The thing is because you or I haven’t heard of it doesn’t mean it not so, nor would three pages of negative responses here prove it… and as you can see if someone does post an article some will quickly try to disprove it…
It comes down to risk, and responsibility…
in your question there are two appliances that have very different RISK… namely the furnace is using a fan forced outside air into the burner, the HWH (that you failed to mention) draws outside air in quickly even though it’s not fan forced, while the flame of the fridge is small and draws a small amount of outside air and not (as) directly from the outside… all these appliances have different risk, the furnace and HWH are closer to ground level (near the same level of the fuel dispensing nozzle) and the fridge is generally higher and not exhausted directly out the side either… yet all have a risk factor…
it’s you RESPONCIBILITY or your negligence to decide what risk is acceptable and you are comfortable accepting… in other words let commonsense work and guide you while remembering your decision effects not only you…
IMHO it is foolish negligence to allow the furnace or HWH to operate while fueling… the fridge has far less risk but would still be negligence on your part if it causes an accident… there is no one else to blame…
Justification in any form here wouldn’t change the operators responsibility one bit… nor would the ability to prove or disprove these things here…
The argument is often made here, that because one never heard of or read about it, that it can’t be…
I don’t buy that argument at all…
