Traveling with Propane on

[Surgtech94]

Do you travel with the propane on to run the refrigerator? What safety measures need to be taken? We haven’t been traveling more then 1 1/2 hours from home, so our fridge hasn’t cooled down much, but planning on some longer trips. Thanks In Advance

[aftermath]

Bikendan,

The Airstream forum has been pretty much a mixed bag over the years. I do believe the consensus recently is what you have stated.

[WinMinnie02]

Yes you can use fridge with propane on while traveling.

[bikendan]

As you can see just from this thread, the vast majority of RVers travel with the fridge on propane. This has been the case, on the 7 different RV forums I've belonged to, for the past 17 years.

[toedtoes]

Walaby wrote:

time2roll wrote:

toedtoes wrote:
I know it was a joke. It's just one that annoys the heck out of me because so many people REALLY BELIEVE they cannot cut the tags off pillows, etc.

It is very clear the tag must remain on for disclosure to the end user. Would have helped if it said the end user could remove. BTW mine have all been removed 😉

OMG - I had no idea I could remove those tags!!!

I now have a Sunday project! Thanks toedtoes and time2roll. Time to bust out the scissors.

BTW - just to make it thread relevant, I tow with my fridge running and no, I don't turn it off at the pump.

Mike

If you read the actual tag, it usually says "Under penalty of law this tag not to be removed except by the consumer". That means you can cut them off to your heart's content!!! Enjoy!

I run my trailer fridge on propane while driving. I sometimes turn off for fueling - just depends how big the station is. If the trailer will be next to another pump while I'm fueling, I turn it off. If not, I leave it on. The trailer fridge is a 2-way and not as efficient at holding the cold, so actively cooling during the drive is important.

I don't run the motorhome fridge on propane while driving. It has a 12v setting, so if I need to, I'll run it on that. But for up to about 5 hours, it stays cold so I don't bother. I have it on 120v at home, unplug and drive off, arrive at the campground, park, open the propane tank, switch it to propane and light it. For the trip home, I just close the propane tank, drive home, park, plug in and switch it back to electric.

Both of my fridges are older and do not have circuit boards, automatic lighting or switching modes, etc. I have to manually switch from one mode to the other and I have to manually put a flame to it.

[Walaby]

time2roll wrote:

toedtoes wrote:
I know it was a joke. It's just one that annoys the heck out of me because so many people REALLY BELIEVE they cannot cut the tags off pillows, etc.

It is very clear the tag must remain on for disclosure to the end user. Would have helped if it said the end user could remove. BTW mine have all been removed 😉

OMG - I had no idea I could remove those tags!!!

I now have a Sunday project! Thanks toedtoes and time2roll. Time to bust out the scissors.

BTW - just to make it thread relevant, I tow with my fridge running and no, I don't turn it off at the pump.

Mike

[aftermath]

To the OP, yes,run with the propane on. No needed precautions provided your fridge is in good working order. How do you know the fridge is "on"? Aside from all the lights and such you can always go outside, open the panel and feel the heat being generated in the exhaust tube surrounding the pilot light.

I have found this thread reassuring as the vast majority confirms the safety in running with the fridge on. I will only turn mine off when on a ferry. Haven't traveled through any tunnels that require it. I don't turn it off while fueling up either. The odds of a mishap are approaching zero. Fumes? Of course there are fumes at gas stations but even a spilled gallon of gas on the floor would not produce enough concentration to ignite some 25 feet away.

Over the years I have asked, pleaded actually, for anyone to produce any proof of a fire caused by a fridge running on propane while moving down the road. So far.....zero cases. I did see some photos of motor homes burning on the side of the road but upon closer look, they were fires started in the front of the rig, up where you find the engine. One sent in a story of a guy in a van conversion who was filling his gas tank that was right next to the fridge compartment. The old guy lost control of the hose and sprayed the side of the van with gas thus ingniting the whole thing. Really? That has been the best anyone could come up with.

Lets just say that someone does produce a single case of this issue. Out of millions of trips if one ended in a terrible fire, would that keep you from turning if the fridge? I mean, if you are that concerned about possible accidents you probably shouldn't drive on a highway. Lots can, and often does go wrong there.

[way2roll]

toedtoes wrote:

PButler96 wrote:
I wonder if some of these people commenting in this threadopen all the windows before they rip one loose while driving, because you never know when some errant spark up in the dashboard could potentially ignite the methane. I'd bet some actually hold it back until they can pull over to get into the great wide open LOL.

Not really necessary to be rude. Every one here has indicated why THEY do or do not. No one has stated that everyone should do the same or they will die. It's like most everything else, everyone has their own comfort level about it. Nothing wrong with that.

PB has been on here for 2 weeks and already making lots of friends.

[toedtoes]

PButler96 wrote:
I wonder if some of these people commenting in this threadopen all the windows before they rip one loose while driving, because you never know when some errant spark up in the dashboard could potentially ignite the methane. I'd bet some actually hold it back until they can pull over to get into the great wide open LOL.

Not really necessary to be rude. Every one here has indicated why THEY do or do not. No one has stated that everyone should do the same or they will die. It's like most everything else, everyone has their own comfort level about it. Nothing wrong with that.

[PButler96]

I wonder if some of these people commenting in this threadopen all the windows before they rip one loose while driving, because you never know when some errant spark up in the dashboard could potentially ignite the methane. I'd bet some actually hold it back until they can pull over to get into the great wide open LOL.

[austinjenna]

This wasn't true for us when we had our previous MH's. We ran the furnace when travelling in winter to keep the whole MH warm and pipes from freezing. We've also used hot water while en route. I always turned these things off when fueling however. I was never comfortable with an open flame while fueling however small the risk.

I think that you are in a very small minority of folks who travel with a furnace and hot water on.

[fj12ryder]

CYA.

[smthbros]

My trailer has a tag behind the propane bottles stating that "container shutoff valves shall be closed during transit".

[toedtoes]

time2roll wrote:

toedtoes wrote:
I know it was a joke. It's just one that annoys the heck out of me because so many people REALLY BELIEVE they cannot cut the tags off pillows, etc.

It is very clear the tag must remain on for disclosure to the end user. Would have helped if it said the end user could remove. BTW mine have all been removed 😉

If the fridge was required to be off while in motion there would be a tag or an automatic valve.

I agree with all.

[JIMNLIN]

When we start a trip we plug the trailer in the day before and run the fridge on electric.
I turn the fridge on LP as were leaving and never turn off the LP till were plugged into 110v.
Our first rv campers had the old ice boxes that required block ice to keep things "COOL".
Later the industry went to LP fridges which was a godsend. Now we could actually keep meats/other foods frozen on those long 500-600 mile a day runs in 110 degree weather at 55-60 mph.

As a victim of spoiled foods from the old ice box era my LP fridge never gets turned off. I hope no one ever gets that sick.

My large rv dealer in my area (37 years) says they have yet to see a rv fire started by the LP fridge at a gas station.

But burned rv vehicles started by the LP heaters is common.