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Topic: Garage input please - fridge fire (Read 3 times) previous topic - next topic
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Garage input please - fridge fire
Yahoo Message Number: 129912
So many experts with heads buried in sand.  FYI and, hopefully, safety: The fridge was plugged into our own 50-amp, on automatic mode and the LPG tank was shut down.  The chemicals ate through the fridge pipes and ate through the electrical wires.  That's what these fridges do.  The chemicals are corrosive and the pipes are imperfect inside with thin spots, and that is the problem, always has been the problem, and it seems newer ones might even be worse than older ones.  Perhaps the metals are now cast in China? We were lucky to have been in the house and six minutes from a fire station.  Where will you be?  After the chemicals were released with no one inside to suffer lung and brain damage, the ceiling became a broiler, etc., etc.

s/Terry

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Terry Apple
2013 RB 27 Baby Blue Bentley
Re: Garage input please - fridge fire
Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 129913
Quote
So many experts with heads buried in sand.  FYI and, hopefully, safety: The fridge was plugged into our own 50-amp, on automatic mode and the LPG tank was shut down.  The chemicals ate through the fridge pipes and ate through the electrical wires.  That's what these fridges do.  The chemicals
So, apparently the fire department did a forensics analysis and determined this as the cause - something you did not state in your original post. If our heads were in the sand, it was your sand-pile of vague communication. Not sure what the motivation of your post was anyway...

Steve
2004 FL
2013 Honda Fit
Re: Garage input please - fridge fire
Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 129916
Thanks for filling in the details, Terry. It's enlightening to know that a refrigerator fire can happen even with propane shut off.
 Realistically, though, what you're saying amounts to "never store an RV indoors," (or presumably anywhere near another RV or building), "because it might burn down". If this were a common occurrence, there'd be no RV storage facilities left by now.
 You've stated that you'll never have an RV with an absorption refrigerator again. But a quick Google search shows that all-electric, compressor-based refrigerators can also catch fire. For example, a few years ago Maytag recalled 1.6 million refrigerators sold under various well-known brand names, after receiving 16 reports of fires due to electrical malfunction:
 http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09145.html

Fires have also been cause by GE, Whirlpool and LG refrigerators, among others. Yet you don't see anybody warning that no-one should have a refrigerator in their home. The fact is that refrigerator fires are quite rare, considering the tens of millions of refrigerators in use. Food poisoning kills a lot more people every year than flaming fridges do.
 I understand that what happened to your rig was quite a shock, but that doesn't mean all refrigerators are ticking time bombs, any more than all toasters or clock radios are killers (yes, those have been known to catch fire). Rather than overreacting and saying "I'll never use _____ again," it's best to keep things in perspective, make a realistic assessment of the overall risks, and take reasonable precautions to minimize those risks. That's all we are suggesting here.
 You are of course free to use ice chests or whatever means you like... but bear in mind that leaking water from ice chests could cause an electrical short, and potentially result in a fire. Nothing is 100% safe.

Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
Re: Garage input please - fridge fire
Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 129918
Andy, this is an excellent post, and equally good advice for all of us to remember.

*Larry*

Lawrence D. Latham 45120 Highway 79, #916 Aguanga, CA  92536-9706 (951) 234-4253
 
Re: Garage input please - fridge fire
Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 129920
"So many experts with heads buried in sand.

Terry

My wife says my head is normally stuck someplace else that's dark.
 Your example shows why we have smoke, propane and carbon monoxide detectors, along with multiple fire extinguishers, in our RVs and, hopefully, much the same in our stick homes.
Fire happens. We keep two foam extinguishers next to our bunk, is case we need to fight our way out at night. Several other extinguishers are scattered through the rig. We also know how to leave through the escape hatch.
 New homes come with automatic fire sprinklers, which might be a good thing to add to RV garage. In Terry's case, plumbing the whole motor home with a fire-suppression system is a possible solution.
Engine fire systems have been used for decades and the same technology can be applied to any and all parts of the motorhome as long as your wallet is big enough.
Give Mac the RV Fire Guy a call or stick one of these in your refrigerator compartment.
http://www.rvcoolingunit.net/servlet/the-Halon-Fire-Fight1-Extinguishers*****/Categories>
http://firefight1.com/prod_ss-30.html>

Larry
2001 MB
* Not to be confused with Larry W (3000 of my posts are actually from expert Larry W due to Yahoo transition mis-step)