MH fire at NSRA event

[okgc]

A 2002(?) Monaco Diplomat burned last Thursday night in the campground for the NSRA (National Street Rod Assoc) Northern Nationals in Kalamazoo Michigan.

I was told the owners dog woke them up and everyone escaped safely.
Looked to me like fridge fire & I heard the owners said two recalls had been performed.

No coverage by local newspaper, so far

[Ford_Man]

Glad all made it out safe. Hope there Street Rod did not burn up as well. I have 3 Rods myself.

[Old-Biscuit]

Be it Norcold, Dometic, Servel or Instamatic -------Hydrogen Gas!

[neilnbe]

RF197 been discontinued and replaced by the RF18HFENBSR (actually another model in between I think) nothing wrong with them I've ever heard of. Updated electronics or shelving maybe but manufactures seem to be always discontinuing models and coming out with newer versions. Same with vehicle manufactures. Just pulled a Norcold 1200 out and put in a Samsung residential in place of it...by far THE BEST upgrade we have done to our coach. Not interested in ever going back to the old rv style refers. No the residential style are not the ones that cause the fires, it's the rv refrigs that are the problem.

[MrWizard]

or even the SamSungs that some are applying in their coaches now. There had to be a reason why SamSung stopped manufacturing the RF-197.

can you tell me where that logic process comes from

a residential fridge (rf-197) uses freon, not ammonia or hydrogen
freon is NOT flammable

its not the same cooling process, and i think you know that

[Johno02]

The fire occasion I mentioned was at a major dog show, and most of the owners were at the show ring instead of at the RVs. It has been quite a while ago, and a large number of dogs were lost in the fire. In most cases now, new regulations prohibit putting rigs that close any more.

[RayChez]

st687 wrote:

RayChez wrote:
So if it is tubing that cracks, don't all refrigerators have cooling tubes? To A-S-S-U-M-M-E that it was a Norcold is wrong. It could be a Dometic, Norcold or even the SamSungs that some are applying in their coaches now. There had to be a reason why SamSung stopped manufacturing the RF-197.

The best thing to say is that there was a fire of undisclosed nature.

Manufactures do make product changes over the years,do you have a reason why Samsung discontinued the RF197 please let us know.

NO, I do not know why RF197 was discontinued, but I have been inquiring about the SamSung conversion in case my Norcold 1200 gives out one of these days. I am going on thirteen years with mine trouble free. So every time I read about somebody else having problems, I try to read into what were the best changes.

Right now it seems like I would be leaning towards the Amish conversion, but I have also looked at what others are doing. And it seems like this SamSung RF197 was pretty popular with a lot of the RVer's that made the change.

But I learned at Home Depot a couple days ago that SamSung had discontinued the 17.5 cu ft RF197. But I noticed that they had a 17.5 very similar to the RF197. I believe it was the model RF18HRENBSR.

[creeper]

Norcold is still haunting for a Fridge recall. Even after I told them I sold the motorhome they called asking to locate the new owner for them. They are really proactive about this recall, it must be a serious problem.

[st687]

RayChez wrote:
So if it is tubing that cracks, don't all refrigerators have cooling tubes? To A-S-S-U-M-M-E that it was a Norcold is wrong. It could be a Dometic, Norcold or even the SamSungs that some are applying in their coaches now. There had to be a reason why SamSung stopped manufacturing the RF-197.

The best thing to say is that there was a fire of undisclosed nature.

Manufactures do make product changes over the years,do you have a reason why Samsung discontinued the RF197 please let us know.

[Sully2]

If I were buying a new coach...that came with a Norcold reefer in it....Id have the dealer switch it out for a Dometic

[Old-Biscuit]

Good read about 'RV Fridge Fires'.........or the misinterpreted evidence


LINK

[Golden_HVAC]

Johno02 wrote:
A situation occurred a number of years ago, in which one RV caught fire. It was at an event, and a number of RVs were all parked very close due to limited parking for the event. As I remember, a whole row of RVs all sent up in the fire. a number of people were injured, but I don't know about deaths.

You would think that someone in that row of burning RV's would start theirs up, and drive away! I can understand leaving a fifth wheel where it is, as getting back to it and hitching up might take a minute or two, but I can get my RV moving faster than leaving the coach if the neighbor's is on fire!

I would hope that fire regulations would prevent coaches being parked so close together that none of them could be moved out in case of an emergency! But I have seen them parked very close together in a race event.

My buddy had his A/C freon line break while in bumper to bumper traffic on the busy 605 Freeway many years ago, just east of Long Beach. A truck had overturned on the bridge in front of him, and nobody was moving anywhere. Once the freon line broke, and a huge plume of smoke came out of his engine compartment, and it stopped smoking about 45 seconds later, there was no cars near him! I guess they all found someplace to go!

Some people will not exit the freeway for any reason while in bumper to bumper traffic. It is amazing that they will sit in all that traffic for hours on end!

Fred.

[azrving]

You had to go and mention the ARP didn't you!! Just joking. I looked at them and considered it but I also consider a residential frig so I have been waiting. Well, I keep telling myself its mostly the double door 1200's. At times I wonder if I'm not crazy for keeping my 2852 or whatever the heck it is. Its had the mod plate but...

[Dennis_M_M]

Two definite fixes: 1) an auto fire extinguisher in the refrigerator compartment that will kill the fire

and 2) I added an ARPrv to prevent the fire in the first place. Highly recommend it.

[Johno02]

A situation occurred a number of years ago, in which one RV caught fire. It was at an event, and a number of RVs were all parked very close due to limited parking for the event. As I remember, a whole row of RVs all sent up in the fire. a number of people were injured, but I don'tknow about deaths.