RV University This Week 9/21/2009

Man electrocuted in camp accident
A 39-year-old man was killed as he was disconnecting a travel trailer from its power source ......

Full-time RVers opt for cheap and friendly
With housing now costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, people are turning to RV life as an affordable option.

...with Mark
Q. I'm a newbie and I'm getting conflicting information about driving with my fridge on. I'm concerned about all the horror story videos that I have seen with RVs along the side of the road on fire. 1. Some say never drive with LP on. Some say no problem. Which is correct? 2. Gas stations. Some say turn fridge off at stations. Some say turn LP off from outside. Which is correct? 3. I have an auto switch so my fridge will use electric when I'm plugged in at sites. Is there any way to set up a separate switch to use my two deep cell batteries while driving and fueling? It seems logical. No? Thanks for any clarification you can give me,

Mark Says:
These are some tough questions and I can understand why you get mixed results. This is a very controversial topic. For lots of people, until something bad does happen, they tend to think things are safe and nothing ever will happen. With that said you probably could travel with the refrigerator on during all your travels without anything ever happening, but the possibility still exists something bad could happen in doing so.

If the refrigerator is cooled down prior to leaving on a trip it will stay cold for several hours (depending on how often the door is opened). So if you can get from point A to point B in a few hours you don't need to be concerned with it. If you will be traveling days at a time you will need to decide what you are comfortable with regarding the refrigerator.

First, let me say that if you should decide to travel with the refrigerator on, never go to a fuel station with the refrigerator on. There is an open flame when the refrigerator is in the LP gas mode, and flames and fuel don't mix! Always turn the refrigerator off before entering a gas station.

The reason other people say to turn the gas off at the container, before going into a gas station, is to stop the entire source of LP gas from entering the RV at all. But, in reality this is where you need to be careful. Most newer LP gas appliances, used in RV's, have a feature where if the burner doesn't light the first time it will attempt to re-ignite the burner a couple of more times. This means that it continues to spark to try and light the burner. If you turn the gas off at the container, but the refrigerator itself isn't turned off, it will attempt to re-ignite the burner a couple more times. Sparks and fuel vapor don't mix!

I would say that if you do decide to travel with it on, always make sure it is in the OFF position before entering a gas station. No flames, no sparks, no trouble. The important thing here is too make sure it is turned OFF. If your refrigerator is in the LP gas mode and you put it in the auto mode (rather than in the OFF position) it will attempt to go back to LP gas, because there is no electricity present. This will also cause it to spark in an attempt to re-ignite the burner.

Whenever you put the refrigerator in the auto setting it will first search for 120 volts AC. If 120 volts AC are not present it will automatically go to LP gas. Some RV refrigerators have a 3rd mode, which is 12 volt DC power (battery), but your refrigerator has to have the capability to run on 12 volts DC. If it doesn't have this option it won't work on batteries at all.

The jury is still out on whether traveling with the refrigerator on is okay or not. I can't really offer my personal opinion on the matter due to safety issues. Safety dictates to travel with the propane and ALL appliances being off. All I can say is you should research the subject thoroughly, and if you do decide to travel with the propane on, make sure all pilot lights and gas appliances are turned OFF before refueling.

Reply from a reader regarding last weeks Q&A with Mark:
I found the article on expiration dates for propane tanks interesting.

RV'ers (and campers) who are entering Canada should be advised that propane tanks must be recertified or replaced at 10 years in Canada. This rule has been in effect since the early 1980's. A tank with an expiration date over 10 years will not be filled. The person who fills the tank in Canada will have taken a safety course, written an exam, and certified by the province.
The propane shack (a Canadian propane retailer) is not a good place to find out about this rule when cool weather is moving in and the furnace would be a nice option for comfort during a cold night.

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