Trailering with propane ?

I guess we should outlaw all those taxis and other cars that run on propane then.

Ezbagr wrote:
Thousands of RV`s go down the road every year with their fridge running off of propane and there are very, very few reports that show running your fridge on propane while going down the road is dangerous.
Same goes for refueling. How many stories has one heard of refueling and the fridge running on propane causing a fire, I have been rv`ing for 40 years and have never heard of such a story. Also, if you are so worried about that happening you had better be shutting down your cell phone at the same time.

X2

A typical common rail has a higher rate of failure, which is still a low percentage. It stays on when traveling for us.

Thousands of RV`s go down the road every year with their fridge running off of propane and there are very, very few reports that show running your fridge on propane while going down the road is dangerous.
Same goes for refueling. How many stories has one heard of refueling and the fridge running on propane causing a fire, I have been rv`ing for 40 years and have never heard of such a story. Also, if you are so worried about that happening you had better be shutting down your cell phone at the same time.

We RV'd with "ice boxes" before the 110v/LP fridges came on the market. It wasn't possible to take along much prepared food or food requiring proper cooling or frozen foods.

The LP fridge opened up the possibility of traveling with frozen foods and other prepared foods/etc. Fridge makers advertised that fact over the old "ice boxes".

I can see where folks in Canada may choose not to use the fridge when making long trips however down here it gets to 115+ degrees and even hotter on a asphalt road.
Now we can travel with the fridge on and know our food is still frozen and cooled properly/ice in the freezer after a all day run. RV trips on the road any time of year is so much easier now days.

I've been traveling with fridge on propane for 25 years with no problem. You can shut fridge off if your destination is only a few hours away and you don't open it during that time (probably longer if ambient temps aren't too high). Be sure to shut the fridge off if you stop for a period of time and your RV is appreciably off-level.

Coach-man wrote:
Good responses, yes there is a minimal risk driving down the road, but it is probably less than the risk of you getting into an accident! There is one major issue not discussed, and what do you do when fueling? With class A and C it is relativley easy to turn off the fridge prior to pulling into the fuel stop, then turn it back on once underway, but in a fith wheel, you would have to come to a stop get out, go into the trailer and turn off the fridge. The proble, is more with the electronic lighters than with the propane, but one should be very careful around the gas "docks"!

Do you not have to come to a stop, walk back in the coach to turn off the fridge. I did with my MH. Hard to refuel without stoping. And for the OP, my gas is on all the time with the fridge on auto.

Good responses, yes there is a minimal risk driving down the road, but it is probably less than the risk of you getting into an accident! There is one major issue not discussed, and what do you do when fueling? With class A and C it is relativley easy to turn off the fridge prior to pulling into the fuel stop, then turn it back on once underway, but in a fith wheel, you would have to come to a stop get out, go into the trailer and turn off the fridge. The proble, is more with the electronic lighters than with the propane, but one should be very careful around the gas "docks"!

It just breaks down to what makes each person comfortable.

I prefer to drive with the gas shut off at the tanks. Also, one less thing for DW to fret about.

Unlikely in the extreme, since most RV's are now equipped with an ACME connection that will shut the flow of gas off if it senses a sudden increase in gas flow beyond a certain limit. (If/when a line is severed, for example.)

Perhaps but I wouldn't depend on it. A cracked line or loose connection would not necessarily produce a sudden flow large enough to shut the gas off. Once that valve is open, you can run every appliance in your RV on high and it will not close the valve. That would equate to quite a large leak.

wilber1 wrote:
Maybe, but every week someone is posting a photo of an RV burning up beside the road. Who knows what started these fires but I would be willing to bet that at some point, most of them end up being fed by an open propane bottle.

Unlikely in the extreme, since most RV's are now equipped with an ACME connection that will shut the flow of gas off if it senses a sudden increase in gas flow beyond a certain limit. (If/when a line is severed, for example.)

Here quoting from this link

Acme nuts contain a thermal bushing, which will melt in a fire, and prevent the escape of gasses from the tank. When it melts, it allows the new OPD spring activated shut off valve, which will only allow the flow of gas if a fitting is attached, to pop out and completely shut the flow down.

At that point, if still exposed to fire, the tank will occasionally vent propane as internal heat rises, shutting down when pressure stabilizes. This will continue until the tank is empty...but since a separate fire source is required in that scenario, propane can hardly be seen as a contributor to the conflagration, most of which are fueled by spilled gasoline.

And since none of this would be prevented by shutting a refrigerator off, it's hard to see how it matters here anyway!