RVs + propane tanks + Facebook

[Trbo323]

Ok, wanted to ask this question here because I want to see what the response is. Sorry if this is long but I'm getting a lot of flack for it over on an Facebook page for RV stuff

Little background, I work in propane. If you watch King of the hill, Hank is a propane delivery driver. That's what I do. Oddly enough, from what I'm told they got a lot of things right about the propane industry in that show. Not everything but a lot

Ok, so I saw a question pop up a number of times where people were asking if it's ok to run their fridge/furnace/water heater in the RV WHILE they are towing.

So I made a post to clarify,
1) yes it's legal
2) it's not safe

Having propane in all the lines for the camper while on the road and the tanks off is one thing, having the tanks on means that if any of the lines break/wear through/become loose in transit the tanks supply more gas to that leak. Potentially allowing it to collect. Having the appliances on means you have ready sources of ignition.

Some people are willing to accept it's good advise but I'm getting a lot of people who are giving a lot of pushback. Saying I'm overblowing a non issue. There's 2 other people that work in propane/natural gas who agree it's a bad idea to leave the tanks on

What's your opinion MCB? Am I just too used to the paintball community where in general people are.... Better people or is this a non issue that's just a risk everyone should take while transporting their RV, like driving a car, yes you can get in a crash but that's the nature of it

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[Chuck E Ducky]

I see it as an Assumed risk.

[SETHZILLA!]

You're not wrong, but idiots will always argue on the internet.....
Thanks for the tip. I'll make sure to turn mine off from now on.
I love seeing those videos of trucks pulling camping trailers on fire down the road. I don't need to be in one myself

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[Jonnydread]

OG ballers tend to be safer people because we had to be. Paintball back in the day was already seen as a violent sport, and due to the nature of needing PPE while playing and having to corral new players and rentals I think we as a group tend to be more safety minded for survival's sake. I don't see this as much with the younger crew.

[Riot]

Weird way to spell “soft,” but I do love watching ya’ll yell at kids to put their masks down.

[Jonnydread]

[Trbo323]

You're not wrong, but idiots will always argue on the internet.....
Thanks for the tip. I'll make sure to turn mine off from now on.
I love seeing those videos of trucks pulling camping trailers on fire down the road. I don't need to be in one myself

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Please do. Yes it's a low risk but if something does go wrong in transit one of the BEST case scenarios is that you only lose the camper.

I'm not a fan of that best case scenario

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[martix_agent]

I believe state laws determine if it's legal or not to do. I know for sure in tunnels it's very illegal.

[Trbo323]

I believe state laws determine if it's legal or not to do. I know for sure in tunnels it's very illegal.

Not that I've seen actually. It's not like I've looked up every state but it's obviously ok for a propane powered vehicle to use it on the road and I think the federal dot just doesn't see the number of RVs rolling down the road as an issue that they should put work into since they would have to differentiate between RVs using propane for, week anything and cars/trucks using it for their engines and then I'm sure there's some odd duck in-between uses that wouldn't be easy to clarify (propane injection on a diesel truck for example). Local jurisdiction can typically override national code if the local code is more strict (there are exceptions for looser but typically it's not done) but cargo and transport issues are very rare to have any local jurisdiction overule federal dot on anything that involves personal equipment. It sometimes happens for CMV stuff, Oregon and Washington have different combined weight limits for example but it's pretty rare for personal vehicles. The only example I can think of is some states allow "recreational doubles" and others do not. In some states, you have to get the endorsement on your license but you can tow 2 trailers at the same time.

The tunnels thing I've heard people say but I really think that comes from my job as hazmat transport. It's almost illegal for me to go through a tunnel. There's exceptions but the short answer is I need to go around and I think that's where it comes from. I've never seen any laws in writing that say it's illegal for a personal vehicle, just people talking about it. I wouldn't be surprised if that is true though, I need to look it up one of these days

Fueling up with any propane appliance running is against code so technically illegal although I'm not even sure what that punishment would look like. It might be one of those cases where it's illegal but there's no actual consequences on the book.

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[XEMON]

Don't care of the legality, close the dam valve before taking off.
I'm amazed there is people wanting to argue with you about it ...

[Trbo323]

Don't care of the legality, close the dam valve before taking off.
I'm amazed there is people wanting to argue with you about it ...

Yeah I guess I expected some of the "I've been doing it for 75 years and I've never had a problem so I'm going to keep doing it" attitude but I was not expecting the "this is just fear tactics posting"

Some of them are calling me Hank Hill now like it's some kind of an insult but the funny thing is I've heard king of the hill, for the most part got the propane delivery job and industry correct. My boss has watched it all and says it's pretty clear to him they had someone with experience in propane in with the writers.

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[pghp8ntballer]

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. Period. You can text and drive. It is illegal in several states. That doesn’t mean you should do it just because it is technically legal in some locations.

Momma said stupid is as stupid does.

[Cdn_Cuda]

BC Ferries make sure all vehicles with propane tanks have the tanks securely closed before going on the vessel. Being an enclosed space the reason is obvious, but just underscores that yes there is a risk.

[F1FX]

I agree its not worth the risk. Some people just don’t think and don't take into consideration the effects of their actions. I’ve seen several RVs/trailers on fire while on the road over the years. The real problem is many RV/travel trailers are not inspected thoroughly on a regular basis and lines can crack or fittings leak over time. RV/trailers take a beating being on the road. I recently had a gas line go bad on me. It was fine, no leaks as I was prepping for my trip and cooling down my refrigerator, 4h later as I got to my camp site, as soon as I turned on the gas I could smell propane right away, one of the lines went bad on the drive. This line was inspected earlier in the season and it was completely fine. If you really want to get people up in arms start talking about weight distribution, tongue weight, and cargo capacity, something I find a lot of people don’t quite grasp.

[XEMON]

That's why I didn't want a built in propane system in my camper. The fridge is electric, the only propane appliance is the stove/oven and fire pit. The BBQ tank is next to the stove under the cabinet so it's 2ft of hose top, and when it needs replacing it's easy so I don't drag my feet 😅 and the firepit (with the long hose) gets disconnected when not actively in use ...

[Trbo323]

I agree its not worth the risk. Some people just don't think and don't take into consideration the effects of their actions. I've seen several RVs/trailers on fire while on the road over the years. The real problem is many RV/travel trailers are not inspected thoroughly on a regular basis and lines can crack or fittings leak over time. RV/trailers take a beating being on the road. I recently had a gas line go bad on me. It was fine, no leaks as I was prepping for my trip and cooling down my refrigerator, 4h later as I got to my camp site, as soon as I turned on the gas I could smell propane right away, one of the lines went bad on the drive. This line was inspected earlier in the season and it was completely fine. If you really want to get people up in arms start talking about weight distribution, tongue weight, and cargo capacity, something I find a lot of people don't quite grasp.

Damn so you basically had this scenario happen but I'm assuming you were not traveling with your tanks on?

And yeah I agree with the weights stuff. I'm a CDL driver so I have a pretty good grasp on it. Although I will admit there's enough differences between my CDL stuff and campers that every once in a while I get caught up by something. But yeah there's all kinds of people that come out of the woodwork if you start talking about that

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[F1FX]

Yeah, I dont travel with propane tank on, just not worth the risk of my rig catching on fire. That hose was only a few years old so I was quite surprised that was the culprit of my leak. If its a long drive I either buy food as I get closer to camp grounds or pack a cooler with food that need to keep cold for the drive.  I prefer off the grid camping vs a parking lot with hookups most of the times.

[Riot]

Tell me you guys haven’t traveled hours just waiting for a cold beer but wait… your fridge is warm, without telling me.

[Jonnydread]

Can't handle warm beer? Sounds like a soft boy to me...

[martix_agent]

Warm beer, or hot beer?
That's what some ice, and a beer cooler is for.

[Riot]

You peasants still use coolers!?

[martix_agent]

You know it's interesting, a guy at work was just talking about this today after I posted.
He gets his cold at home, keeps it cold while driving and using propane, then puts it back on electricity when he gets to his site. He's almost 60, and doesn't see an issue with it.
It's a bit worrisome. Seems like a risk a lot of people are willing to take, or are unaware of the hazards.