Refrigerator and fueling?

[svjim]

OK, to begin with I never pull into a fueling station without first turning my propane refrigerator OFF. The safety of doing this has been discussed elsewhere and not the subject that I am inquiring on.

I have a domestic dmr702 and the question I have is "If while the refrigerator is running if the battery is disconnected, is the propane then shut down to the refrigerator immediately?"

The reason for this question is that I have a TC and the refrigerator is in a push out which means before fueling, we stop, lower the the steps and push the slide out far enough to allow us to gain access to the refrigerator and turn it off. Then the slide has to be pushed back in before entering into the pumping station. After fueling we exit the pumping station and repeat the process to light the refrigerator.

I had been thinking that having an on off switch for the refrigerator that was accessible from the exterior of the camper would alleviate the need to push the slide in and out for turning the refrigerator on and off. However it has occurred to me that I have a battery disconnect already which is easily accessible from the exterior of the camper. If disconnecting the 12 volt source shuts the propane off also, then doing so is for me as good and probably better then modifying the electrical connections to install a switch.

So can anyone say with certainty that disconnecting the battery will immediately switch the propane off also?

Thanks Jim

[Atlee]

And what caused the trailer to be destroyed from propane while towing? Inquiring minds want to know. And how is using propane while parked at a campground safer than using it while traveling?

svjim wrote:


I wanted to avoid getting into the issue of fueling a vehicle while a propane flame was lit, but I would suggest to you that you do some reading on this issue. It can be very dangerous with deadly consequences. Some go so far to make sure all their propane devices are off the entire time they are traveling. My wife's uncle and aunt had their trailer destroyed from a propane fire while towing. So be careful and do a bit of reading

Jim

[Boon_Docker]

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
OP, the irony of this is when you open your slide your operating a DC motor that has brushes. This DC motor is mounted low and gas fumes hang low to the ground.

By doing what you're doing your causing more of a hazard if safety is your ultimate goal.

Quote from OP:

The reason for this question is that I have a TC and the refrigerator is in a push out which means before fueling, we stop, lower the the steps and push the slide out far enough to allow us to gain access to the refrigerator and turn it off. Then the slide has to be pushed back in before entering into the pumping station. After fueling we exit the pumping station and repeat the process to light the refrigerator.

[3oaks]

BTW there are no vapors around gas stations any more. The EPA is even going to nixgas pump boots because all vehicles have built in vapor recovery unit.

No vaprors around? Definitely not true. All vehicles? I don't thing so.

I even still see a lot of gas pump nozzels without the boots you refer to. And what about the gas fumes while people are filling portable gas cans for their generators and lawn mowers, ATVs, etc.? Plus occasional spills from careless people over filling.

I believe fires or explosions from fumes igniting are very rare, but the hazards remain.

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

OP, the irony of this is when you open your slide your operating a DC motor that has brushes. This DC motor is mounted low and gas fumes hang low to the ground.

By doing what you're doing your causing more of a hazard if safety is your ultimate goal.

BTW there are no vapors around gas stations any more. The EPA is even going to nixgas pump boots because all vehicles have built in vapor recovery unit.

[Chuck_thehammer]

what about the catalytic converter under almost every car since 1977... they run at 1,000 degrees plus.. I know NO Flame.. but the heat alone can make fuel ignite . and they are within 2 feet of the pumps.

my refrigerator, hot water tank and furnace are all on the curb side.. my truck gas tank is on the left/drivers side for me at gas stations. so NO gas pumps will be on my right (curb) side.

Safety First.

[mrmomb]

Yes, the use / store switch will shut off the refrigerator.

Considering that gasoline Vapors are heavier than air, most folks are unaware of the closest point of combustion. The catalytic converter with internal temperatures exceeding 2000 degrees,has external temperatures up to 1000 degrees Fahrenheit which far exceeds the flashpoint of gasoline Vapors or the distant protected Flame in your refrigerator which is at a height unlikely to be reached by gasoline Vapors.

While RV propane fires a rare but have occurred they are more likely due to component failures versus fueling procedures.

There is a much greater incidence of dangerous gasoline and engine fires. My cousins half sisters step son had his tow vehicle destroyed in a gasoline engine fire. So that this will never occur to me I am removing the dangerous gas tank and engine in all of my tow vehicles.

[mpierce]

Can it happen. Yes. Is it common? Absolutely NOT. Maybe happens a couple times a YEAR in all of US. If it happened more than that, it would be a BIG issue. When was the last time you heard in the news of this happening? I am 62, have been in RV's my whole life, and I have NEVER directly heard of this happening!

I have heard it MIGHT happen, but NEVER a news story of it actually happening.

[svjim]

IdaD wrote:

ScottG wrote:

IdaD wrote:
Hmm, I guess I'm lucky I haven't been blown to bits - I've never shut off the water heater or fridge when I get fuel.

What, you reject the idea that stray splash of fuel with malicious intent will leap out of the nozzle and then, in a most witty fashion, make a beline 30+ feet back to the fridge vent cover where it brilliantly makes all the right turns and in a final act of tretchery, throws itself on the little flame behind those metal covers?

This may have something to do with why I've never heard that some people do this. I wasn't trying to derail the thread, I was just honestly unaware that this was a thing.

I wanted to avoid getting into the issue of fueling a vehicle while a propane flame was lit, but I would suggest to you that you do some reading on this issue. It can be very dangerous with deadly consequences. Some go so far to make sure all their propane devices are off the entire time they are traveling. My wife's uncle and aunt had their trailer destroyed from a propane fire while towing. So be careful and do a bit of reading

Jim

[IdaD]

ScottG wrote:

IdaD wrote:
Hmm, I guess I'm lucky I haven't been blown to bits - I've never shut off the water heater or fridge when I get fuel.

What, you reject the idea that stray splash of fuel with malicious intent will leap out of the nozzle and then, in a most witty fashion, make a beline 30+ feet back to the fridge vent cover where it brilliantly makes all the right turns and in a final act of tretchery, throws itself on the little flame behind those metal covers?

This may have something to do with why I've never heard that some people do this. I wasn't trying to derail the thread, I was just honestly unaware that this was a thing.

[ScottG]

IdaD wrote:
Hmm, I guess I'm lucky I haven't been blown to bits - I've never shut off the water heater or fridge when I get fuel.

What, you reject the idea that stray splash of fuel with malicious intent will leap out of the nozzle and then, in a most witty fashion, make a beline 30+ feet back to the fridge vent cover where it brilliantly makes all the right turns and in a final act of tretchery, throws itself on the little flame behind those metal covers?

[svjim]

CloudDriver wrote:

svjim wrote:
So can anyone say with certainty that disconnecting the battery will immediately switch the propane off also?

Thanks Jim

I'm 99.99% certain that removing 12 volt power from the RV will immediately cause the propane valve for the refrigerator to close. The same should be true for the propane valves for water heater and the furnace. A design that left the appliance propane valves open in a loss of power situation would be a major safety hazard.

.

I had not thought of the other propane fueled appliances as I don't travel with them on. That being said, it is certainly easy to forget about the water heater. From this it seems that disconnecting the battery while fueling is an even safer idea.

Thanks,

Jim

[svjim]

So I ran the following test

1 Turned the Refrigerator on and validated that it was in fact using propane
2.Used the battery disconnect to disconnect the 12 volt power
3 Checked the Refrigerator and in fact the propane was no longer flowing
4.Let the battery disconnected for 10 minutes to simulate a stop at a pump
5.Used the battery disconnect switch to reconnect the battery
6.Checked the refrigerator and it had re-ignited the propane

So at least for this refrigerator Dometic DMR702 using the battery disconnect switch seems to work just fine.

Jim

[Boon_Docker]

Mine is a Dometic RM 2552 and it shuts off instantly when you turn off disconnect and fires back up instantly when disconnect is turned back on.

[Tal_IL]

Hmm, I guess I'm lucky I haven't been blown to bits - I've never shut off the water heater or fridge when I get fuel.

Aaaaaaaand... They're off!!

[IdaD]

Hmm, I guess I'm lucky I haven't been blown to bits - I've never shut off the water heater or fridge when I get fuel.