# Towing With Lp On



## Armand_C (Feb 24, 2005)

After discovering that the fridge is only 2 way and not 3 way, it sounds like I will have to keep the LP on to keep the food in the fridge from spoiling. I was told when we bought our first TT, that it was not good to have the LP on when going down the road. It looks like I won't have a choice on this one. I was just curious to what y'all's opinions on this and if you did it. Thanks.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Roll with it on but stop short of the gas station to turn off the fridge. No need to close the gas valves on the bottles. Then turn on the fridge again when you leave.

Many people feel that they can leave the fridge off for 4 to 6 hours but longer then that you could have issues.

I leave mine on when on the road and just turn it off when at a gas station. It only takes a second to turn it off then back on.


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

I'm going to have to take the oppposite point of view on this one.









We too came from a trailer with a three way frig, and faced the same questions. My initial 'gut' feeling told me that traveling with the gas on was not a good idea (backed up by the owners manuals), most everyone I talked to however, does travel with the gas on, and without problems. So we decided to give it a try.

We have only been out twice with the Outback, and the first time was fine. On the second trip out we were OK also. However, on the way home was another story. When we got home, and went into the trailer we were met with a strong propane oder throughout the trailer. Scared the H*** out of me!









We quickly determined that this was not a matter of a stove/oven burner valve being on a little. We also had a complete system test (including leakdown) with negative results. The final determination was that the frig pilot probably blew out during the trip, and the gas entered the trailer through 'blow back' from the outside.

This is not supposed to be able to happen, but I am witness that it can. Fortuntely, the trip was only about 2-1/2 hours. Any longer and we could have had a real bomb on our hands!

The upshot is, from now on, we will not tow with the gas on. We will precool the frig, maybe even put a block of ice in, and figure we are good for 3-4 hours on the road. After that, if needed, we can stop and run the frig for awhile to cool it back down. Or, we can just wait to get our perishable items until we get closer to our destination.

Just my 2 cents.

Happy Trails,
Doug


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## Morrowmd (Feb 22, 2005)

Ditto here, turn fridge off before gassing up.

We saw first hand what a pilot light can do at a gas station. Last year a MH went up in flames near our house while sitting at the pumps. He had fridge and furnace both going- not sure which one caused it but they were lucky no one got hurt.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Doug - I don't think it was your fridge. If there is no flame detected after about 45 seconds it shuts off the gas and the check light on the fridge comes on. No way there would be enough gas to cause issue.

Do you carry any of the 1 pound bottles in your storage compartments? The valve on those don't always seat when you remove them from the grill or lantern. If the trailer systems checked out then it could be from one of the small bottles.


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## HootBob (Apr 26, 2004)

We don't used the gas for short trips.
But for long trips I turn the gas on and run the fridge.
We do stop a little bit before we have gas up and also turn the fridge off
Then once we're far enough away from the pumps I'll turn it back on.
Don


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## Reverie (Aug 9, 2004)

My two cents...

I don't tow with the gas going to the fridge. I believe the reason the manufaturer advises against it has more to do with what happens if you are in a wreck. Can you imagine the potential mayhem if you manage to break the gas line in a wreck. In a car the gas stops running pretty much as soon as you shut off the engine. When you use compressed liquified petroleum the gas continues escaping as long as there is sufficient pressure to push it out of the pipe.

Reverie


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## Thor (Apr 7, 2004)

I tow with LP turned off. I cool down the fridge a day before and everything stays cool. The fridge should stay cool for at least 6-8hrs. During long trips I turn on the fridge turn breaks or while we are eating. So far no problems keeping things cold. Icecream does not even melt.

Thor


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

Ok, Always left fridge running while travelling, always worked, never worried.
Reverie gives me the only reason I will no longer do it. Never thought of that. I have seen enough fire training films to know what happens to leaking propane.

John


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## Armand_C (Feb 24, 2005)

The issue came up when we were on our way home from Las Vegas, which is 12 hours away. When we were close to home, the milk was warm and the beers were warm too (oh no!). That is our only long trip for the rest of the year. All our other trips are about an hour long at the most. I guess I will turn the LP off then. Thanks for the warnings.


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## Roloaddict (Oct 29, 2004)

Question for Reverie:
You don't have the refridgerator turned on when you tow, do you also close the valve on the tanks?
H.


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

I agree with Andy on this one. I don't think this all could have come from the fridge. It is an electronic ignition, and if no flame is present, then no gas is flowing. I'd have all the circuits in the fridge checked out.

For the record, I usually tow with the gas tanks turned on, and the fridge running on gas. I stop short of the pumps and have the DW run back and turn the fridge off prior to filling up, and she starts it back up again after we pull away from the pumps.

This topic is liable to get 1000 different opinions from all the members of the forum. What it comes down to is you have to do what feels comfortable to you.

Tim


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## 1stTimeAround (Sep 22, 2004)

Andy and Tim,

I'm glad to hear that I only need to cut the fridge off at the pumps and not terminate the propane. I had always taken the cover off and cut the propane off at the tank.

Pardon my ignorance, but can someone tell me why the propane is not supposed to be on/running while filling the gas in your vehicle.









As always, thanks for the info!!









Jason


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

The propane option on the fride works by using an open flame to heat the ammonia tank. Open flames and gasoline fumes do not mix very well. It doesn't take much to get things going. For the same reason, you are not supposed to smoke, or use your cell phone within a certain distance of a gas pump.

Tim

Just a bit of trivia about Gasoline

Flash Point (when it starts to give off fumes): <-40 degrees (Estimated)
Flammable Limits In Air: Upper Explosive Limit: 7.1% - Lower Explosive Limit: 1.3% (so it doesn't take much)

Be Careful out there.







Tim


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## Reverie (Aug 9, 2004)

I always close the valves on the tanks when I don't use them. This is less about safety and more about me being really, really cheap. I hate giving the tanks a way to leak.

Reverie


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

I close the tank on the grill in the back yard for that reason. I guess I'm just too lazy to pull the cover off the tanks and close them or open them everytime we go camping....

Tim


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## Humpty (Apr 20, 2005)

Reverie said:


> ......what happens if you are in a wreck. Can you imagine the potential mayhem if you manage to break the gas line in a wreck.......
> 
> Reverie
> [snapback]34721[/snapback]​


Very good point Reverie. Never thought about that.


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