Turn fridge LP off at gas pump - another warning!

[kginder]

I see there are more threads about traveling with the fridge on LP. I do. My class c fridge is always on except, ahhh 98 percent of the time, when fueling.

This actually happened to me this past weekend in MD at a gas station. I was filling up the thirsty giant and watching the dollars tick away when a Harley pulled into the pump, the same pump as mine on the opposite side. He proceeded to fill up. I suddenly heard one of the loudest f bombs I've ever heard in my life. The gas pump did not auto-shutoff when the Harley was full. Gas shot out of the tank with an explosive force sending gas into the air, all over the Harley, the rider, the gas pump, the ground etc. It had covered an area of about 10~15 feet around. This guy was upset! I was still fueling but stopped the flow and went over to help. After I asked him if he had a match (kinda got smile out of him) he got some paper towels and proceeded to clean up. I finished fueling grabbed my multi-hundred dollar receipt and got into the RV.

I HAD LEFT THE FRIDGE ON AND COULD HERE IT BURNING!

If the Harley had pulled into the pump across from me instead of the opposite side, y'all would be reading about our dental records on the news.

I'm going to have a reminder plaque made up to put on my dash "Turn the @#$*&^%$ fridge off before fueling you idiot!"

[westend]

A few years ago, as my crew was eating lunch in a restaurant, I looked out the window to see a U-Haul truck being filled at the gas station across the street. I also saw what appeared to be gasoline in a pond under the truck.I ran across the street and found the pump had clocked over 150 gals. delivered into what was probably a 25 gal. tank and was still pouring out onto the ground. Keeping my distance from the truck, I looked for the operator and saw a young guy on the phone inside the station. I threw a snowball at the window of the station to get his attention and some gesturing alerted him to the situation.

There would be no fast and hard science to calculate the fuel-air mixture in a situation like this and if any ignition source would have found it's way close to the pumps, there would have been a disaster. It's for reasons like the above that I don't bring a flame (operating RV fridge) into a gas station.

[fj12ryder]

Since I installed my auxiliary fuel tank I only go to fuel stations after I'm unhooked for the evening. End of problem. 🙂

Before that, I turned on the fridge when we left and turned it off when we returned. Of course the truck is diesel so not an issue anyway. The whole thing is pretty much a tempest in a teapot anyway.

Oh yeah, I never use auto-shutoff when fueling up the bike.

[mpierce]

I fill with diesel. The propane burners are on the passenger side of a 40' 5th wheel, about 30 feet behind the fill door. I never turn the propane off!

[DSteiner51]

mowermech wrote:
The fuel filler on my coach in on the rear, at the driver side.
The frig is on the curb side, in the center of the coach, 4 or 5 feet high.
If the fuel vapors are concentrated enough to have an ignitable mix that high and that far away from the nozzle, we are all dead anyway!
Have you ever seen the commutator on a cranking motor when it is energized? The brushes throw a "shower of sparks" that would be the envy of a Bendix/Scintilla Magneto engineer! That cranking motor (starter) is somewhat sealed, of course, but it is NOT vapor tight, and it is only 1 to 2 feet off the ground! Perhaps we should have second thoughts about starting the engine while sitting at the pumps?

I always drive front first into filling stations that way the fan on my alternator draws all the gas vapors thru the alternator and cools off the sparks so it won't explode. :R

[noe-place]

I never leave the pump while refueling since I don't trust them either.

[jspence1]

wny_pat wrote:
Having retired from hauling petroleum products, I can tell you all kinds of stupid things I have seen people do at gas station pumps that turned into horror stories. And if you search google images, you can see the results of some of those things. Stupid can't be cured!! Therefore I am extremely careful around gas stations!!! One never knows if stupid is going to be there, but the odds are in favor of them being there.

I worked as a gas jockey in my youth and it's a miracle we didn't blow the place up.

[Tachdriver]

DiskDoctr wrote:

chracatoa wrote:

Tachdriver wrote:

chracatoa wrote:
Out of curiosity I decided to read my Jayco manual to look for this. Here is what I found:

"The propane cylinder(s) should be turned off when traveling. Most refrigerators will keep food cold or frozen for eight hours without running while you travel"

Time for Mythbusters!!

I wish they did that! And also tested Hensley/Propride vs others in emergency situations.

Mythbusters? As in "Adam and Jamie" ? Lol.

yes :B

[Slownsy]

That seams to be the American way,I can do whatever I like, but heaven help if others don't follow the rules.

[DiskDoctr]

chracatoa wrote:

Tachdriver wrote:

chracatoa wrote:
Out of curiosity I decided to read my Jayco manual to look for this. Here is what I found:

"The propane cylinder(s) should be turned off when traveling. Most refrigerators will keep food cold or frozen for eight hours without running while you travel"

Time for Mythbusters!!

I wish they did that! And also tested Hensley/Propride vs others in emergency situations.

Mythbusters? As in "Adam and Jamie" ? Lol.

[chracatoa]

Tachdriver wrote:

chracatoa wrote:
Out of curiosity I decided to read my Jayco manual to look for this. Here is what I found:

"The propane cylinder(s) should be turned off when traveling. Most refrigerators will keep food cold or frozen for eight hours without running while you travel"

Time for Mythbusters!!

I wish they did that! And also tested Hensley/Propride vs others in emergency situations.

[Rbertalotto]

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[Francesca_Knowl]

All of these problems would go away if y'all would just convert to garbage-as-energy-source like I did. Except for dealing with the occasional wino sleeping in the dumpster, it's been a trouble-free system that serves all my energy needs. :B

[wilber1]

BurbMan wrote:

wilber1 wrote:
I just find it interesting that some people feel entitled to decide on their own what is safe at a gas pump without giving those gassing up beside them any choice in the matter.

It's called "common sense". Too bad not all of us have it. If my bike tank is only 5 gals, I don't put the nozzle on auto and leave it alone. If the fridge on my TT is 25' from the gas pump, it's far enough away that if an explosive quantity og gas vapors actually reached the flame at that distance away, the concentration by the pump would have already been ignited by something else.

See

[BurbMan]

wilber1 wrote:
I just find it interesting that some people feel entitled to decide on their own what is safe at a gas pump without giving those gassing up beside them any choice in the matter.

It's called "common sense". Too bad not all of us have it. If my bike tank is only 5 gals, I don't put the nozzle on auto and leave it alone. If the fridge on my TT is 25' from the gas pump, it's far enough away that if an explosive quantity og gas vapors actually reached the flame at that distance away, the concentration by the pump would have already been ignited by something else.