|
07-06-2004, 08:10 AM
|
#1
|
DayStreamer
2001 19' Bambi
Mesa
, Arizona
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 163
|
Keeping Refrigerator cold while driving
This is our first Airstream and I had a question about keeping the refrigerator cold while driving. We do a lot of "day traveling, night camping" and have always had a three-way refrigerator (12v-110v-gas) which kept things cold while driving. I was just curious if anyone had any tricks for keeping things cold when you are diconected from power and driving? I had been told not to run the gas on the refrigerator while driving.
|
|
|
07-06-2004, 08:24 AM
|
#2
|
Retired Moderator
1992 29' Excella
madison
, Wisconsin
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 4,644
|
hey grizz,
why not run it on gas?
i do.
john
__________________
you call them ferrets, i call them weasels.
|
|
|
07-06-2004, 08:33 AM
|
#3
|
LEV ZEPPELIN
2004 19' International CCD
Chicago
, Illinois
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,048
|
Grizzy.
When I pick up our coach the first thing I do is bleed the propane lines and then turn on the fridge using propane. I then put a couple of those Coleman Brite-Ice packs in the main compartment, and one in the freezer. Load up fridge, and away you go.
Some people have noted that during high winds, their pilot light will sometimes extinguish. Something to watch for.
There are pro's and con's to this method. You can find lots written on the subject by searching the archives.
The main concern is that you must turn OFF the propane when you need to get gasoline. After all, there is a pilot light which could ignite gas fumes.
Once we get to camp, if there is electricity, I then switch the fridge over to AC.
Jonathan
__________________
Sometimes I wish I were living in the stone age. Then I would know I'm the smartest person in the world.
|
|
|
07-06-2004, 10:39 AM
|
#4
|
3 Rivet Member
Currently Looking...
bay city
, Michigan
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: 1970 31' Sovereign
Posts: 155
|
i pull with the fridge on LP all the time also
good point about turning it off before fueling. easier than that for most trips just fuel up prior to hitching up. while camped i usually make a fuel run one of the days to avoid having to fuel on the way home.
|
|
|
07-06-2004, 12:39 PM
|
#5
|
DayStreamer
2001 19' Bambi
Mesa
, Arizona
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 163
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by FireFighter
good point about turning it off before fueling. easier than that for most trips just fuel up prior to hitching up. while camped i usually make a fuel run one of the days to avoid having to fuel on the way home.
|
Just to make sure I've got this, I had always been told that running the gas refrigerator was a fire hazard while triving -- is that not the case with the airstream?
thanks for the help
|
|
|
07-06-2004, 12:46 PM
|
#6
|
Rivet Master
1977 Argosy Minuet 6.0 Metre
1964 26' Overlander
1977 25' Tradewind
Eastern
, Washington
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 865
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by grizzy
Just to make sure I've got this, I had always been told that running the gas refrigerator was a fire hazard while triving -- is that not the case with the airstream?
thanks for the help
|
Interesting but I have never heard that one. Just shut off pilots when fueling.
The only fridge fires I have read about were due to obstructions in the flue,
nothing when driving. I'm like the rest, been doing it for years nothing yet.
Anyone have any knowledge about fires due to driving with the frig. on?
__________________
Peace
Gary
|
|
|
07-06-2004, 01:30 PM
|
#7
|
3 Rivet Member
Currently Looking...
bay city
, Michigan
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: 1970 31' Sovereign
Posts: 155
|
faster faster
no worry if it catches fire while driving go faster eventually the wind will put the fire out! LOL sorry everyone.
|
|
|
07-06-2004, 02:38 PM
|
#8
|
Just a member
1978 28' Argosy 28
Lutz
, Florida
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 4,549
|
The towing while running the LP is a sometimes hot topic. (yes that was supposed to be a pun!)
The issue with running the refer on propane is the open flame, while under full load of the burner, the pilot for those with a pilot, or the igniter that is 12 volt DC.
All of the above are ignition sources. What could you ignite you ask? Fumes from the yahoo next to you at a gas station that dumps $2.00 of gas on the ground, A VERY big pocket of Methane gas, or other flammable gas.
I for one am more worried about the 50 gallons of gasoline I carry in a frame mounted tank. The propane will vent and will require a large concentration to cause an explosion.
I am also more concerned regarding the possibility of food poisoning due to the refer getting too warm. I run mine on gas all the time I travel, many of the Airstreamers I know do.
__________________
Brett G
WBCCI #5501 AIR # 49
-------------------------
1978 Argosy 28 foot Motorhome
Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something. -- Plato
|
|
|
07-06-2004, 09:24 PM
|
#9
|
Rivet Master
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 790
|
I have had no problems using propane while towing except the pilot blowing out. I put a large piece of aluminum inside the access door that allows lots of ventilation but keeps the gusts of wind blowing out the pilot ( most of the time ). I think when you have a strong side wind while towing the updraft just sucks the flame out. Other than that it fridge works about 90% better while in tow.
|
|
|
07-21-2018, 01:44 PM
|
#10
|
Proud Owner Vintage SBB
Currently Looking...
Santa Monica
, California
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 165
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by crazylev
...
The main concern is that you must turn OFF the propane when you need to get gasoline. After all, there is a pilot light which could ignite gas fumes.
|
While there's no shortage of uninformed advice based on "conventional" wisdom, this particular bit of advice (proffered by a vast number of people, but only based on opinion) cannot be found in Dometic or Norcold propane 'fridge owners' manuals.
It is true that the typical RV 'fridge is a fire hazard (running on 120VAC or propane) but not because they catch fire in gas stations. And it is also true that Washington State Ferries (among others) and New England tunnels demand propane be turned off/tagged off, there's nothing I've found in the literature even suggesting turning off the pilot when fueling up -- just people's opinions about best practices.
Before I replaced my 120VAC/propane Norcold with a 12VDC compressor Isotherm, it had been my habit to fuel my truck in such a way as my vintage riveted aluminum was not under the gas station canopy -- sort of buying into the conventional wisdom re the hazard of a propane fridge pilot light in a gas station.
Michael
__________________
"Of the gladdest moments in human life, methinks, is the departure upon a distant journey into unknown lands... A journey, in fact, appeals to Imagination, to Memory, to Hope,—the three sister Graces of our moral being.’
– Sir Richard Francis Burton
|
|
|
07-21-2018, 02:49 PM
|
#11
|
Rivet Master
2006 25' Safari FB SE
Spokane
, Washington
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,859
|
Grizzy,
Whoever said that to you is offering his/her opinion on the subject. There have been literally thousands of posts regarding running with the fridge on. If it were possible to read them all I would venture say that the vast majority of us do it and have been doing it for decades. NO, it is not unsafe to run with the fridge on.
If you want to spend tens of thousands of dollars on an Airstream only to have to carry extra ice packs and coolers so you can travel in the heat then feel free to do this. I asked anyone on this forum to send me one, just one, example of an Airstream catching fire while going down the road because the fridge was on. It has been years and yet, no one has given us one single example of this happening. I did get some pictures of motorhomes burning on the side of the road but even then the fires were from the front of the units, where the gas runs into the engine.
I am not a crazy fool risk taker but I am someone who weighs risk against safety seriously. If you really want to scare yourself, think about that tank of gas sitting below you and your family as you travel down the highway. And...how about the risk of getting into an accident when driving?
You can worry yourself sick if you want to. Pick your poison. Keeping your food cold (and safe) in the fridge of your Airstream is very safe. Statistics prove this.
|
|
|
07-21-2018, 02:53 PM
|
#12
|
Rivet Master
2006 25' Safari FB SE
Spokane
, Washington
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,859
|
Should have said statistics "support" this. Statistics alone can't prove anything.
|
|
|
07-21-2018, 05:18 PM
|
#13
|
Retired.
Currently Looking...
.
, At Large
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 21,276
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by aftermath
Grizzy,
Whoever said that to you is offering his/her opinion on the subject. There have been literally thousands of posts regarding running with the fridge on. If it were possible to read them all I would venture say that the vast majority of us do it and have been doing it for decades. NO, it is not unsafe to run with the fridge on.
If you want to spend tens of thousands of dollars on an Airstream only to have to carry extra ice packs and coolers so you can travel in the heat then feel free to do this. I asked anyone on this forum to send me one, just one, example of an Airstream catching fire while going down the road because the fridge was on. It has been years and yet, no one has given us one single example of this happening. I did get some pictures of motorhomes burning on the side of the road but even then the fires were from the front of the units, where the gas runs into the engine.
I am not a crazy fool risk taker but I am someone who weighs risk against safety seriously. If you really want to scare yourself, think about that tank of gas sitting below you and your family as you travel down the highway. And...how about the risk of getting into an accident when driving?
You can worry yourself sick if you want to. Pick your poison. Keeping your food cold (and safe) in the fridge of your Airstream is very safe. Statistics prove this.
|
Just so you know, the person you responded to hasn't been on the forum since 2008. Maybe his fridge blew up...
__________________
Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy, and taste good with ketchup.
Terry
|
|
|
07-21-2018, 09:18 PM
|
#14
|
Rivet Master
2006 25' Safari FB SE
Spokane
, Washington
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,859
|
Sheesh, I missed that! Thanks. I was wondering how a thread like this would have surfaced after all of the discussion here.
|
|
|
07-25-2018, 08:47 PM
|
#15
|
3 Rivet Member
1962 22' Safari
Leo
, Indiana
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 110
|
What happens if the propane is on during an accident, and the propane line is severed at or near the tank. I have read about 3 Airstream rollovers this week.
|
|
|
07-25-2018, 11:28 PM
|
#16
|
Rivet Master
2007 22' International CCD
Corona
, California
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 9,180
|
Keeping Refrigerator cold while driving
The OPD cylinder valves include an excess flow cutoff valve that should stop gas from flowing.
In a practical sense, you should try to get clear of the wreckage to a safe distance. I’d worry more about any spilled gasoline.
__________________
Rich, KE4GNK/AE, Overkill Engineering Dept.
'The Silver HamShack' ('07 International 22FB CCD 75th Anniversary)
Multiple Yaesu Ham Radios inside and many antennae sprouting from roof, ProPride hitch, Prodigy P2 controller.
2012 shortbed CrewMax 4x4 Toyota Tacoma TV with more antennae on it.
|
|
|
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
|
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
Recent Discussions |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|