Leave propane on while driving?

[Skyfarmer]

Our normal practice has been to leave our propane on while driving to keep the refrigerator cold and hot water hot, but I know that can be risky. What do you recommend? Thanks, Lee

[olfarmer]

I run the refrigerator while traveling and even filling up. The refrigerator is 5 feet off of the ground and on the opposite side of the MH from the gas filler. In winter I have even ran the furnace while traveling but would not fill with gas while it or the water heater is running, they are much lower than the refrigerator and the furnace is in the rear not so far from the gas fill.

[NamMedevac_70]

I once saw a video on a RV forum of a travel trailer on fire going down the highway. Video was taken by another RVer pulling their trailer and fire location was in the middle section of TT and not near the wheels. Cheers.

[2112]

pnichols wrote:
....
I merely turn off my coach's 12V power. I just switch the 12V power back on before leaving ....

That's what I do.

I have to open my slide at least a foot to access my frig. When parked unlevel to go into a store or restaurant I just turn off the battery switch to kill the frig. Before we leave I turn the battery back on an listen for the burner at the outside lower frig vent. If I hear the burner going it's all good.

[pnichols]

Terryallan wrote:

jdc1 wrote:
LOL. This again? I'm 65 years old. I have never seen an explosion in a gas station caused by an RV refrigerator pilot flame. How many have ACTUALLY seen the this happen? Cell phones too?

Modern RV fridges don't have a pilot flame. Which in truth is less dangerous than the DSI.

But I agree with you. Been camping for 40 years, and have never seen, or heard of a fridge starting a fire at the pump.

However, RV propane refrigerators do have an open flame when running - whether or not a pilot flame or an electric igniter started their open flame.

Our refrigerator is on the side of the coach, and close to, where the gas fill is on our motorhome. So just in case the refrig might be running with it's open flame when we gas up, I temporarily stop the refrigerator from running at all by using the procedure I described earlier in which I temporarily turn off the coach's entire 12V power while gassing up.

Luck never lasts forever ... it just can go on long enough such that one might think that it's never going to run out.

[Terryallan]

jdc1 wrote:
LOL. This again? I'm 65 years old. I have never seen an explosion in a gas station caused by an RV refrigerator pilot flame. How many have ACTUALLY seen the this happen? Cell phones too?

Modern RV fridges don't have a pilot flame. Which in truth is less dangerous than the DSI.

But I agree with you. Been camping for 40 years, and have never seen, or heard of a fridge starting a fire at the pump.

[Terryallan]

capacitor wrote:
That’s a good idea! I am not sure if the refer would start again without manually pressing the button.
It may go to default off. I guess I could try and see what happens. But when you do reset the fridge it would probably light right away.

If set on auto. The fridge will restart as soon as the board gets power. I leave mine on auto for the entire trip. That way, if the 120 goes out, it automatically switches to gas, and then back to 120 when 120 returns.

[jjrbus]

Been at this for 20+ years. Have not seen one documented gas station fire started by refrigerator flame. Only the one started by someone who sprayed gas in refrigerator vent.

[pnichols]

capacitor wrote:
That’s a good idea! I am not sure if the refer would start again without manually pressing the button.
It may go to default off. I guess I could try and see what happens. But when you do reset the fridge it would probably light right away.

After gassing up and switching the coach's 12V power back on, I quickly check the light on the refrigerator to make sure it has come back on. So far after 15 years, the refrigerator has always come back on whenever the 12 volts to it is available.

These two things take 10 seconds - as I enter the driver's seat from within the coach - instead of entering through the cab door by the driver's cab seat. The 12V switch is right by the coach entrance door step, and the refrigerator is 5 feet from the coach entrance door step.

What I have done a couple of times in years past before I got the gassing-up-12V-switching routine down ... is after gassing up enter the driver's seat through the cab door by the driver's cab and hence forgetting to turn the 12V coach power back on ... not good for keeping the food cold! Now I have a voltmeter mounted right on the dash that shows the voltage of the coach's 12V system ... so I can see right away before starting out whether or not I have switched the coach's 12V power back on.

[capacitor]

That’s a good idea! I am not sure if the refer would start again without manually pressing the button.
It may go to default off. I guess I could try and see what happens. But when you do reset the fridge it would probably light right away.

[pnichols]

AFAIK ... don't modern motorhome propane water heaters and propane refrigerators (and propane furnaces) require constant 12V DC power ... to light and keep lit their flames?

I assume so ... that's why before gassing up I merely turn off my coach's 12V power. I just switch the 12V power back on before leaving the gas pump.

[rlw999]

Carlos & Ranae wrote:
No. Fortunately we have 1280kilowatts of solar with a bank of battleborn batteries which is enough to run the fridge between campgrounds.

Man, with 1.28 megawatts of solar, you could power the whole campground! 🙂


(ok ok, I know you meant 1280 watts, but still, that's an impressive amount of power on an RV roof)

[Carlos___Ranae]

No. Fortunately we have 1280kilowatts of solar with a bank of battleborn batteries which is enough to run the fridge between campgrounds.

[capacitor]

I leave my fridge on and running. No water heater on. My fridge is on the opposite and 25 feet back from my gas fill port. I usually fill up before hooking up to leave the campground. If not, I don’t worry about it. Too much doom and gloom here.

[Grit_dog]

Mike134 wrote:
With sadly 20,000+ killed on the highways every year, your 1000x more likely to die in a plain old crash, than going up in a spectacular ball of flame from your propane frig running while you drive/refill the gas tank.

Sure but where's the fun in that if you can't blow a non issue out of proportion and then argue about it on the internet?? LOL