RV Explosion and Fire July 03, 2024, 10:53:37 am Tragic and difficult to watch. Maybe there’s some lessons to learn? Video shows the moment a family’s RV bursts into flames | CNNBe safe Forum Amigos.
Re: RV Explosion and Fire Reply #1 – July 03, 2024, 11:41:18 am Watching that, and how the lawn was scorched, just on one side, I'd say that it was caused by LP gas, not gasoline from the engine or tank. I would suspect that the propane had been turned on at the tank, but some appliance was turned on, but not lit (Stovetop?, oven?) and filled the interior pretty completely, before something like a light switch set the entire rig off at once. Just guessing. There should have been a warning from a gas detector before it got that far. I believe it would have smelled strongly like LP gas inside. 12v dc switches always spark internally when turned on. (Yes you can get sealed switches but not for an RV!). It takes a while for propane to reach the right mixture level inside a wall switch. That big of an explosion required a good sized leak inside, and to accumulate for a long time, couple of minutes or longer. Refrigerator leaks, water heater leaks, are outside, space heater leaks (modern ones at least) check for a pilot and running fan before they open the main gas valve. Barring something like broken or vandalized gas plumbing, that leaves the gas burners on top of the stove as the most likely source of that much gas. Lesson indicated; Check that internal propane items, cook top and oven are off, LP detector(s) are on. Turn on the external tank valve and immediately be inside to check for leaks, unlit burners, (they don't light themselves) etc. Early on, I had left a burner on low once instead of turning it off, when putting the top down on the cook top. So I painted a spot on the underneath sides of the knobs bright pink/red to indicate the knob wasn't off, but at a very low setting. The flame isn't always visible in bright light. Very little damage resulted. But had I turned off the tank, flame went out, and weeks later turned on the tank, I could have filled the interior up with gas and one light switch could have resulted in one less Lazy Daze on the road, and maybe one less Lazy Dazer too! RonB 4 Likes
Re: RV Explosion and Fire Reply #2 – July 03, 2024, 10:27:48 pm "that leaves the gas burners on top of the stove as the most likely source of that much gas."Yup.One advantage of the marine stoves (e.g., Force 10, Eno) that I've installed in my last several rigs is that they have flame sensors that will cut off the gas within seconds if there's no flame.I learned from my boating friends that even a slow propane leak in a boat is extremely dangerous, because the gas will sink to the lowest point in the hull--the bilge. There it will accumulate indefinitely, because there's no way for it to escape downward. So a flame sensor gas cutoff is mandatory in a marine stove... but it's a really good idea anywhere.Why aren't flame sensors standard on RV stoves? Probably because they'd add a couple bucks to the price. :: sigh :: 6 Likes
Re: RV Explosion and Fire Reply #3 – July 05, 2024, 08:57:56 am "Why aren't flame sensors standard on RV stoves? Probably because they'd add a couple bucks to the price. :: sigh :: "I thought that propane detectors were required by law in all RV's. I believe all LD's have them (propane detectors). Still, I agree flame sensors should be mandatory in any type of gas appliance. We humans tend to think because something rarely happens it never happens. Or to word that a different way 'familiarity breeds contempt'.glen 1 Likes
Re: RV Explosion and Fire Reply #4 – July 05, 2024, 11:47:46 am Propane sensors are on most Lazy Daze, but if you ignore the replacement beeping at five years, your sensor is likely not working.
Re: RV Explosion and Fire Reply #5 – July 05, 2024, 11:53:58 am "I thought that propane detectors were required by law in all RV's."They are. But flame sensors are not. And there's a big difference between a stove's flame sensor that cuts off gas within a second, and a propane detector that won't sound an alarm (and won't cut off gas at all!) until plenty of propane has drifted down to floor level.Marine suppliers offer propane detectors with an output that can be connected to a solenoid valve in the main gas line, cutting off all propane when the detector sounds an alarm. But how many RVs have that setup? None of mine did.A flame sensor in a stovetop is a simple, inexpensive safety measure that stops unwanted propane flow instantly. That dog-initiated house fire could not have started if that couple's stove had had one.One other thing: I never, ever set anything flammable on my stove. If that couple had not left cardboard boxes sitting on their stovetop, the worst that would have happened when the dog turned on a burner would have been gradual carbon monoxide buildup in the kitchen from the open flame. Leaving flammable material on top of a stovetop is asking for trouble. 1 Likes
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Topic: RV Explosion and Fire (Read 283 times)
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