propane side of fridge - when can I use it? on the road, need fast reply please - RV-Dreams Community Forum

the nanron roadshow · RV-Dreams Community Member

propane side of fridge - when can I use it? on the road, need fast reply please

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

They are designed to be run while driving. Some are uncomfortable, especially with the problems and recalls on Norcold 12cuft ones, but most run them on propane while driving. We did when our fridge was not on the inverter.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Ron,

Using propane for your refrigerator can be iffy at times, with your location of travel being a factor. For instance, some places in the east, especially where they have tunnels, it can be required that your LP tanks are shut off for some of those places. Otherwise, a factor to consider if where you might be fueling. For instance, if someone next to you at the fuel pumps is filling with gasoline, their fumes could find their way to a flame on either your hot water heater or refrigerator. That could lead to a nasty event that neither you nor the "neighbor" would want to experience.

Now, I'm not a technician, so I don't really know if the refrigerator uses a flame to cool. I'm sure someone else can come along and clarify that thought.

As for what to do, I've moved numerous times with still leaving the LP tanks turned on, even though we have a residential refrigerator and our hot water heater is usually heating with electricity. Keep in mind though, we live and travel mostly out in the middle of nowhere, that being parts of Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Colorado Other folks will tell you that you should have all tanks turned off before traveling.

So, I don't have a complete definitive answer for you; just some maybe's.

Terry

TRAILERKING · RV-Dreams Family Member

I run our Dometic down the highway...................No problems at all.

DreamerBob · RV-Dreams Family Member

I run our Norcold all the time while traveling and also while boondocking. Never had a problem. Works great.

Sushidog · RV-Dreams Family Member

I would sometimes have a problem with the flame blowing out when big rigs pass by or when there are strong gusts of crosswinds, like through mountain passes. The solution for my Dometic fridge was the Dometic wind kit which prevents these blow-outs. Here's a couple pics:

I got the kit from AdventureRV.net for about $30 with shipping. Here's a link to the kit. www.adventurerv.net/baffle-kit-p-21023.html
It basically works by forcing the air take a rather circuitous path to get to the burner, preventing gusts of wind from blowing the flame out while traveling.

The kit consists of 4 pieces (2 components). 3, U-shaped pieces of sheet metal (Dometic calls them lower vent baffles) partially block the lower vents as seen here and are held on by one tiny plastic push pin each (easily removable by hand.) The instructions say that these may be removed once you arrive at your destination to improve fridge performance in very hot weather. My dual, 3 speed fridge fans draws so much air through the cooling coils that I don't think it will be necessary - perhaps if I didn't have forced ventilation behind the fridge. I found that I didn't need the upper baffle so left it off and have not had a flame blow-out since I installed it, and I always travel with the fridge on propane.

The second component to the kit is this metal shroud which wraps around the burner cover and flue. It is secured by 2 small self-tapping screws.

Since this kit is a genuine Dometic item, I feel safe using it.

Chip

-- Edited by Sushidog on Sunday 21st of September 2014 09:48:44 PM

poncho62 · RV-Dreams Community Member

Dependent on the age of your fridge, the newer ones will reignite themselves if the flame gets blown out. The Dometic in my 1999 trailer ignites itself as soon as the shore power is unplugged...as long as the propane is turned on that is.

53 Merc · RV-Dreams Family Member

The subject of propane and frig has been beaten to death on just about every RV forum there is. A few facts can make one sleep easier. Propane is heavier than air, so is gasoline vapor. The lower explosive limit of methane (which is lighter than propane) is 14 percent in the atmosphere. Greater than 22 percent, it won't explode so the range where it will burn is between 14 and 22. A car or truck filling with gasoline would have to spill a huge amount of gas to even become an issue.

On my rig the frig is about 27 feet aft of the fuel tank on the pickup. Getting enough fumes in the air around the frig would take a huge spill. However, my pickup is diesel, so, no problem.
Just pointing out an idea that the danger of the frig on propane causing or being impacted by vapors is a non-starter.
Should the frig blow out while traveling, the flame protecter mentioned by another poster is great. If you want, an airconditioner filter can be put in the intake air register on the frig and it will do the same thing. I used on for many years and it worked. When a truck passes you on the highway, he moves a tremendous amount of air and used to blow them out. The auto-igniter solved most of that problem.

Sushidog · RV-Dreams Family Member

Yes, my fridge has a re-igniter, however it will only try to relight it twice. If this fails, it will shut off the gas and generate an error code. Before I got my baffle kit I bought a remote sensor thermometer (at Walmart) to put in the fridge. You need one with a long range to read the temp from the TV through all the metal in-between. They make cheap ones with a 150 ft range, but buy one with over a 300ft range (for maybe $10 more). This insures that if something does happen and the fridge temps start to rise you can address the issue before your food spoils. Here's the one I use: www.acurite.com/indoor-outdoor-thermometer-00754.html It's cheap insurance and offers peace of mind so I know that when I arrive at my boondocking site, miles from nowhere, that my food will still be good. It will also detect an open fridge door, which happened to me once when both the fridge latch and the Velcro I use as a safety mechanism to keep the fridge door closed, failed. It seems that food shifting inside the fridge and forced the door open. Luckily my thermometer warned me that something was up so I was able to correct the problem before I lost any food.

Chip

the nanron roadshow · RV-Dreams Community Member

thank all of you for your response will run fridge while driving with caution and probably a filter in place until I can get the aformentioned baffle kit

thanks to all

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

53 Merc wrote:
The subject of propane and frig has been beaten to death on just about every RV forum there is. A few facts can make one sleep easier. Propane is heavier than air, so is gasoline vapor. The lower explosive limit of methane (which is lighter than propane) is 14 percent in the atmosphere. Greater than 22 percent, it won't explode so the range where it will burn is between 14 and 22. A car or truck filling with gasoline would have to spill a huge amount of gas to even become an issue.

All of Ken's remarks here are true. However, I should mention that when a vehicle on gasoline is being refueled, vapors are expelled from the fill location because the tanks are not designed with a vapor vent. In most circumstances, the vapor will go lower than what the hot water heater or refrigerator are on an RV. However, depending on where one is, wind currents around the vehicles in a filling station can go in errant directions. Granted, it is rare for it to happen.

Terry

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

to back Terry's previous comment...........The law says to extinguish the pilots.....so your opinion as to what it will do is moot.......they only make laws because there are some very naive (S T u P id ) people that have already made the mistake...and proven what can happen in a moment !!

Dont put your hand in a Snow blower shute while running!!

keep your hands out from underneath a running lawnmower!!!

dont put your head in a plastic bag!!!

if you go thru the drive thru and order a hot cup of coffee and put it in your lap......Yes its gonna hurt!!!

safety glasses are only needed once.....that will be the time you didnt have them on!!

a one way street is not negotiable to your direction of travel!!!!

opinions are a dime a dozen and everyone always has at least 3 on a given subject and for every opinion somewhere in the world are 1000 victims from it!!

Jack Mayer · RV-Dreams Family Member

OK, I'd like to be educated. Where in the law does it say that I cannot drive an RV with the propane on? Going through specific tunnels - yes, there are restrictions. But in general I'd like to see the law that says one can NEVER drive with propane on.

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

I think you missed the part about fueling on a fuel island

53 Merc · RV-Dreams Family Member

Jack Mayer wrote:
OK, I'd like to be educated. Where in the law does it say that I cannot drive an RV with the propane on? Going through specific tunnels - yes, there are restrictions. But in general I'd like to see the law that says one can NEVER drive with propane on.

Me too.

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

We would turn the fridge off when fueling when it ran on LP. Easy in a motorhome, a bit hassle with a trailer.

Jack Mayer · RV-Dreams Family Member

For sure you should turn it off when fueling. And on placarded restricted areas like certain tunnels. Other than that there is no reason to turn it off that I can come up with.

Sushidog · RV-Dreams Family Member

Remember your water heater has a pilot light too. Might be easier to just turn it off at the valve on the tank when fueling - definitely for tunnels that prohibit the tank valves open. A few tunnels restrict propane altogether, so avoid those (usually there's a corresponding bridge you can take).

Chip

the nanron roadshow · RV-Dreams Community Member

thank you Lucky Mike When common sense fails ( or is nonexistent ) safety rules and laws protect the innocent.

A-S Travelers · RV-Dreams Family Member

Sushidog wrote:
Remember your water heater has a pilot light too. Might be easier to just turn it off at the valve on the tank when fueling - definitely for tunnels that prohibit the tank valves open. A few tunnels restrict propane altogether, so avoid those (usually there's a corresponding bridge you can take).

Chip

Better to turn off at the fridge or water heater. Both usually trigger the spark ignition for 30-120 seconds after the gas it turned off at the tank.