Running the Furnace while driving?

[Old-Biscuit]

Originally Posted by narampa

Think about this!
We all know that accidents happen to the other guy right?
So sure it's safe to run with the propane on and the furnace going and the water tank running.
After all your not the other guy Right?

I don't run with propane on for the reason that I might be the other guy. Common sense tell me that it is unwise.

But on another thought, would the insurance cover the coach if they knew the propane was on?

Does insurance cover when drunk wrecks????

Propane is an approved system in RV and is designed to function while in transit. Otherwise DOT and NFPA would NOT allow us common folks around it.

[mrt_1111]

Could just fix the engine heater.

[MO Fred]

We have a 1990 DP and always leave the gas on. We have a built-in sensor that will catch any leaks. Our dash heat does not keep up so we always use the front propane heater while driving in cold weather and we close the door going to the bathroom so the heat stays up front. No need to waste propane heating the back.

[ladagobago]

Originally Posted by Goochygoo15

Hello All, I'm new to RVing, and need to know if its safe to drive the RV with the propane on and the furnace running in cold weather. We have a 1995 Holiday Rambler Endeavour, and the dashboard heater isn't working. We have always traveled up till now with the propane turned off, but the weather is cold now, and I need the heat. Any recommendations or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

use it - nuf said

[Pirate]

Anyone ever see heat damage to exterior wall from hot exhaust blowing back along wall versus straight out while parked?

[twinboat]

Originally Posted by Pirate

Anyone ever see heat damage to exterior wall from hot exhaust blowing back along wall versus straight out while parked?

That would be the same as being parked in a 50 MPH wind, blowing down the side of the MH.

I'll bet they thought about that.

[Rich-n-Linda]

I run with my motor HOME as comfortable as my stick & mortar HOME. Furnaces on, set to 72 degrees. All the time. In the summer I run the generator and the A/C, also set to 72 degrees.

Over 3 winters with a lot of cold weather driving with the furnaces running there is no staining from the furnace exhaust. Even if there was...so what? I'm not going to drive down the road freezing.

I have never turned off my furnaces or the propane when fueling. The furnace is 35 feet away on the opposite side of the coach from the fuel fill. Suggesting that constitutes a risk of fire or explosion is a real stretch.


Rich

[easdsa]

We run the generator so that we can run the roof a/c units in the summer, and we run the furnaces in the winter. Part of the reason we chose a MH was because it would be at a comfortable temperature all the time.

[1bigmess]

Originally Posted by Pirate

Anyone ever see heat damage to exterior wall from hot exhaust blowing back along wall versus straight out while parked?

Pics or it didn't happen.

[WILDEBILL308]

This is for those nay sayers who find the most obtuse reasons not to use their coach.
Don't you think in this world of lawsuits that if there was any chance of a problem you would be told NO. But instead there is no place in your documentation that you can show or point to that says you can't run your furnace your refrigerator hot water heater or any other thing you want to going down the road.
Now to the OP turn on that furnace the refrigerator and especially the hot water heater so your wife has hot water to wash her hands after a pit stop.
Happy New Year
Bill

[jsmmonaco]

my dash heat is also poor................while underway, I either run the propane furnace or fire up the generator and run the heat pumps..........heat pumps are somewhat noisy..................

[Old-Biscuit]

Originally Posted by Pirate

Anyone ever see heat damage to exterior wall from hot exhaust blowing back along wall versus straight out while parked?

Hold your hand 3" from exhaust....it is just warm wet air

Hold your hand 4" from exhaust,,,it is just wet air

Hold your hand 5" from exhaust-----can't even feel it

[bluepill]

The advice to turn off all propane when fueling comes from the concern that vapors from spilled gasoline might be ignited by a pilot light or the spark of an electronic ignitor. It is quite unlikely to happen in an RV where the furnace, refrigerator, and hot water heater are located 3 or 4 feet above the ground, such as in a typical Class A coach. On a camper such as my pop-up, those appliances sit much lower (about 18 inches above ground) and pose a greater risk. See excerpt below:

Gasoline has the dangerous combination of a low flash point combined with a high vapor density. The flash point of a liquid is defined as the temperature above which the liquid produces vapors which can ignite or explode. The flash point of gasoline is - 45 degrees F ( - 43 degrees C). In practical terms, this means that at all temperatures above minus 45 degrees, liquid gasoline is producing vapor which can ignite or explode. By comparison, the flash point of kerosene is 100 degrees F and the flash point of diesel fuel is 125 degrees F.

The vapor density is defined as the ratio of density of the vapor of a substance to the density of air. Air has a density of one. Substances with a vapor density of less than one are lighter than air and tend to dissipate easily. Substances with a vapor density greater than one are heavier than air and tend to accumulate in low places. Gasoline has a vapor density of 3 to 4. At normal temperatures, liquid gasoline is producing vapors that can catch fire, and which accumulate in low places. These vapors can travel considerable distances from the spill point. If you spill gasoline in the basement or in the garage, the flammable vapors can travel considerable distances and ignite from the pilot light of a hot water heater or furnace. Many building codes require that garage mounted hot water heaters be elevated 18 or more inches above floor level for this reason.

[Old-Biscuit]

Originally Posted by bluepill

The advice to turn off all propane when fueling comes from the concern that vapors from spilled gasoline might be ignited by a pilot light or the spark of an electronic ignitor. It is quite unlikely to happen in an RV where the furnace, refrigerator, and hot water heater are located 3 or 4 feet above the ground, such as in a typical Class A coach. On a camper such as my pop-up, those appliances sit much lower (about 18 inches above ground) and pose a greater risk. See excerpt below:

Gasoline has the dangerous combination of a low flash point combined with a high vapor density. The flash point of a liquid is defined as the temperature above which the liquid produces vapors which can ignite or explode. The flash point of gasoline is - 45 degrees F ( - 43 degrees C). In practical terms, this means that at all temperatures above minus 45 degrees, liquid gasoline is producing vapor which can ignite or explode. By comparison, the flash point of kerosene is 100 degrees F and the flash point of diesel fuel is 125 degrees F.

The vapor density is defined as the ratio of density of the vapor of a substance to the density of air. Air has a density of one. Substances with a vapor density of less than one are lighter than air and tend to dissipate easily. Substances with a vapor density greater than one are heavier than air and tend to accumulate in low places. Gasoline has a vapor density of 3 to 4. At normal temperatures, liquid gasoline is producing vapors that can catch fire, and which accumulate in low places. These vapors can travel considerable distances from the spill point. If you spill gasoline in the basement or in the garage, the flammable vapors can travel considerable distances and ignite from the pilot light of a hot water heater or furnace. Many building codes require that garage mounted hot water heaters be elevated 18 or more inches above floor level for this reason.

Pretty sure that ALL RV water heaters, furnaces and fridges are more than 18" above the ground