Towing with Propane On

[sireland12001]

Greetings All!  What is the general concensus on travelling with the propane on to chill the fridge?  I have a 2003 Coleman/Fleetwood Bayside Elite.  I always play by the rules and try to pre-chill the fridge the night before a long trip using the 110V and then switch to the 12V while towing. The manufacturer (Fleetwood) literature says "never" use propane while under tow, however I am wondering if this is just a "cya" gesture on their part.  Any help would be greatly appreciated!  Thanks!

[wavery]

Greetings All!  What is the general concensus on travelling with the propane on to chill the fridge?  I have a 2003 Coleman/Fleetwood Bayside Elite.  I always play by the rules and try to pre-chill the fridge the night before a long trip using the 110V and then switch to the 12V while towing. The manufacturer (Fleetwood) literature says "never" use propane while under tow, however I am wondering if this is just a "cya" gesture on their part.  Any help would be greatly appreciated!  Thanks!

All I can comment on is what I do. I can't say if it is right or wrong (CYA :p ).

I always tow with the propane going. If I pull into a gas station, I turn off the propane tank.

We've never had a problem. Haven't even had the pilot go out.

[dcampbell1969]

A lot of people tow with LP and a lot don't.  Personally, I don't.  Besides Fleetwood saying not to, I have never felt the need to.  I have not had any problems using 12v for the fridge while towing.  Just as others turn off the lp at gas stations, I usually unplug the battery when I stop for anything other than fueling up if its going to be longer than a few minutes.  It all works out about the same in the end, but the LP at a gas station is a safety factor that I would rather not forget about.  If I forgot the battery, it would just drain and I could recharge it.

I have considerred LP for towing on dry camping trips, but still ended up towing on 12v.

[cpl215]

I pre chill the fridge then before leaving I place a 2 litre bottle of frozen water in the fridge.  It keeps it nice and cool while in tow.  When I get to the campground I take my food out of the cooler and place them in fridge then put by 2 litre bottle in the cooler with my drinks.  I did this the weekend before last and it stayed partially frozen for 3 days in the GA heat.  This helps cut down on having to replenish the cooler with ice.  I also usually freeze any meats such as chicken or hamburger meat, I also freeze some drinks like bottled water or gatorades before I go.  They will thaw in the fridge and will help it get down to temperature when you first set up.  This has always worked well for me.

[AustinBoston]

In some places, (mostly in tunnels that "bottom out," but this is not a hard rule), towing with the propane on is illegal.

With larger RV fridges (TT's, MoHo's, etc.), ther is no 12V option, and the fridge will automatically try to switch to LP when there is no 120V...expecting you to tow with the LP on.

We have towed with the fridge on LP about 15 times.  On two of those, the flame blew out in transit.  If I had a long haul, I would still tow with LP on, and check for chimey heat every stop to make sure it was still on.  On short trips, I have no reason to not use 12V.

BTW, I used to be a staunch opponent of ever towing with LP on.  But after an extensive search, I only found one case where LP in an RV contributed to a fire.  It was a major crash, and in that case, the crash itself probably killed the occupants before the fire started.

There was a horrific propane-related fire in a NYC tunnel in the 1940's.  But that was not an RV, and you are not allowed to bring propane through those tunnels at all, on or off.

Austin

[brainpause]

We tow with ours on. Similar to AB, I would have thought this was a dangerous practice. I still kinda wonder. However, I have never heard of that happening, even in my experience as a firefighter. I also trust AB's research.

Larry

[tknick]

If you pre-chill and have a charge line & battery on the PUP, I would say 12v is a better way to go when towing.  That way you don't have to worry about the pilot light going out.  IF you add a relay on the charge line, it will disconnect the charge line when the TV is off eliminating any chance of draining your starting battery.  Once you restart, the relay reconnects the charge line and 12v is again flowing to the PUP.

If you do choose propane, the thermocouple is the safety device that would prevent any gas build up or fire.  Only an inconvienence when you get to the CG and find it blew out.

The bigger problem is tunnels and/or bridges and that is true w/ propane on or off.  Found out he hard way on a trip up through DC.  Couldn't go through a tunnel with any propane on or off and we didn't know it till we had to exit into a not so good part of town.  luckily the GPS guided us in the right direction.  Just something to think about ahead of time on those longer than normal trips.

travis

[brainpause]

Another thing on this propane on/off while traveling discussion:

Our new hybrid is really only a 2-way fridge. It cools with propane, but defaults to 110V when plugged in. Therefore, it defaults to propane when it is unplugged for travel. There is no 12 volt option.

I'm sure the trailer and fridge manufacturers were aware that their camper would go to a propane flame when it was unplugged for travel, and likely did their homework on its safety for the road.

Larry

[AustinBoston]

If you pre-chill and have a charge line & battery on the PUP, I would say 12v is a better way to go when towing.  That way you don't have to worry about the pilot light going out.  IF you add a relay on the charge line, it will disconnect the charge line when the TV is off eliminating any chance of draining your starting battery.  Once you restart, the relay reconnects the charge line and 12v is again flowing to the PUP.

One important note: While this will protect the tow vehicle's starting battery, it will not protect the pop-up battery, which will be significantly drained in as little as an hour, and dead in 2-4 hours.

Austin

[dcampbell1969]

One important note: While this will protect the tow vehicle's starting battery, it will not protect the pop-up battery, which will be significantly drained in as little as an hour, and dead in 2-4 hours.

Austin

Yes, very important!
That's why I always unplug the battery if stopping for an extended time

[flyfisherman]

We tow with ours on. Similar to AB, I would have thought this was a dangerous practice. I still kinda wonder. However, I have never heard of that happening, even in my experience as a firefighter. I also trust AB's research.

Larry

Gee, I would be thinking with your "experience as a firefighter" that you would err on the side of safety.

Every popup and hardside I've ever owned ... (four different manufacturer's), all admonished not to travel down the road with the propane on. Even my current Starcraft owner's manual repeats itself to shut the "propane service valve off" when closing-up for travel, PLUS repeats itself with two more warnings  saying ... "DO NOT use LP gas while traveling. The main LP gas service valve must be shut off while traveling because of the danger of a fire or explosion if an LP gas line under pressure were ruptured in an accident. In addition to being unsafe, it is ILLEGAL in some states to operate a gas appliance while the vehicle is in motion."

Now, I've heard it argued and debated right here on Popup Times again and again that all those warnings were put there for manufacturer "liability protection". But I argue that I've seen the aftermath of a couple of RV fires (one hardside and one popup), caused either by mal-function or mis-use of the propane system, and I can tell you from my experience there was very little remains left of them ... and their occupants just got out by the "skin of their teeth", as the old saying goes.

When I'm handling/using  gasoline, kerosene, lighter fluid, LP, naphtha, paint thinner, white gas (to list them alphabetically) ~ it is with care and caution  (and deep respect) of their potential power. And in this case, traveling on down the road with the LP on or off(?) ... I'm going along with Starcraft's warning.



Fly

[dademt]

One important note: While this will protect the tow vehicle's starting battery, it will not protect the pop-up battery, which will be significantly drained in as little as an hour, and dead in 2-4 hours.
 
Austin

Hey, that sounds like something I did. Hooked up the truck to the pup in the morning forgetting that in this case the pup batteries were dead. When I came home I loaded the family in the truck only to find that battery had been drained out now as well. Oops.

[tknick]

Gee, I would be thinking with your "experience as a firefighter" that you would err on the side of safety.

Every popup and hardside I've ever owned ... (four different manufacturer's), all admonished not to travel down the road with the propane on. Even my current Starcraft owner's manual repeats itself to shut the "propane service valve off" when closing-up for travel, PLUS repeats itself with two more warnings  saying ... "DO NOT use LP gas while traveling. The main LP gas service valve must be shut off while traveling because of the danger of a fire or explosion if an LP gas line under pressure were ruptured in an accident. In addition to being unsafe, it is ILLEGAL in some states to operate a gas appliance while the vehicle is in motion."

Now, I've heard it argued and debated right here on Popup Times again and again that all those warnings were put there for manufacturer "liability protection". But I argue that I've seen the aftermath of a couple of RV fires (one hardside and one popup), caused either by mal-function or mis-use of the propane system, and I can tell you from my experience there was very little remains left of them ... and their occupants just got out by the "skin of their teeth", as the old saying goes.

When I'm handling/using  gasoline, kerosene, lighter fluid, LP, naphtha, paint thinner, white gas (to list them alphabetically) ~ it is with care and caution  (and deep respect) of their potential power. And in this case, traveling on down the road with the LP on or off(?) ... I'm going along with Starcraft's warning.

Fly

Fly,

we had a skyline nomad 28ft TT with a 2 way fridge.  I think it had a dometic fridge.  The instructions with the fridge said you could use propane in transit.  Just made a big point about turning it off before entering gas station or other potential source of explosion.


And like Austin said, the 12v will kill the battery if stopped for a long time.  Depending on your PUP battery and the size of your alternator, it may be a losing battle with 12v at that point and propane the only choice.  12v works fine for us and I agree that it's better safe than sorry.  Plus, when I get to the campsite, I'm using someone else's electricity to charge the battery.

just my 2 cents

travis

[flyfisherman]

Fly,

we had a skyline nomad 28ft TT with a 2 way fridge.  I think it had a dometic fridge.  The instructions with the fridge said you could use propane in transit.  Just made a big point about turning it off before entering gas station or other potential source of explosion.


And like Austin said, the 12v will kill the battery if stopped for a long time.  Depending on your PUP battery and the size of your alternator, it may be a losing battle with 12v at that point and propane the only choice.  12v works fine for us and I agree that it's better safe than sorry.  Plus, when I get to the campsite, I'm using someone else's electricity to charge the battery.

just my 2 cents

travis

Yes ... and I understood.

In my travels ... (for whatever that's worth!) ... and a lot of them were all day 350 to 500 milers (to get to the ole fishin' hole), I would get the frig cranked-up the day before on shore power and then fill the real then cold frig with items fresh from the household refrig (and freezer), and just before pulling out, disconnect and shut the entire systems off for the travel time and the food stuffs would still be reasonably cold upon arrival. So I don't see the trade-off benefit of some convenience vs. an additional danger while in transit, however remote that may seem.  That's my point.



Fly

[dthurk]

We consistently travel with propane on.  We have a TT, the fridge won't operate without it while travelling.   We will get drinks out at rest stops and use the TT for meal stops also.