Date:         Thu, 4 Nov 2010 22:01:11 -0700
Reply-To:     Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Some potentially stupid actions
Comments: To: Rob <becida@comcast.net>
In-Reply-To:  <vanagon%2010110500022251@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

  Propane and boats...or ships..

  Propane is heavier than air.  A ship's hull is shaped to keep water out.
 So any leak aboard a ship or boat, it will fill up the hull with leaked gas
that seeks the lowest point and fills from there.  If there is enough on
board, it will fill the hull right up to the gunnels.  That's why propane is
rarely used on boats...if it ever leaks, it pools in the bottom of that
air/water-tight hull and fills it.   That is why most RVs carry their tanks
outside or in lockers with vents to the outside..

   The thermo-couple, the device that allows propane to flow to your
appliances that have pilot lights...those are configured so that the Fail
mode is "no flow"...You got a broken thermocouple, you will not get any gas
flow through that line.  Probably just as safe as a shut-off valve that you
turn by hand...I guess.

  I've driven around with lit propane fridges in various campers for many
years...My Dometic stays on all summer, unless I run out of propane or it
blows out...which happens maybe once per tank or every 3 weeks.
  Maybe one day you'll be driving down the Baja and see me in a melted
puddle alongside the main highway or on some back "road" wishing I hadn't
done anything so stupid as to drive round with a lit fridge...but I don't
think so.
  Don Hanson



On Thu, Nov 4, 2010 at 8:55 PM, Rob <becida@comcast.net> wrote:

> Not sure how the fridge 'caused' the RV fire as long as everything is
> working correctly (cars and trucks without propane appliances do
> catch on fire) but I'll bet the propane 'off' on a ferry is part of
> the general boat fear of fire, a very real fear, that came about thru
> the trial and error process.
>
> Rob
> becida@comcast.net
>
>
>
>
> At  11/4/2010 07:35 PM, Roger Whittaker wrote:
>
>> dear fire in fridge
>> i asked that question a long time ago and was told that the driving can
>> blow
>> out the flame and cause the gas to run on unabated ...
>> when one wants to board the ferry here and there are several here ..to get
>> to powell river bc...
>> they make a big deal out of having propane shut off at source ...
>> again in case pilot light is extinguished ...
>> so i have never questioned this line of thinking cause i have never heard
>> any other ...
>> even though i have asked others ...no other ideas have been put forward
>> yours
>>
>> On Thu, Nov 4, 2010 at 5:52 PM, Loren Busch <starwagen@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> >  RE: Burned out RV
>> > Okay, but someone is going to have to explain to me how leaving the
>> 'fridge
>> > on propane while driving is going to cause a fire.
>> >
>>
>