Coach burns to the ground

[V3600]

Perhaps RVs need some sort of fire suppression system installed.

[biggcrisp]

I’d be ok with mine burning to the ground as long as no one was hurt.
New class B would fill its place ASAP.

[palehorse89]

Loaded it out today and cleaned up .......and installed my smoke detector.......

[HWCJr]

Frightening situation. Great to know no one was injured. Great idea. I’m off to Lowe’s tomorrow to purchase at least two additional battery operated smoke detectors for the electrical bay and battery bay. At Nappanee last May, Newmar techs rechecked the torque on all the transfer switch connectors and hardwired surge protector on our coach and found them all within spec. Before we head further south in January, I’ll again check the torque on all the connections and install the additional smoke detectors. We also have two additional foam fire extinguishers, one in the bedroom and another in the cab area. Safe travels.

[TriMoot]

Originally Posted by HWCJr

Frightening situation. Great to know no one was injured. Great idea. I’m off to Lowe’s tomorrow to purchase at least two additional battery operated smoke detectors for the electrical bay and battery bay. At Nappanee last May, Newmar techs rechecked the torque on all the transfer switch connectors and hardwired surge protector on our coach and found them all within spec. Before we head further south in January, I’ll again check the torque on all the connections and install the additional smoke detectors. We also have two additional foam fire extinguishers, one in the bedroom and another in the cab area. Safe travels.

My rig is packed away for winter BUT I'm adding torquing the electric connections on my inverter, batteries and anywhere else I can think of to my Spring check up. Along with a smoke detector in the battery area.

Wow...certainly a wake up call. And yes, taking pictures of everything is wise along with having some sort of fireproof container for important documents when you travel. I'm even thinking of setting up a specific area where my wallet, DW's purse, ...import papers, etc, are ALWAYS put in case you had to bailout quickly. Certainly something we'll be talking about tonight and going forward.

Thanks again for the pictures and updates, and prayers for the folks who lost everything....whew..that's gotta be tough.

PS: 2nd Attempt, I put a recommendation on a fireproof case for docs and then when I went back, there was a video of someone putting into a fire and it was totally destroyed. So, THIS time I went through a number of bags and found this one with a review of someone putting in a fire and checking the document inside later and found it was okay, so 'maybe' this is a good one. Here on Amazon.

[palehorse89]

The folks that owned the Coach rested up over night and left here to head home to Texas mid morning after collecting themselfs...........I feel so bad for them......but everyone can learn something from this and that is the reason I have posted so much on this thread. Safe travels to all and Happy Holiday's!!!!!!

[AaronColo]

Originally Posted by barmcd

That's a good idea for sure, I think I'll steal it. I wonder how easy, or should I say how hard, it would be to retrofit a wired and linked smoke detector system in our older coaches. Mine are battery operated stand alone units. In my house, if one goes off, they all go off.

Look online. I have seen some that communicate wirelessly. I also cut an access hole in my fridge chimney and put one in there as well.

[AaronColo]

Originally Posted by PKI

My understanding is that it is not a good practice to just periodically tighten the screws. The theory is that conductor materials oxidize and that forms a current resistant surface on the outside of the wire. When the connection is tightened, the existing clean contact area is broken and new contact is made on the oxidized surface. The result is a connection with more resistance that generates heat. The proper approach is supposed to be to clean the oxidation off the conductor before making a firm positive connection. Suspect solid and stranded conductors have different characteristics with respect to this issue.

Contact an electrician or power engineer to provide the proper procedure.

That's good info. You can check them under load with a laser temperature gun. That's how electricians check connections in industrial facilities.

[TXROADR]

Sorry to hear of their loss, thank God no life was lost. Perhaps the posting of their misfortune will make others more aware. I installed a Proteng Automatic Fire Suppression in the frig area and will be installing a Fire Extinguishing Ball in the elec. compartment. Hopefully they will never go off...

[Rockbottom]

It's fine to check your connections to see if they are still tight, but DO NOT tighten terminal screws on power connections that are already tight. Most if not all screws and nuts designed for electrical power (hot conductors) are plated copper alloy. What happens when you keep snugging them is the screw stretches or the threads strip causing poor contact with the wire or wire terminal. Thus creating the very problem you are trying to prevent.

For wire nuts, it's fine to check them for tightness by holding the wires just under the cap and twisting to see if it's firmly attached. Then if you wish to prevent the cap from falling off, you can wrap the wire nuts with electrical tape starting with the wires just under the cap. Wrap the wire bundle twice and work your way up onto the cap. That prevents the wire nut from falling off. Don't start the tape on the cap and then wrap down to the wires, that doesn't hold the cap securely to the wires.

But IMO, doing it more than once to verify that the factory or previous owner didn't forget to tighten anything, is overkill.

[HWCJr]

Thanks all. I’m gleaming a lot of good information and best practices here. We’re also planning on our next MH having the bathroom escape door that’s now offered on Newmar and most likely other manufacturers.

[DGBPokes]

I like the idea of using a IR temp gun underload, never thought of that. Or buying additional smoke detectors. Not sure you will hear it going down the road from any of the rear compartments, but will help when you aren’t driving. I see lots of photos of fires going down the road.

[pdoug]

PBE: Portable Breathing Equipment. I am a retired pilot and we always carried a PBE's on board for the crew. They are simple, effective and easy to put on. A coach will burn quickly, knowing how to exit the coach safely, even without the ability to see your surroundings is paramount. Navy training lasts forever.

Phil

[av8tor2]

Are you a "Full Timer" ? I was but I'm just kind of burned out now.