Refrigerator

Do you run your refrigerator when you drive? Is it really safe to do so.

Yes and yes.

I have done it with our old popup and now with our motorhome.

I turn it off when I fuel up, and when road signs tell me I have too (tunnels etc.)

Ours is always on, except when fueling and getting propane.

Joining the chorus.

Insurance companies say "Turn off propane when driving"  I will cite two hypothetical cases (Actually both have happened in real life)

Driver one listens to the insurance company and turns off the propane.. he drives to an FMCA rally where the rigs are parked nose to tail, so close you can't put the awnings out and since they are boondocking (no power hookups) he turns on the propane to keep the food cold.

His fridge catches fire and by the time the Fire Dept gets there 2 more rigs are fully involved and 3 more damaged.


Driver #2 does not listen to the insurnce, His fridge catches fire at 55mph on the freeway while on his way to the aforementioned rally, the RV behind him (One of the ones damaged in story 1) sees the flames and manages to get his attention from the non-fire side, Sufferes NO damage and ends up giving him a ride to the rally (Where he gets a new rig with his insurance check) no secondry damage at all.


Which insurance provider do you think saved the most money?

To the O.P. : yes it's safe to run the fridge as your drive down the road. RVIA,, NFPA and other governing regulations stipulate a fuel shut-off be automatic in the event of a flame-out scenario. A thermocouple will sense the lack of heat and shut-off the flow of LPG. This is the primary safety concern and very unlikely wind-blown induced scenario under normal climatic conditions. Many operate furnaces & fridge units as they drive down the road.

One clevate: [size=12pt]the appliance must be operated "safely" [and a sub-set of this: extinguished in the vicinity of flammables (as stated above)]. Safe operation also warrants a diligent attention span at start-up , for example: 

John, you said both of these have actually occurred?  Aside from the off-chance of a ruptured line [would require some sort of physical intervention], most, it not 100% of these fires could be blamed on a "fouled-up" burner jet orifice. You are confusing the "safe" operation vs. an inattentive one.  Both of your hypothetical scenarios suggest a lapse of Owner hands-on visual confirmation of a good start-up of the device. Had either owner did a good follow-up, no extensive vehicle damage would have occurred.

Oftentimes it's a simple matter of pre-inspecting the burner jet to remove dirt-dobbler nests, etc. and verify a nice even-burning "Blue" flame colour.
These propane devices have nooks-and-crannies well suited for insect nest making.  [A well know fact down here in the southern states of the U.S.]

For those areas affected: A once-a-season appliance inspection is not often enough to catch a insect-fabricated obstruction. Those devils can whip up a rock hard clay dauble and stuff it with eggs within a three day's time [Unless you have a insect-proof wire screen to prevent their entry]. A complacent owner, who hops into the cab and turns "ON" the appliance to propane operation without having done a regular eye witness inspection of the burner box, does so at a risk. A mere walk-back to the appliance grille and witnessing to the startup sound and giving it a 2-3 minute look-over as the flame settles into it's rhythm....will alert you to any diverting or "blow-back" of the flame from the intended burner assembly.

Again, this is not all inclusive; but many have lost a fridge simply from the lack of inspecting it beforehand. And that's a shame since it's so preventable up front by installing a simple screen covering.

Mud daubers indeed are problematic, but I doubt if they cause any fridge fires. Typically they cause the fridge to not light in LP mode. Rarely they may force the flame out of the normal burner area, but that usually results in a "no flame' or "no cooling" shutdown within a minute or two.

The #1 cause  of fridge fires is leaking cooling units - that's what all the fridge recalls have been about. The boiler badly overheats because the burner continues to supply heat after the coolant in the boiler & tubing has leaked away and something catches fire. It can happen in either electric or LP mode and is no more likley to happen on the highway than it is while parked.

I agree with TravelinTiffin and Gary both...

I've always allowed my fridge to run while driving. Never had a issue but I believe in once a month inspections of my vehicles. (At the time it was a 1976 dodge Jamboree Motorhome). So I would deal with the engine and driveline then move to the house part and inspect all the applicances.

Now with the 2000 Jayco I tend to listen to the fridge fire up and inspect the flame every so often to be sure it lighting up anf burning properly. Takes all of what 5-10 seconds to lift the access cover and check the flame and burner..

But alway shut down all LP applicances when I get fuel or long stops in parking lots.

TravelinTiffin said:

John, you said both of these have actually occurred?  Aside from the off-chance of a ruptured line [would require some sort of physical intervention], most, it not 100% of these fires could be blamed on a "fouled-up" burner jet orifice.

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I do agree with you that most many fridge fires are the result of poor preventive maintenance and lack of attention.

Some are the result of ... Well both Dometic and Norcold have done recalls due to this problem.

But I do agree that proper PM cn prevent many, likely most of them.

However, I was not confusing the issues you cite.. I was only casting wonder on the thinking of the insurance companies.

The question was "Is it safe to operate on the road" and the answer I was trying to convey is "No different than operating parked"  (At lest with modern DSI units)

As for the dangers of not doing proper maintenance.. Well, You covered it well.

But my thinking is this: IF the fridge is going to catch fire, for whatever reason, I'd rather it happen on the road than when RV's are packed in like sardines in a can.

We often run the generator while we drive to keep the AC going. Rarely do we rely on the propane on the road for that reason. We have traveled in winter and used the propane w/o a problem at all. Because we store it when not used I spend a day checking, inspecting, lubing, airing, washing, filling, sanitizing.........so all the burners/ignitors get inspected and checked with supervision before use.

I have no problem using mine when we drive but find that a lot of the time I really don't need to. Unless we are in 90 deg. temps or will be driving for many hours I just shut it off when we leave in the am (it has been running all night). If we are at our destination in 3 or 4 hours and stay out of it, it really doesn't seem to drop much (I have a small temp gauge hanging in there). You can always turn it on when you stop for lunch if needed.

the question of being able to run the fridge while driving comes up a lot on just about every board I have been on. the funny thing is no one asks if it is safe to drive your car with that plastic fuel tank hanging inches from the road and open to all kinds of damage from many hazards.
I just pulled this from the Campbell-Parnell web site (first one that came up on my search) http://www.usealtfuels.com/propane.htm


"Like gasoline, propane is flammable, but has a much narrower range of flammability than gasoline and much higher ignition temperature 920- 1020 degrees vs. 80- 300 degrees for gasoline. Propane will only burn with a fuel-to-air ratio of between 2.2% and 9.6% and will rapidly dissipate beyond its flammability range in the open atmosphere-making ignition unlikely.

Propane is non-toxic, unlike gasoline, diesel, methanol and ethanol. If a propane storage tank should ever leak, there would be no contamination danger to the surrounding soil or water.

Since 1984, all new propane tanks are required to have a device that shuts off the filling process when the tank reaches 80% of its liquid capacity. This allows for changes in fuel volume caused by temperature variations.

Propane vehicle tanks are constructed from carbon steel under code developed by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). A propane tank is 20 times more puncture-resistant and can withstand up to 4 times the pressure when compared to a typical gasoline, methanol, or ethanol tank. In addition, a properly installed propane tank can actually add to the structural strength of a vehicle. "

So really we all should be more worried about those 50 gallon gas tanks

1275gtsport said:

Propane will only burn with a fuel-to-air ratio of between 2.2% and 9.6% and will rapidly dissipate beyond its flammability range in the open atmosphere-making ignition unlikely.

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So I'm reading the instructions of my new BBQ and read something along the lines.  If the propane doesn't immediately ignite close the valve, wait five minutes and attempt to relight it.  I'm thinking, with all those air vents along the bottom and the lid is open, who is going to wait five minutes.  Nobody, except the lawyers.

Since we're on the subject of fridge fires, wasn't there a company that made fire extinguishers solely for use in RV fridges?  What was that name?

I do not run mine because, I replaced the Dometic with and electric frig.  I find it much safer and just as easy to run it for awhile while hooked to AC power or generator and then turn it off.  Felt much better spending $250.00 for it than $1300.00 for another Dometic.

krp said:

I do not run mine because, I replaced the Dometic with and electric frig.  I find it much safer and just as easy to run it for awhile while hooked to AC power or generator and then turn it off.  Felt much better spending $250.00 for it than $1300.00 for another Dometic.

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With a apt size portable or did you put it in the same hole?

krp said:

I do not run mine because, I replaced the Dometic with and electric frig.  I find it much safer and just as easy to run it for awhile while hooked to AC power or generator and then turn it off.  Felt much better spending $250.00 for it than $1300.00 for another Dometic.

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But if you are in a trailer or fifth wheel then your batteries should be charging with 10 amps while driving so that should be adequate.  And if you're in a MH then more amps should be going to your batteries.

My replacement frig. was the perfect size to replace the Dometic.  I bought 2 "sticks" of trim at Lowes and trimmed it out all around. A great little unit that I have to keep turned down because it gets so cold.  Note: I also purchased the frig. at Lowes.


KRP

Not trying to thread jack but how does burning propane make the refrigerator cold ?

wbilotta said:

Not trying to thread jack but how does burning propane make the refrigerator cold ?

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See here.

Ned said:

See here.

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Another...
http://www.thetford.com/Portals/0/PDFs/N260%20Series/AbsorptionSystem.pdf