Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2001 17:31:44 -0400
Reply-To: Derek Drew <derekdrew@RCN.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Derek Drew <derekdrew@RCN.COM>
Subject: Re: Westy Fridge Performance
In-Reply-To: <3706B36A65176F4F8D6E73CEAB8BFC3804043A@obpa7w.obpa.usda.go v>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
Yes. It is quite permissible to run the fridge on propane all summer and
never turn it off. You will need to refill your propane tank every ~3.2ish
weeks in that case, or more often if you run the stove.
There is a minority on the list that feels it is too dangerous to drive and
run the fridge at the same time, but I feel the majority position is that
this is too conservative a view. There is nothing in the manual saying it
is unsafe to drive with the fridge on and it would be ludicrous to have to
turn the fridge off every time you drive.
So far as I know, there is not a single documented case of harm coming from
a Vanagon Westfalia fridge being on while someone was driving. Jimmie's van
burned down on the Taconic Parkway in NY, and with a full propane tank. All
that happened was that the propane tank ejected its contents off to the
side, creating an interesting flame thrower effect. But there was no
explosion even.
So I feel that it is too much bother to use 12volt or 110 volts with the
fridge when the propane works so well.
The downside is that if you run the fridge all the time on propane
eventually soot will accumulate in there. It can be vacuumed out the drain
tube, however, reducing the number of times you will have to actually
remove the fridge to clean the combustion chamber. Still, if you are not
going to use the van for a week, it is just as well to turn the unit off
for that time.
At 04:38 PM 7/18/01 -0400, you wrote:
>Thanks for sending your articles. Very informative. I just had one more
>question. Some on the list indicated that they used propane to run the
>fridge all the time even when driving. Is it OK to drive while the fridge
>is running on prpane for any length of time? There certainly are some
>advantages to using just one setting and leaving it that way.
>
>Gerry
_______________________________________________
Derek Drew New York, NY
CEO & Co-Founder
http://www.ConsumerSearch.com/
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