Smokecreek1
Smokecreek1
Well guys, not sure if this should be a trip report or put here, but this story just happened up at the Sheldon WLR in Nevada and is a story that can happen and all of us need to be aware of! On Thursday I meet Wondering Sagebrush up at the Virgin Valley CG in Nevada. After introductions, several hours of cuss and discuss and a few drinks, it was time to hit the rack-we thought! Along around 0230 the buzzing and flashing suddenly ended my dreams and nights sleep! "Oh know, damn battery ran down somehow" where my first thoughts as I climbed down from the rack and grabbed my flashlight as I stepped on the dog as I fell toward the rear door. Quickly and expertly I moved into the cab to start the truck and end the damn racket so I could return to dream land! Alas, nothing happened and the noise still spewed from the FWC.
By this time Wondering Sagebrush had arrived from his rig asking "Do you need any help?" Maybe I did, this is the first time in the last almost nine years that starting the truck had not stopped the damn buzzer. First though hit that reset on the sensor and make it stop. Then it stopped and my muddled ears and then mind first head WS saying something about smelling some gas smell. "Gas, Gas" I didn't smell anything, I remember saying "must be the hot springs causing all the fuss because this had never happened before". What to do next? Still not awake, I think I said something like Well it's quiet now --sort of ignoring WS and his talk of smell of something. Opened up all the windows, and kept the back door open-did that right anyway! WS thought maybe if I moved the truck in a different direction the wind would take the smell away and the buzzer would not go off-didn't do it -but another possible action not taken.Turned off the propane at last-really thought it was the gas from the hot spring!
Quiet now, so after a while, turned things back on again and suggested time to hit the rack again.[later thought put here-years before my frig had also went out but without the noise and smell-this really was the first time with all the other stuff-muddled brain slowing the right reaction to the situation]-but I did not really smell the gas like WS did----important fact [only the next day did I notice all the blooming rabbit brush near the truck-I am very allergic to rabbit brush and it messes up my smeller]. After a while and no smells or buzzer, so maybe me thinks , things are Okay now, went back to sleep[ yep -great thinking here again!]
A few hours later, it started all over again-this time however, my mind was clearer than before and I reacted to WS arrival and "the talk of that gas smell" started to make sense so I shut everything down again and the bugger stopped [see below-action taken]---maybe he did smell something that I didn't--[yes I blew it the first time I know it now, but stupid is and stupid does and things can happen to someone who is supposed to know what he is doing and yes you can can blow it with a fogged mind] I really still didn't smell the gas ya know-maybe just a trace, maybe WS has a better sniffer than mine. And yes I could now smell it a little when WS and I checked the outside of the the frig and yes it was hot before we shut down the frig and turned off the gas and fan[about time]! I also I forgot to relight the hot water tank after I shut it down the first time-and I had left the value open-maybe that is what caused the second buzzing [more deductive thinking here-or maybe wishful thinking].
Sometime around 0500, still awake and time for another system check so turned on everything again after disconnecting and reconnecting everything i could find from the propane tank on ward [never learn-I guess] and no smells even when WS showed up with a pot of coffee and no buzzer or lights. Maybe fixed the damn thing-ya know, I always did smell gas around the propane tank, maybe it just built up over time this trip and it was not connected right-so that was the problem me thinks! FWC left wide open all day long, with the system on! Well. WS had adventures to do, so off he went. By later that afternoon, my system seemed fine no smell or buzzer -I must have fixed it, but by then my nose was running a river-[a sign of things to come].
Night two, a new neighbor showed up in the next space and never mentioned any gas smell when he came over to talk [here was another thing I should have done but thought after it after he left about telling him about what happened the night before so he could be forewarned and maybe his nose was better than mine], so maybe I fixed it-wrong! At about 2230, it started all over again-shut down the system as fast as I could, I had left all the windows and doors open-at least did that right anyway-but maybe doing that it put off the buzzer until the propane gas was maxed out in the camper and then it went off, but would not shut off when i pressed the shut-off; after a while I had to disconnect the wires.
Lost all the stuff in the freeser including 7 lamb chops.
Something else happened weird here too because after my buzzer went off-my neighbors car alarm went off-now figure that out-ghosts??? What a strange night and experience! [later thoughts- I really did not smell the propane smell that much-maybe a trace-smelled the hot spring though-wait a minute what type of gas is in a hot spring--hmmmm.-- a connection--but I have parked near hot springs before and this never happened. Above my grade I guess-no, damn near blew myself and maybe WS and another guy up! So here is what I think!
Lot's of things happened here and I wonder what WS remembers from out trip to Virgin Valley CG--and what can you guys and me-an experienced WTWer(????) --can learn from our experience! I remember that in both the Army and in the BLM we would do an after experience report when something like this happened asking what we did wrong and right and how to keep it from ever happening again! So here is your chance to chime in and write that report-I survived, but did I make the Darwin list!
By the way, it's probably a new 2 way WAE frig and finish my conversion to solar-no more propane-put a email message into Stan at FWC on this site - to start that process-doing that right (hope he looks at his email) or do I have to call them-!
With head hung low and awaiting your judgement,
Smoke
By this time Wondering Sagebrush had arrived from his rig asking "Do you need any help?" Maybe I did, this is the first time in the last almost nine years that starting the truck had not stopped the damn buzzer. First though hit that reset on the sensor and make it stop. Then it stopped and my muddled ears and then mind first head WS saying something about smelling some gas smell. "Gas, Gas" I didn't smell anything, I remember saying "must be the hot springs causing all the fuss because this had never happened before". What to do next? Still not awake, I think I said something like Well it's quiet now --sort of ignoring WS and his talk of smell of something. Opened up all the windows, and kept the back door open-did that right anyway! WS thought maybe if I moved the truck in a different direction the wind would take the smell away and the buzzer would not go off-didn't do it -but another possible action not taken.Turned off the propane at last-really thought it was the gas from the hot spring!
Quiet now, so after a while, turned things back on again and suggested time to hit the rack again.[later thought put here-years before my frig had also went out but without the noise and smell-this really was the first time with all the other stuff-muddled brain slowing the right reaction to the situation]-but I did not really smell the gas like WS did----important fact [only the next day did I notice all the blooming rabbit brush near the truck-I am very allergic to rabbit brush and it messes up my smeller]. After a while and no smells or buzzer, so maybe me thinks , things are Okay now, went back to sleep[ yep -great thinking here again!]
A few hours later, it started all over again-this time however, my mind was clearer than before and I reacted to WS arrival and "the talk of that gas smell" started to make sense so I shut everything down again and the bugger stopped [see below-action taken]---maybe he did smell something that I didn't--[yes I blew it the first time I know it now, but stupid is and stupid does and things can happen to someone who is supposed to know what he is doing and yes you can can blow it with a fogged mind] I really still didn't smell the gas ya know-maybe just a trace, maybe WS has a better sniffer than mine. And yes I could now smell it a little when WS and I checked the outside of the the frig and yes it was hot before we shut down the frig and turned off the gas and fan[about time]! I also I forgot to relight the hot water tank after I shut it down the first time-and I had left the value open-maybe that is what caused the second buzzing [more deductive thinking here-or maybe wishful thinking].
Sometime around 0500, still awake and time for another system check so turned on everything again after disconnecting and reconnecting everything i could find from the propane tank on ward [never learn-I guess] and no smells even when WS showed up with a pot of coffee and no buzzer or lights. Maybe fixed the damn thing-ya know, I always did smell gas around the propane tank, maybe it just built up over time this trip and it was not connected right-so that was the problem me thinks! FWC left wide open all day long, with the system on! Well. WS had adventures to do, so off he went. By later that afternoon, my system seemed fine no smell or buzzer -I must have fixed it, but by then my nose was running a river-[a sign of things to come].
Night two, a new neighbor showed up in the next space and never mentioned any gas smell when he came over to talk [here was another thing I should have done but thought after it after he left about telling him about what happened the night before so he could be forewarned and maybe his nose was better than mine], so maybe I fixed it-wrong! At about 2230, it started all over again-shut down the system as fast as I could, I had left all the windows and doors open-at least did that right anyway-but maybe doing that it put off the buzzer until the propane gas was maxed out in the camper and then it went off, but would not shut off when i pressed the shut-off; after a while I had to disconnect the wires.
Lost all the stuff in the freeser including 7 lamb chops.
Something else happened weird here too because after my buzzer went off-my neighbors car alarm went off-now figure that out-ghosts??? What a strange night and experience! [later thoughts- I really did not smell the propane smell that much-maybe a trace-smelled the hot spring though-wait a minute what type of gas is in a hot spring--hmmmm.-- a connection--but I have parked near hot springs before and this never happened. Above my grade I guess-no, damn near blew myself and maybe WS and another guy up! So here is what I think!
Lot's of things happened here and I wonder what WS remembers from out trip to Virgin Valley CG--and what can you guys and me-an experienced WTWer(????) --can learn from our experience! I remember that in both the Army and in the BLM we would do an after experience report when something like this happened asking what we did wrong and right and how to keep it from ever happening again! So here is your chance to chime in and write that report-I survived, but did I make the Darwin list!
By the way, it's probably a new 2 way WAE frig and finish my conversion to solar-no more propane-put a email message into Stan at FWC on this site - to start that process-doing that right (hope he looks at his email) or do I have to call them-!
With head hung low and awaiting your judgement,
Smoke
