Towing with Propane on
First time posting. Sorry if this is a dumb question. I recently purchased my first travel trailer (first trailer of any kind). While towing, is it advisable to have the propane tank open in order ...
Forum Discussion
Understand the process, then make your own decision.
1. Gasoline vapors are heavier than air and so tend to settle to the ground.
2. Most refrigerator vents are 3’ - 4’ off the ground.
3. Most gas stations have vapor recovery fuel nozzles on their pumps to prevent the escape of gasoline vapors.
4. Most all cars and trucks built since 2006 have internal vapor recovery systems for the same purpose.
(3. & 4. is why you rarely smell any significant gasoline odors at a fueling station any more.)
5. For gasoline vapors to ignite, the vapors in the air must reach a level above the lower explosive limit (LEL) to support combustion. LEL is defined as “The lowest concentration (percentage) of a gas or a vapor in air capable of producing a flash of fire in presence of an ignition source”.
6. There would have to be enough gas vapors emitted from a nearby nozzle to travel thru the air across the distance from that nozzle to a refrigerator vent, enter that vent, and contact the flame or spark. Meaning the wind would have to be just right and the fuel concentration would have to remain high enough to maintain the LEL across that distance.
If it were a gas motor home with the fueling tube near the refrigerator vent I would be a little more concerned about it.
Diesel does not produce the same explosive vapors that gasoline does. You can pour diesel fuel on any fuel source such as wood, paper, etc. Then you can put a match close to it and it will not ignite. You can move the match close enough so that the flame touches the diesel and it will ignite at about the same rate that charcoal lighter fluid will ignite. It does not flash.
1. Gasoline vapors are heavier than air and so tend to settle to the ground.
2. Most refrigerator vents are 3’ - 4’ off the ground.
3. Most gas stations have vapor recovery fuel nozzles on their pumps to prevent the escape of gasoline vapors.
4. Most all cars and trucks built since 2006 have internal vapor recovery systems for the same purpose.
(3. & 4. is why you rarely smell any significant gasoline odors at a fueling station any more.)
5. For gasoline vapors to ignite, the vapors in the air must reach a level above the lower explosive limit (LEL) to support combustion. LEL is defined as “The lowest concentration (percentage) of a gas or a vapor in air capable of producing a flash of fire in presence of an ignition source”.
6. There would have to be enough gas vapors emitted from a nearby nozzle to travel thru the air across the distance from that nozzle to a refrigerator vent, enter that vent, and contact the flame or spark. Meaning the wind would have to be just right and the fuel concentration would have to remain high enough to maintain the LEL across that distance.
If it were a gas motor home with the fueling tube near the refrigerator vent I would be a little more concerned about it.
Diesel does not produce the same explosive vapors that gasoline does. You can pour diesel fuel on any fuel source such as wood, paper, etc. Then you can put a match close to it and it will not ignite. You can move the match close enough so that the flame touches the diesel and it will ignite at about the same rate that charcoal lighter fluid will ignite. It does not flash.
