2 new questions

[kitchenl]

I am new to rving and 2 questions.

When you are at a campground that has cable tv access do you have to have your own cable or does the campground supply one?

Also when you put gasoline in the rv are you supposed to turn off the propane?

 

[King]

You have your own cable (as you have your own potable water hose and your own drain hose). 
The propane should be off except when traveling (and when filling gasoline).
Art

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The propane should be off except when traveling (and when filling gasoline).

??? Awkward wording, so I'm not quite sure how to interpret it, so I'll try to be more direct.

You should always turn propane appliances off when re-fueling, but it is not necessary to turn off the propane supply (tank valves).  You do not want any appliance generating ignition sparks while re-fueling and automatic ignition (DSI) gas appliances will do that. Refrigerator, water heater and furnace are the primary ones (oven & stove are not usually auto-ignition). Just about every state's fire regulations require that any and all sources of sparks be deactivated when in the vicinity of fuel pumps.

Some people turn off the propane supply whenever it is not in use, as an extra safety measure. No regulation requires that you do so, so its up to you. We do not.

 

[Ned]

Just turning off the propane supply won't stop an appliance from attempting to light, thus causing a spark.  It's imperative that the actual appliances be turned off, but the supply can be left on, as Gary points out.

 

[n880ep]

good question, I didn't realize I could leave the propane on.....

 

[John From Detroit]

The insurance industry says you should turn off the propane when you are in motion, so when you pull into a gas station it should already be off... NOTE: I am not part of the insurance industry.. But that is what THEY say.  I'm not saying either way.

As for cable,  If you mean the coax between your rig and their post.. That's yours

Park cable usually does not require a special receiver,. just a cable ready TV or VCR

Some parks charge

 

[farmerjohnnyy]

"The insurance industry says you should turn off the propane when you are in motion, so when you pull into a gas station it should already be off... NOTE: I am not part of the insurance industry.."

Are they saying you will not be covered while operating a propane furnace on the road?

I got conflicting signals from the salesmen and the servicemen at my dealership regarding operating the furnaces while traveling. Not in regards to refueling, as that is obvious, but as to the overall safety and efficiency of the furnace while traveling at 70 mph. If I remember correctly, the salesman said it was OK to run the furnace going down the road, but the orientation tech thought it would not be a good idea.  There's no way the diesel engine is gonna keep my rig comfortable as cold as it is here in the mid-west in the winter. Any thoughts?

 

[Ned]

Running the furnace while traveling should not cause any problems, but it's possible that the burner may be blown out by the wind.  In that case, the safety features of the furnace would prevent it from venting propane and the only result is you would not get any heat.

As for fueling, the danger is not from the propane but from the igniters that can spark, even if the propane is shut off.  That's why it's extremely important to turn off the appliances when fueling, and you can leave the propane on.

 

[John From Detroit]

Well FarmerJohn (You know I'm an old farm boy too)

No, I'm not saying that.. The insurance industry says you SHOULD, turn off propane, not you MUST (At least as far as I know)

Their concern is an accident where a propane line is ruptured and thus feeds a fire by the way, not furnace or fridge failures.

Such accidents do happen.... I once met a young lady who, like Evil Keneil, had broken nearly all the bones in her body.  The chaplin ask what she was doing when that happened..  She did not tell him... So he tried to guess.  I told him that if we told ihm he'd never believe it.  Finally she gave me permission to tell ihm.  She was SLEEPING.

Yes, Sleeping... in the back of a Winnebago which was being driven through an intersection on a GREEN light when a semi truck decided to run the red.  OUCH.  No fire in this case but as you can see... If the semi had been going the other way the Propane would have been at ground zero instead of the bed.

 

[farmerjohnnyy]

Thanks for the input, guys.

You too......Farmer John in Detroit...... ;D

 

[Bill (Trucker101)]

  but it is not necessary to turn off the propane supply (tank valves). 

Just my $.02cents. I think it's a good idea to shut propane valves while refueling as this would turn off any pilot lights that are burning. :-\ :-[ ;D

 

[Ned]

Bill, yes, you're correct if your appliances have pilot lights.  Most newer appliances use DSI and that is just as big a risk as an open flame.  We have no pilot lights on any of our appliances.