My refrigerator extinguishes while driving, . . .

[Prober22]

Hi Folks,
Long time no post. We just get busy. I have sold my business, and have 51 days of work left.
I have a Lance 835, which has a Norcold N402.3 refrigerator. In my driveway, it will run flawlessly on LP. If I take it for a drive, the refrigerator goes out. I think it must he the wind, but I am not sure.
I recall reading about making a wind "baffle" out of aluminum foil that might cure this.
My two main concerns about the "baffle" are:
1. Asphyxiating myself
2. Burning my rig down to the pavement.

Have any forum members tried this? Does it work?
Can you describe what you did? I'd owe you big! In a couple weeks, I am going to Rapid City, then hit Devil's Tower, Custer Battlefield and then do the Bear Tooth Pass. Eventually, I'LL meet my boys in the Big Horns for some trout fishing.
If I can get this fridge to stay lit, It would make things a lot simpler.
Thanks in advance!
Regards,
Jeff

[camr]

Our Dometic will calve the thermal fuse when driving with the fridge running. Has happened twice, so we no longer travel with the fridge running. It's easier than changing out the thermal fuse!

[KKELLER14K]

Don't forget that LPG is heavier than air so don't cover the lowest vent opening all the way. Your RV will have a leak detector at or near the floor if for some reason it should leak to the interior. Check and test frequently. Another issue with 12v is if you do forget to turn it off you better hope you have a battery isolator or the charge wire is hooked up correctly so that it will not draw off of the tow vehicle when the key is turned off. Not only that, draining batteries till they go dead ruin them. Also consider the length of the charge wire, the gauge and even if your altinator can keep up with the demand. One more consideration. The 25 to 35 gallons of fuel you carry underneath your tow rig, in a plastic tank mind you, has way more "explosive" potential than a steel LPG tank. LPG tanks just don't explode as easy as you might think.
The valve is also designed to "pop off" before any pressures build to the point of a tank fail and that takes exposing it to very high temperatures. I understand trapping gas in a compartment would be of concern but there is already going to be plenty of air circulation. If you look at the very bottom of the gas compartment, is the bottom seal missing or cut out? Check and see. It most likely is for the very reason the gas is heavier and the manufacturer does not want the gas to pool on the bottom.
Start here and read this, educate yourself and read the other subjects.

[AnEv942]

stevenal wrote:
snip... It would take a very long continuous gust to keep the flame from reigniting....snip
highway speed can generate a pretty continuous source of 'gust'...But not all campers are subject to this

stevenal wrote:
snip... for so long that the valve shuts and check light comes on....snip
Our tries, I think its 3 times, and then goes to 'Check', doesnt take that long time wise. We also have a Dinosaur board.

stevenal wrote:
snip... Been through lots of miles and wind storms since without a problem.
Count yourself fortunate...

[stevenal]

I keep reading about wind being a problem, and just can't imagine it being a problem with the newer (since '98 anyway) electronic ignition refrigerators. I've performed the test on my Dometic. Blow the flame out, and it reignites. Repeat the process, and it will continue to reignite. It would take a very long continuous gust to keep the flame from reigniting for so long that the valve shuts and check light comes on. Perhaps there are other problems at play. In my case, a Dinosaur replacement board was in order. Been through lots of miles and wind storms since without a problem.

[djg]

Hey I used a maxair wind vent anp put it on the roof of my camper and it fixed the problem of flame being extinguished here is a picture of how i fixed mine lots of room for the air to escape

[work2much]

NRALIFR wrote:

HMS Beagle wrote:

stratcat wrote:
why would you use propane while driving. This very dangerous and against the law in most states. You are basically driving a gas bomb. if for some reason you are involved in an accident the complete rig could explode. Use the 12 volt that's why it is there......

Could you provide documentation for that claim? It is not illegal in California to drive with the propane on and powering the refrigerator as far as I know. In fact you can power your truck with propane if properly converted. I also cannot see how having an accident while the propane was powering the refrigerator would be any more or less dangerous than 12V. The only place I know if where propane cannot be used is on the Washington and Alaska state ferries.

Don't hold your breath waiting for that documentation because there isn't any. The only places that it's illegal are ferries, tunnels, and the Chessapeak Bay bridge/tunnel.

While LP systems years ago weren't as safe as they are today, the modern LP system has many safety features built into it and it actually quite hard to cause an explosion with one. You can't argue with a gas-o-phobe though. To them an LP bottle will always be a bomb looking for an excuse to explode. More drama that way.

For the life of me I can't understand how those who believe LP is so dangerous can still manage to sleep in an RV with LP appliances in it.

:):)

The tanks themselves are pretty tough. It's lines that are past the tank that feed the appliances that could be broken in an accident or develop a leak while driving.

I turn mine off when I drive and run the fridge on DC.

Not a "gas-a-phoebe" but I don't see a reason to go down the road with the tanks open. Turning them on is just one more small set-up on the list with leveling, putting out the slide, turning on the water pump etc.

[jefe_4x4]

I used a piece of 10" or 11" unrolled aluminum flashing behind the front half of the vent opening. I just worked it down behind the tubes. It has worked fine since without cutting out the pilot flame at any speed. No CO2 detected. The fridge would automatically cut off when using propane when driving above 50 mph or in a strong side wind at any speed. For years I just used the 12v feature until I forgot to turn it back to propane one night. All 3 batteries were dead after 6 hrs. It does use a lot of juice on 12v.
jefe

[KKELLER14K]

Tape it up...that's the trick. Easy fix. I have done it on all 4 of my rigs. Just because someone makes a cover with that much venting does not make it right. You might as well have no cover at all. It is perfectly fine to run LP at all times...forget about 12v. If the flame goes out it will shut itself off. I just use clear packing tape on the outside...simple fix. Glad to see you got the fix you needed.

[Ski_Pro_3]

I took a chunk of pink fiberglass insulation and placed it around the burner area. It 'breathes' enough to keep the flame lit just fine and baffles the wind from blowing it out. I take the insulation out when I arrive at my destination, then put it back in when I drive again. Works GREAT!!
Make sure you just use the pink insulating batting, not the paper backed stuff. It's sold in rolls at any home improvement store. You'll have a lot of extra, but I use it around the camper for winterizing; places like the dump valve hatch, under the sink and outdoor shower, the roof vents, etc. Just cut the batting a little large and it will self-hold in a confined space.

[burningman]

Yes, the truck's alternator makes enough power to run the fridge and keep the batteries charged.
I bought 2-gauge jumper cables from Lowes, it was the cheapest way to get 16-foot lengths of 2-gauge wire (gotta think outside the ol' box sometimes!). I cut the clamps off and made my own lugs from a small piece of copper plumbing pipe.
Just cut yourself about an inch and a half of it, smash one end in a vise (even just a hammer will work) and drill a hole in it. I smash the cable in the other end in my vise and heat it with a torch and add solder.
The only other thing you need to run heavy cables from your truck battery to the camper is a high-current connector. The best ones are the ones made for plugging in jumper cables on service trucks.
If you want to get fancier, add a continuous duty solenoid, with the trigger wire connected to a source of +12V that is hot only when the key is on. Then, the camper only draws from the truck when it's running. I've used oil pressure switches for this too - that way it knows the motor is actually running and the key isn't just on.
You can use a manual battery cut-off switch too, but that requires remembering to use it.

[Rubiranch]

jimh425 wrote:
Be ready to be afraid. There are even propane powered vehicles. 😉 Maybe they have their propane turned off though.

http://www.afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/propane.html

Propane powered vehicles don't have an open flame like a refrigerator does and when the vehicle shuts down for any reason the liquid propane is locked off - its a whole lot different than LP refrigerator.

When the fridge is run on 12v while driving will the trucks charging system keep the battery fully charged??

on edit - I guess it really doesn't matter - mine's not a 12v LOL

[Prober22]

Hi Everybody,
I meant to update this thread a while back. I went on my road trip with my Lance 835. I stopped in Rapid City, hit the Little Big Horn Battlefield, The Beartooth Highway, and ended up in the Big Horn Mountains, in Wyoming. Here are a few photos from that trip:

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipP_zTqpvGLjB7lt8PBOTgap7SG7BjS4b6aaEJkNHxt6hHpyJVgP85V2iU8NXVOh7w?key=VTFJVkN6QTNGMC0yUkx1N1p3Z2twb1NIRmVNclRn

The flame in the fridge was blue and nice, so I thought I would try the most simple treatment, and block off some of the vents in the fridge cover. I used aluminum tape, with adhesive on one side. Before I left home, I put on a piece.(Purple) I drove about 100 miles, and the flame had gone out. I added more tape, (Yellow), and drove about 50 miles. It had gone out. So, I added more tape, (Orange) and drove another 50 miles. It had extinguished. I added another piece of tape, (Red) and the darned thing worked perfect. In the next 9 days, it stayed lit until I shut if off when I got home. Thanks again for the tips.
Jeff

[Fisher_Bill]

Beau Bo wrote:
FWIW - the fridge in my 2016 Eagle Cap doesn't even have a 12v power option, AC and propane only...

This is what we have also, the guy I bought ours from had to replace the Dometic fridge, he felt the original cooling fan was inadequate so he wired in a larger fan and we have to remember to turn it on every time we crank it on.

While the fridge does not run the lights stay on with the DC.

[Beau_Bo]

FWIW - the fridge in my 2016 Eagle Cap doesn't even have a 12v power option, AC and propane only...