Pulling travel trailer with propane on for fridge - Diesel Forum

jwoops69 · 02-17-2007, 10:55 PM

Anyone tow while propane tanks are open to keep fridge cool? I have heard "dont do it in case of an accident" and Ive been told "dont worry about it". Just wanted everyones thoughts on it. My last trailer had a 3-way fridge and even then the 12 volt barely kept the fridge cool enough during a trip if you didnt open it, and now my current trailer only has a 2-way fridge(electric and propane).

F350Peter · 02-17-2007, 11:15 PM

Don't know if this helps, but I usually turn on the fridge using electric about 24 hours before we leave to get it cold. The last thing I do before I leave is to unplug the trailer & shut off the fridge. As long as I leave the fridge closed, it stays cold. I have never used propane while driving, but I have friends that do all the time. I guess it just comes down personal preference......

JimTJr · 02-17-2007, 11:34 PM

I thought the fridge had to be VERY LEVEL for the pane to work properly? Maybe I was mistaken,,, I PERSONALY wouldnt do it, but as mentioned above, probably personal preferance. (Get it cold before, and leave it shut,,)

kena48 · 02-17-2007, 11:53 PM

I recently did it. With all power off (not plugged into house) I lit the stove to esure propane was on and piped into camper. Then, I selected propane on the fridge (2006 automatic model). I drove about 6 hours (plenty of bumbs and hills and 100 degrees outside) and the fridge performed well. I stopped en route to check it out.

I asked the service dude too. He said to use the meathod above as sometimes the ref's will get confused if the electricity is on.

bbess00 · 02-18-2007, 12:15 AM

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Don't know if this helps, but I usually turn on the fridge using electric about 24 hours before we leave to get it cold. The last thing I do before I leave is to unplug the trailer & shut off the fridge. As long as I leave the fridge closed, it stays cold. I have never used propane while driving, but I have friends that do all the time. I guess it just comes down personal preference......

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I have done this many times, both ways and agree. Sometimes last minute plans screw up the plugging in and in my experiencies propane colls quicker than elaectric [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shrug.gif[/img]

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I thought the fridge had to be VERY LEVEL for the pane to work properly? Maybe I was mistaken,,, I PERSONALY wouldnt do it, but as mentioned above, probably personal preferance. (Get it cold before, and leave it shut,,)

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It Depends. Some fridges are very anal and other seem to work no matter what.

nashvillebill · 02-18-2007, 12:28 AM

When I grew up, our fridge only ran on propane, it wasn't fancy at all. We used it for years without any major problems while travelling. I remember it didn't alway keep things as cold as we would like, but otherwise it was fine.

Why would people expect problems? If the flame goes out, the flame sensor will shut the propane off. I don't understand why people are concerned about keeping the propane on.

jwoops69 · 02-18-2007, 03:53 AM

As a plumber, if the flame goes out the gas lines are still full of propane.

garyt · 02-18-2007, 04:26 AM

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Why would people expect problems? If the flame goes out, the flame sensor will shut the propane off. I don't understand why people are concerned about keeping the propane on.

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Propane should be shut off at the tank BEFORE you move out.
Here are a couple of reasons:

1. Look under your trailer, most trailers are not enclosed underneath and you can easily see the propane lines underneath. Very vulnerable to road damage. Rock, crack, spark,= no trailer. We learned this the hard way when we had a trailer bearing go out and the tire caught fire, Later we found the propane line nearby partially melted!

2. Pulling into a fuel station is very dangerous with an active propane system on, be it refrig , heater or furnace. Even if you are getting diesel the fumes from a nearby gas fill CAN ignite from your unit.
I know, many of us have gone many years and thousands of mile with out a problem
BUT
Both situations above have happened with disastrous results.
gary T

Greenie · 02-18-2007, 07:46 AM

I've owned travel trailers since 1982 and I have always towed with the refridgerator on. In cold weather I've also towed with the heater and water heater on as well. The truck is always diesel, so refueling isn't an issue.
Refridgerators need to be close to level when parked, but while moving the refridgerant sloshes around and doesn't create problems. Most owners manuals state that the refridgerators can be used off level while in transit, so the manufacturers must feel that use while travelling is safe.
Aside from driving through a cloud of ether or tailgating an open topped bulk black powder dump truck, I can't imagine a scenario that would cause the small blue flamed appliances to catch fire or explode.

Leader · 02-18-2007, 08:40 AM

" 2. Pulling into a fuel station is very dangerous with an active propane system on, be it refrig , heater or furnace. Even if you are getting diesel the fumes from a nearby gas fill CAN ignite from your unit. "

I sure would like to see something to back that up. I don't believe it EVER happened. I do believe some people will believe anything and don't think you should try to scare people with this nonsense.

96STROKE · 02-18-2007, 09:38 AM

As others have posted, I tow with fridge on and in cold weather have towed with heater on.

You need to do what makes sence to you! If you are unconfortable about towing with propane turned on, then by all means, don't do it. But for me, I like my food/beer cold when I get to my destination.

DesertDave · 02-18-2007, 10:51 AM

I recently bought a truck camper with a two-way fridge and have done a lot of reading on this very subject. People take both sides of the issue, sometimes with religious fervor. You won't find a consensus.

I was told very firmly 'YES' and also 'NO' by two very nice intelligent employees of the dealership I bought mine from. My owners manual (Bigfoot) says 'no'.

My take is that I will probably do it on longer trips and where the weather is warm, especially if I plan to eat lunch from the fridge. I will try and remember to turn off the fridge before hitting the fueling station.

jprensink · 02-18-2007, 11:31 AM

If you were to break a line driving down the road there is no way that a flame could sustain itself at 60mph. Those little regulators just don't put out enough gas. More likely you would get a small leak, from a crack. that would be enough gas to make a piloit flame - no way to keep that going in a gust. That gas is at about 1/2 psi it needs a mix of 24 parts air and 1 part gas to make a good flame. 1/2 psi with a 1/2 inch pipe broke off going 60mph it will just blow out.

SmokeyWren · 02-18-2007, 11:50 AM

I grew up in the 1940s and 1950s on a west Texas farm. Our pickups ran on butane (LPG, which in the wintertime is butane mixed with propane). Our tractors ran on butane. Our house was heated with butane. I still have an old Massey-Ferguson farm tractor that runs only on butane. And my home furnace and water heaters and clothes dryer and kitchen range are all fired by butane. I still have a 500-gallon butane tank in the yard to supply the fuel for the house, and from which I refuel the tractor.

LPG is not nearly as dangerous as some folks make out. One day I filled a pint canning jar with liquid butane and took it to school with me to show all the city folks that butane wasn't just a gas. Yes, I was very careful that no one struck a match to light a cigarette near me. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif[/img]

So I never turn off the LPG in my trailer except when I refill the supply bottles. And I bought my first camper with LPG tanks in 1968.

But if you want to turn yours off, be my guest.

johnmart · 02-18-2007, 12:03 PM

I don't think going down the highway will be a problem unless the burner malfunctions and the flame grows very large in the burner unit.

The problem will be at rest IF you have a leak.
If the gas - which will pool in a low place or run along a low area - reaches an ignition source, there will be serious consequences.

Many years ago in Glenwood Springs Colorado an empty propane tank truck with a small leak was pulled into a shop with the doors open to repair the leak. Somehow enough propane leaked out and found a flame. The resulting explosion leveled a 50,000 square foot building and killed 9 people IIRC.

The other time a problem can arise is at a gas station.
Just because you are taking on diesel, doesn't mean that gasoline fumes from another nearby source cannot reach your active flame.