Keeping the fridge cold while travelling

[colin]

aandncaravan - 2016-01-11 10:51 PM

 

I don't see the logic of turning the gas off at the bottle before starting a journey 'for safety'. Petrol is just as dangerous as LPG but no one has told me to turn off the petrol supply on my Citroen Picasso before I drive off?

 

 

 

Due to a number of very serious car fires your Picasso has a fuel cut off that shuts down the pump in event of an accident, not all motorhome gas systems have a cut off in event of an accident.

[Will H]

aandncaravan - 2016-01-11 10:51 PM

 

We get more problems from worn controls constantly being turned On/Off than we have ever seen exploded Motorhomes.

 

 

I find your comment about not turning gas off rather flippant. I have seen (as described above) a large M/H alight at a filling station that also destroyed part of the garage. Surely any way of reducing the risk of fire is important.

 

I cannot believe that turning off controls is more hazardous than safety. I'm sure your local fire officer would love to know your attitude to business.

 

Will

[Tracker]

aandncaravan - 2016-01-11 10:51 PM

We get more problems from worn controls constantly being turned On/Off than we have ever seen exploded Motorhomes.

I can understand, and advocate, turning the gas bottle off once the van is stored, but every journey? It is just likely to give other issues.

I am convinced it's a contributory factor in regulator failure.

 

The only times we turn the gas off at the bottles is when the van is out of use for a longer than usual period and when using a ferry or the chunnel and it is very rare indeed for me to turn off any appliance at the inside tap unless I need to work on it as I too have known one of these to leak, albeit only once in 50 years!

 

However I really am at a loss to understand how turning the gas off at the bottle can affect the regulator - please elaborate Alan - thanks.

 

 

[StuartO]

Last season, after looking around for  new "better" MH we decided to stick with what we've got, so I got an irresistible urge to spend some money on it, as a consolation upgrade - so I changed the gas regulator for one of the new crash-sensor Truma regulators.  I also added, in what was perhaps a bit of overkill, a remote gas switch, so that we could isolate the gas supply from inside.  I had always been too lazy to go out and turn off at the bottle, so this was my conscience catching up with the reality of what I would actually bother to do.  Nowadays my wife operates the remote gas switch (which is by her seat) routinely as we set off driving and takes pride in remembering to do so, as her contribution to getting us going.

 

I had read that crash-sensitive gas regulators or isolation valves are compulsory in France and if you haven't got one fitted you are obliged (in France) to turn of the gas at the bottle before you move.  Not that I ever bothered to do this and I doubt there's much risk of being stopped for a police check, but we spend much of our MH time in France so now we're comfortably legal by their standards.

 

And I also read about my Truma C6002 heater being designed to be safe to use on the move.  Not that I've ever found it necessary to do so yet but I can envisage it being desirable if you take your MH skiing etc, so the front-end heater can't cope.

 

This doesn't mean that it would be safe to use other MH gas appliances on the move - the gas stove to boil the kettle for example - but I would now feel confident to use the gas heater on the move if necessary.

 

So with these "official" approvals, I don't think it's necessary to turn gas off at the bottle before moving off nowadays, even if that used to be a standard safety precaution years ago, with previous generations of gas equipment.

 

[gmacz]

Run it on the gas before you first set off and leave it on the whole time you are away.

Switch gas off when you get home, empty, clean and leave door open.

Battery could be for sparker depending on make etc.

 

[Brock]

We usually travel with the gas on starting with our Arto and the last two Hymers. However, there are some places we do not go with the gas on including fuel stations, the Mersey Tunnels and ferries. There are usually big signs on these that stop you anyway. It's the naked flame when using gas appliances that is the biggest danger.

 

About 15 years ago, Merseyside's Fire Prevention Officer told me the Brigade would prefer to tackle a leisure vehicle fire with gas escaping and a jet of flame than deal with the risks associated with exploding full[ish] gas cylinders.

[Will H]

The point of my saying turn the gas off is that by leaving it on it implies that the gas can be ALIGHT for the fridge when driving

 

To me off is off. Everything is off.

 

There is always the chance that when stopped for a break the gas is ignited for the fridge, and when driving away the ignited gas is suddenly remembered to be on

 

"Oh well they said its ok to leave the gas on"

 

My gas goes OFF except when its to be used. No more to be said.

[gmacz]

The gas is always alight when fridge is on.

It will spark away if it blows out, stops when it fires up again.

It has a pilot light.

This is how my fridge works.

[Tracker]

Our fridge is quite modern in that when the engine is running it is on 12 volts only and only when the engine is turned off does it run on gas - unless it detects mains voltage - which ours does not 'cos we don't use mains so I have no safety concerns whatsoever - as long as I remember to turn it off when I stop for fuel!

 

Mind you there is always the risk that an overflying pink elephant will crash onto the van and cause a gas escape so maybe I'd better think it out again after all!

 

Meanwhile long live paranoia as it keeps minds active!

[colin]

We all make our own risk assessments when considering this.

In our case we leave the cylinder on, but it has a 'burst pipe' shut off valve and a securemotion (or what ever it's called nowadays) crash reg, The fridge is manual change over, and if I remember when switching to 12v will reach down and turn off the manifold valves.

Was waiting for Mel to reply, as she has had a 'pink elephant hit the van', this resulted in a in van fire whilst traveling.

[aandncaravan]

Tracker - 2016-01-12 12:13 PM

 

aandncaravan - 2016-01-11 10:51 PM

We get more problems from worn controls constantly being turned On/Off than we have ever seen exploded Motorhomes.

I can understand, and advocate, turning the gas bottle off once the van is stored, but every journey? It is just likely to give other issues.

I am convinced it's a contributory factor in regulator failure.

 

The only times we turn the gas off at the bottles is when the van is out of use for a longer than usual period and when using a ferry or the chunnel and it is very rare indeed for me to turn off any appliance at the inside tap unless I need to work on it as I too have known one of these to leak, albeit only once in 50 years!

 

However I really am at a loss to understand how turning the gas off at the bottle can affect the regulator - please elaborate Alan - thanks.

 

 

 

Not just at the bottle, but also using the inline tap (often Yellow) by the 'Truma' regulator.

 

 

Yes Cars do have a 'fuel cutoff', but all it does is shutdown the fuel pump. It does not stop fuel leaking from a pipe in the engine bay, underneath the vehicle or from the fuel tank.

The use of Petrol to propel a Car brings serious hazards to drivers. It is a risk, but we all accept that risk, because it is equal to winning the lottery. Pretty much the same with gas. Except that with gas the risk is lower risk because the bottles are generally better protected and away from sources of extreme heat.

 

The chances of a major mishap in a Motorhome that would cause gas supply issues is exceedingly small. Turning the gas off at the bottle reduces that very, very small risk by a very, very small amount.

 

My point is that people get really wound up about gas, when the modern motorhome has just as much a Diesel fire risk (I think more so because of the front location of the fuel/water trap filter)

 

 

I did not suggest you should drive with a naked light into a Fuel filling Station any more than I suggested you should always Light a Cigarette while putting fuel in the car. Both are wrong things to do.

I said I don't see the point of turning off the gas before each journey.

 

Advice not to drive around with a leaking Diesel Fuel Filter never gets the same priority. In our opinion it's a much more real fire risk. I know that Diesel has a relatively low flash point, but a modern Diesel DPF/Cat will ignite it in an instant.

Using a perished/cracked flexi pipe between the Bottle and the regulator is also a serious issue.

 

 

 

[747]

I spent a couple of years in South Africa and it was a daily occurrence for car drivers to pull into a Service Station and sit there, windows down, smoking a Fag while their Petrol tank was filled by an employee. This was in very warm temperatures when you could actually see the petrol fumes in the air at times.

 

I don't recommend anyone doing the same but I don't recall any explosions or fires caused this way. :D

[Tracker]

aandncaravan - 2016-01-12 8:43 PM

 

Not just at the bottle, but also using the inline tap (often Yellow) by the 'Truma' regulator.

 

 

Ah, I see what you mean. I agree that wee yellow tap on the regulator always has looked and felt a bit flimsy to me!

 

That apart I never use it as I can't see the point as surely if you are going to turn the gas off it is better off at source?

 

I have only ever seen one of the current style of high pressure pigtails with cracks in it and that was under our last van between the Autogas tank and the regulator and it was so scarily bad at just 3 years old that I replaced it.

 

I can only assume the constant barrage of road water and dirt had perished it as it certainly never saw any sunshine?

 

I have yet to see a pigtail in a gas locker in such a state but I can accept that as some of 'em are getting on in years now maybe we should all check our own pigtails?

 

I have two new ones on my current van as once frightened twice paranoid!

[Tall_Mike]

Hi,

 

I started this thread off many comments ago,

 

A motorhome contain all the ingredients for a nasty incident, heat (engine and habitation - sometimes extreme) electricity, water and gas, however through good engineering, regular maintenance, proper design and build etc these risks are mitigated, there are devices that shut down the gas flow if an impact is detected, isolate the van etc - so much so that the chances of an incident are probably negligible.

 

Perhaps there was a greater requirement for safety years ago?

 

There clearly have been a few incidents - is there any body of knowledge as to the cause of these?.

 

Our dealer recommended turning off the gas at the cylinder before travelling, - the 3 taps in the van, should be used if one of the items becomes faulty or for maintenance. I will probably give them a turn every 6 months or so, just to make sure they don't stick but that's as far as it goes.

 

For myself, - although it probably (almost certainly) isn't required I will turn off the gas bottle before driving,

partly because my wife is happier if I do (worth a fair bit more), I don't think we have an impact cut off on the regulator although there might be something on the Truma heating, we might see a marginal increase in our safety and that of others around.

[Tall_Mike]

The secrets of my fridge are revealed. Went and had a close look at it.

 

I have a MES Type Fridge

 

When traveling I need to switch it to battery. - It will cool while the engine is running.

When parked I either need to switch it to gas or mains depending upon being hooked up or not.

 

I think it will always attempt to switch to gas if it can - The batteries (which I am not going to bother with) I think control this logic - Bit pointless in an MES Fridge I think.

 

I also plan to make a point of traveling with the gas off, turned off at the bottle - realizing that if I forget - The world will not come to an end, I don't have (I think) gas crash cutoff;s although I think the boiler may have an impact sensor in it. There may not be a huge benefit in turning off the gas but you never know.

 

Have bought a fire extinguisher which I shall fit into an accessible place and will always attempt to keep my distance from all other campers, sometimes this can be tricky for example at the Motorcycle rallies I like to attend where space is limited.

 

Thanks all - learned a lot and looking forward to learning more - ensured that the van is totally empty of water and put to bed - Given the frosty weather, currently -1c with snow forecast, sitting at home watching TV.