"daft question" thread!

I thought the whole reason for turning off your gas at the bottle when travelling is so that in the event of an accident, potetial flames and stuff, broken pipe work your bottle won't ignite explode and potentially make a bad situation alot lot worse.
 
torwood said:
The manufacturer designed it for running even when driving, that includes the gas heating as well as the fridge, so if it blows up I will sue Rapido!
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Does this apply to older vehicles though? Mine is a 1991 Fiat Ducato with FFB habitation - I suspect I am not the only one on here with an older van.
 
The auto changeover system on fridges seems to be a recent introduction, so your van will not have it.

European vans have the 12 volt systems in the Hab area live while driving (unless you choose to switch it off). British vans don't due to some obscure ruling for British vehicles that is not really necessary (I forget the details).
 
on older models,if the flame, which is protected from draughts by a metal box,goes out,the gas supply is disconnected automatically and it needs to be re-lit manually.
 
There was a case a year or two back where a bloke was replacing the interior lining of his motorboat using a spray adhesive when the fridge pilot light ignited the fumes. There was a big explosion, he & his missus were badly burnt & the boat burnt to the water line. So gas fridges can be a problem with explosive fumes.

I had never thought about petrol fumes, but I don't go into garages that often as I always fill the tank full & then run it almost empty with a range of almost 400 miles that will generally last me several days on holiday.

If I wanted to drive long distances, I wouldn't normally use the van.
 
Ok silly question thread it is then. When the weather is said to be overcast and heavy, why doesn't the sky fall on our heads :raofl::raofl::raofl:


Ok, I know shut the door on my way out. :D :wave:
 
I can't believe what I am reading on here about leaving the gas turned on whilst driving, let alone have the fridge lit as well. Why would you even chance running the fridge on gas while on the move as it works perfectly well on 12 volt. If ever you get side swiped by some numpty in a 4x4 or a truck and the bottle gets ripped out of the side of the van there would be nothing to stop the escape of gas. Unlike fixed LPG tanks, Calor and the like do not have a built in shut off valve. Let alone the obvious dangers at the petrol station as has been pointed out in this thread. And to highlight this even further I have a friend who set fire to the side of his van doing this very thing. He was on the motorway in France and got flagged down by a passing motorist. And if all that isn't enough I simply cannot see any insurance company paying out if you have just caused the biggest bang since Hiroshima.
 
What about in garages

Hi All

A lot of you are saying you leave your gas on your Fridge while travelling,so that means you have a naked flame while filling your van with fuel at petrol stations.Does that mean that it is not a naked flame or you are a special case, exempt from safety rules while refuelling. Lets hope you or anyone near you does not spill any fuel or has a leak while they are refuelling.I think you will also find you insurance would become void if you were to survive.

Snowbirds.
 
Smaug said:
There was a case a year or two back where a bloke was replacing the interior lining of his motorboat using a spray adhesive when the fridge pilot light ignited the fumes. There was a big explosion, he & his missus were badly burnt & the boat burnt to the water line. So gas fridges can be a problem with explosive fumes.

I had never thought about petrol fumes, but I don't go into garages that often as I always fill the tank full & then run it almost empty with a range of almost 400 miles that will generally last me several days on holiday.

If I wanted to drive long distances, I wouldn't normally use the van.
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The spark from the ignition will cause an explosion, much less likely a constant pilot light will.
 
It so happens that I have witnessed a gas bottle 'producing a jet of flame' - many of them actually, in a garage fire. They were literally going through the roof like an exocet missile, reaching about 200 feet high and then coming down and punching holes in other peoples roofs, one flattened a car to windscreen level.
 
El Veterano said:
It so happens that I have witnessed a gas bottle 'producing a jet of flame' - many of them actually, in a garage fire. They were literally going through the roof like an exocet missile, reaching about 200 feet high and then coming down and punching holes in other peoples roofs, one flattened a car to windscreen level.
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What? 6 or 11kg bottles like we use in vans? Or were they the 47kg industrial sized jobbies? just askin. ;)

If my van was on fire & my tiny 1kg BCG extinguisher wasn't going to cope - the sort of scenario where gas bottles may offer a risk, then I would be a loooong looong way away.
 
Smaug said:
What? 6 or 11kg bottles like we use in vans? Or were they the 47kg industrial sized jobbies? just askin. ;)

If my van was on fire & my tiny 1kg BCG extinguisher wasn't going to cope - the sort of scenario where gas bottles may offer a risk, then I would be a loooong looong way away.
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They were 13kg Propane as I recollect. It was a hell of a long time ago and was in a shed at the back of a small hardware shop. As teenagers we thought it was a great fireworks display! The local fire brigade didn't see it that way.:scared:
 
Gas bottles are designed to fail safe, yes you may get a burn off from the gas escaping but the bottle shouldn't explode. The exception is acetylene and when one of those cylinders goes off you need a large exclusion zone, if I recall correctly an acetylene cylinder can fly just under 200 metres, even so they seldome explode in a fire.
 
I think there is more chance of something happening with an old motor with dodgy ignition cables, then a motorhome with fridge on. What about starting a motor with jump leads.
 
I leave mine on all the time and keep the fridge on gas even when traveling.

It will be fine unless there is a really bad accident (then there is an increased risk of fire or explosion) but in case of a bad accident the van will be a write off anyway.

Make sure you check your gas system regularly for leaks if you do this.
 
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