It is recommended to do so although I admit I never have.Mine will only run on propane when towing and can run either electric or propane when hooked up .

We have never turned ours off in the 3 yrs of full timing with fiver. If those of you towing without enclosed tanks I would turn it off.
southwestjudy

The propane control switch on our rig has a safety mechanism that shuts off the flow if a line breaks and the gas flow becomes too high.

I believe that all newer propane systems have this safety now.

The turning off of propane tanks while traveling is an absolute safety.

However, the instance of a propane line rupturing is so seldom as to be non-existant. In the event of a line break, the excess flow valve in the tank will stop the flow instantly.

If you don't believe that, turn off the tanks, open a burner on the stove, quickly open the tank valve. Flow stops immediately. This is built into the tanks since the old POL valve was removed from the industry. After this test, the issue is to get the excess flow valve open again. Pressure has to be almost equal on both sides to get it to open again.

Fueling while the fridge is in operation is also a moot point. Most of us are diesel users, and mostly go to the truck lanes to get access to the high flow pumps. The flash point of diesel is somewhere in the 130 to 150 degree range. Meaning the temperature of the diesel has to be that hot to evolve gasses that will ignite if contact with a spark or flame is met.

However, with all that said, you will do what you wish or feel safe doing. For one, I leave the fridge in operation on propane while traveling and fueling. In all my years operating gas plants and refineries, I never had a propane fire, even at the truck loading racks. Once, a naphtha rail car was ignited by lightening (the loader had failed to ground the car), once a tower overfilled and released light straight run out the relief valve, once a valve failed and released kerosene.

End result, in a wreck, the least worry is propane escaping.

-- Edited by 53 Merc on Wednesday 27th of January 2010 09:01:18 AM

I used to sell and deliver both LPG and gasoline in one of my past lives.  So, here are my comments.

Gasoline fumes will likely dissipate before it reached the pilot light of your refrigerator.  ONLY if you were filling up within a closed garage would it be likely that fumes could accumulate enough to reach a pilot light with enough "volume" to ignite.

You would be more likely to ignite the fumes with static electricity by getting back in the vehicle while filling and then getting back out and grasping the nozzle before "grounding" yourself first.

The others are correct about the LPG system shutting off a check valve should there be a break in the line.  In fact, I was told by a technician recently that when I change bottles to open the valve v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y to prevent it from shutting the check valve.

Hope this helps.

Terry

I wish everyone could attend one of Mac Mcoys' fire safty classes it is very enlightening. He bases his advise on actual fires that have been investigated not on speculation. Safty is not always based on probabilities but possibilities. Just like the no smoking signs at the gas pumps. I have seen people smoke near the pumps and not explode or cause a fire but it isn't a safe practice just as filling up near gas pumps with a flame going on a gas water heater isn't a safe practice. If I can travel with the propane off and my food can stay cold why would I take a chance of harming myself or others.

I really don't think about it because I pull a TT and my pick up is a diesel, however I do try to fill up without the trailer simply because then I don't have to watch for overhead clearances or drive way approaches.

I do believe the question was *while fueling up* ? Not the debate about driving with LP on or off.


Before we pull into any fuel station, we do turn the fridge to OFF and sometimes the propane furnace if it was needed.

I clip a white clothespin to the steering wheel with the word FRIDGE written on it when I do turn it off. So then we remember once we drive away from the pumping area, we then turn them back on.

I personally feel that if any of the three appliances (the fridge, the furnace or the LP water heater) are dangerous if they automatically ignite the pilot light or burner while fueling up, as all are located close to the front of our rig on the driver's side where the fueling takes place. We are diesel, which I guess has a lower flammability? Even still, I feel better with it turned off during fueling. We also may be situated next to some other pump where someone else is filling up with gasoline.