Date: Wed, 10 Nov 1999 18:35:16 -0800
Reply-To: Steve <sxs@CONCENTRIC.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Steve <sxs@CONCENTRIC.NET>
Subject: Re: Another Fridge Question
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
I respectfully disagree with Bill. Safety is a
relative term. Driving on a public road isn't safe.
30,000 deaths a year. While it is possible that you
will get hit just right in an accident, causing the
propane line to rupture inside the cabin, without it
rupturing outside the bus, and thus allowing the
interior to fill with propane, and maybe explode or
shoot a flame (11" of pressure...not a flame thrower),
this is extremely unlikely to happen, and never has to
my knowledge. The tubing is quite flexible and not
likely to be sheared inside the bus. More likely, the
line will rupture or get sheared outside if at all,
where it presents no more danger (and probably less)
than your gas tank or gas line rupturing. You are far
more likely to die from trauma to the head and
upperbody in an accident with such impacts and forces
involved. Wearing a helmet all the time would provide
a much greater gain in survivability than driving with
the fridge turned off. I mean, if you look at the real
risks and killers on the road, propane fridges are not
one of them. Driving while tired, with
under-rated/inflated tires, while drinking, too fast,
overloaded, while talking on the cell phone, without
seatbelts, all of these present a much greater risk of
death or injury.
Davidson wrote:
>
> Bill,
> In my opinion (and the owner's manual), it is not safe to leave the fridge
> on propane while driving.... (the exception to this might be while driving
> on a back country 4WD road). Of course, if nothing goes wrong it is safe..
> but if you have an accident... or if you are filling up at a gas station...
> or you are filling up your propane tank... it is definately not safe. IMHO
> it is best to run on 12 volt if you are on pavement... perhaps it is good
> that it blows out.. just in case you forget to switch over.
>
> My fridge seems to work just as well on 12v as on propane. That's because I
> have an auxiliary battery that keeps it powered when I stop someplace and
> turn off the ignition... The key is that if you don't have an auxiliary
> battery, then every time you make a stop the fridge get disconnected from
> the 12 volt power. I have been told that if you turn off the power to the
> fridge even for a couple of minutes it takes 1/2 to 1 hour for the fridge to
> get up to speed again after turning the 12 volt power back on (starting the
> engine).
> So the answer is to either get an auxiliary battery or to not turn off the
> ignition when you stop or to not stop.
>
> Bill
> 90 Westy Syncro
>
> >I wanted to leave my fridge on gas while driving this weekend.
> >The flame blew out.
> >
> >1. Is this safe?
> >2. How do I keep it lit?
> >3. Is there a way to increase the cooling on DC?
> >
> >Bill
> >
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