminum. Dave was able to disconnect his trailer just before the pickup burned down as well.


You saw this happen -- saw the explosion/flames and all that?

 

[generubin]

I was at Saline visiting and checking out the trailer. I said my "good byes" to Dave and left. One week later I returned to Saline to find the remnants of his trailer on Bat Road. It was those in camp that were there that told me what a racket and huge fire it created. That Dave barely disconnected his trailer from his truck in time. This was 10 years ago, but I believe the windows on his Caravan Topper shell were blown out as well. Dave had no idea what created the ignition of the gas. The only thing worse could be a trailer or camper filling with gas and then igniting when someone opens the door. Of course, a traffic accident with a full tank of propane blasting away could make for some, toasty weather.

Driving with propane on, well, it just isn't something I would do.

 

[pods8]

There are propane powered vehicles, which obviously have there propane on, driving around everyday. In regards to a car accident I wouldn't be any more or less worried about having propane explode that I would about a tank of gasoline. Too much myth in the propane world I think.

If that guys trailer really blew from propane I'd guess it was likely a bad plumbing connection or one that busted on the washboard roads and propane slowly leaked into the rig over time. By the way many propane regulators have a feature that when the back pressure on the line drops (ie a line break) they reduce flow to ~10% to not dump fuel to a potentially bad situation.

 

[generubin]

Propane powered vehicles have very well protected tanks.

You have a point about the regulator. As long as it is not sheared off in an accident. Whatever the cause of Dave's leak, had the tank been turned off, there would not have been the destruction. Washboard roads can do a number on the best plumbed propane.

As far as comparing to gasoline. Propane is under extreme pressure and the tank is likely installed in a flimsy break apart camper compared to carefully situated (except Mustangs and Pintos) gas tanks. We've all seen campers and trailer that have been in accidents. The bits and pieces fly every which way, now imagine a flying propane tank with the valve open.

I just don't see reason to add this risk. I don;t mean to harp on this. I'll turn my propane off, you guys who feel comfortable with it on can do what you will.

I guess it comes down to what experiences people have had. I suppose someone working as a doc or a nurse in a burn center would turn their tank off, just to be sure.

 

[MarkBC]

Gasoline tanks can and do explode in vehicle crashes...and propane tanks (the propane is not at extreme pressure -- 100-200 psi is nothing like extreme) are much thicker-walled than any gasoline tank.

The reason to take the (microscopic) risk of driving with the propane 'frig running is because it's good to keep food cold -- and the risk of explosion is microscopic. I've driven thousands of miles with the propane 'frig running and have never had a fire. Someone might say "You've been lucky". NO -- the world doesn't run on luck, it runs on physics. Unless someone thinks the laws of physics might change when I'm not looking...then I think it's proven to be safe enough.
If we were really concerned about risk we wouldn't be driving at all. But for some reason people ignore the fact that the most risky thing you'll do on a trip is to be in a vehicle on a public road.
Why do people ignore the risk of driving? Because most people don't assess risk well -- and because they want to drive, so they ignore facts that get in the way of their wants. But that's fine -- everybody chooses which risks they ignore and those they'll focus on....it's a free country!

 

[generubin]

Hi Mark,
My point exactly. Those who want to leave them on, should. But, I guess since I've seen the results of Dave's trailer, I'll turn mine off. I suppose there is a move towards 12 volt Engel fridges anyway. Jay Aronow is telling me he has already sold through his first opening order and has more coming.

You're up in Bend, nice place. I've been to some of the areas east of you. Nice ot have all that open space.

Gene

 

[mtn-high]

I read the manuals on both the furnace and the refrigerator and could find nothing that warned against, prohibited, or stated anywhere that driving with the appliance(s) on is a no-no. I made a few test runs at slow speeds and saw no ill effects/heard no alarms goin off/etc.... ditto with running at 75mph.

Of course, I'm one of the fools out there in a 1/2 ton gasser with suspension mods

be safe, all

mtn

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

Accidents can happen in most any kind of situation.

I see the videos on the local news quite often where someone is filling up their gas tank at the gas station, they get inside there car for a moment while the gas is pumping, get back out of the car, and go touch the gas nozzle to remove it. POW ! Just a spark from static electricity.

Driving with the propane on or off is going to be a personal thing. This is something that each customer will have to decide on.

I would think it is always going to be safer to leave the propane off while traveling, but if used properly and you are careful, it can be OK to leave it on while driving too.

If you are just running the refrigerator while driving, there are a few safety measures in place to help reduce any fire or explosion accidents.

1. If the pilot light on the refrigerator blows out for some reason while you are driving, the propane will automatically shut off to the refrigerator.

2. If you did get in a bad accident and the propane tank somehow flew out of the camper, ripped the connection hose off, and ripped the regulator out, the propane coming out of the tank will be very small. When the hose is not connected to the propane tank, I don't think any propane will come out on the newer style tanks. And in the newer connection hoses there is a small check valve that should close / reduce the propane flow if there is a big leak in the system.

Stuff happens.

People blow their BBQ's up all the time.

Houses catch fire.

There are car accidents.

Just be careful out there and have your safety measures in place.

(example: fire extinguisher, smoke detector, propane sensor, carbon monoxide sensor, etc, etc.)

One of my family members is a fire fighter. When I went to their house over the holidays I noticed a weird smell in the house? It smelled like an RV furnace (propane). They live in the country so their house is hooked up to a large propane tank for the gas supply. I asked ... "do you have any carbon monoxide sensors or propane detectors in the house?" The reply ... "huh? I don't think so". I did a quick room check and didn't see any. And looking at some of the smoke detectors, the batteries were removed! ARG!!!

Common sense is not so common these days.





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[chnlisle]

Or get an Engel.