Propane use while towing?

[Cypressloser]

Originally Posted by RoadEyePie

I've been reading threads about traveling during winter and if I'm reading correctly, it seems that there are suggestions of running the propane furnace while towing. Is this safe?

IMO, it is safer to run the furnace while traveling than the propane fridge. I just saw another! burned out motorhome on the side of the road the other day, the most fire damage was around the fridge area. Make sure that sucker is well maintained, regardless.


If you're planning to run the furnace with the slides in, whether you're stationary or on the road, make sure none of the registers are blocked, because it can cause overheating resulting in a fire.

[mobilemike]

Originally Posted by jimcumminsw

Wind chill only works on humans not inate objects such as trailers and man made objects. My trailer does not know the difference if the outside temperature is 35F with no wind or 35F with a 30 mile an hour wind. The surface temperature is still 35F.

Wind chill is a term for human perception of cold. However it is proven that wind will cause a mammal to go hypodermic faster in the same temperature then no wind.
This is easily proven with the fan on your cars cooling system. No air flow =less heat dissipated. More air flow more heat dissipation. Also the rads are designed to increase surface area. More surface area = more heat dissipation.
Surface area relative to heat source and air movement do indeed create more heat dissipation. Moving air across a heated area causes it to cool faster.

[rarebear.nm]

Originally Posted by jimcumminsw

Wind chill only works on humans not inate objects such as trailers and man made objects. My trailer does not know the difference if the outside temperature is 35F with no wind or 35F with a 30 mile an hour wind. The surface temperature is still 35F.

The process at play is boundary layer. For any two objects at different temperatures in still air there is a layer of air that will vary in temperature from the objects surface to the ambient air temperature. Increasing air flow reduces the thickness of this layer. It may never go to zero, depending on the objects surface properties.

Objects lose/gain heat mainly though conduction and radiant transfer. Conduction is direct transfer like a flame on the bottom of pan. Radiant exchange happens at some distance. Like a propane radiant heater, you feel warm even if the air temperature is cold. In arid areas, like deserts, When the sun goes down you feel an immediate reduction of temperature even though the air temperature has not changed yet.

[Bammerron]

Wind chill is how cold it feels to flesh, has no effect on actual temperature. How does this affect an engine or non living surface? The wind will dissipate the heat faster with the air movement, not lower below the actual temperature. Surface area and ventilation will affect how quickly heat is dissipated but will not affect the actual temperature itself.

[hamm2018]

Originally Posted by RoadEyePie

I'm planning a trip to Arizona from Virginia in late December. I anticipate freezing temps at night are somewhat likely but last year here the temps were in the single digits the last week of December. Stayed below freezing during the day for several days.

What route do you plan on taking? We are doing the same trip but from Ohio. Our plan is to go to Diamond Caverns Ky. for 2 weeks the first of November. Then to Chattanooga for week, then to Charleston SC for 3 weeks. After that head across the Gulf Coast in 10 days to Lake Conroe Texas for 2 weeks. Next stop will be San Antonio for 4 weeks to the end of January. We plan on being in Phoenix on February 1 for 2 months. I hope we don't run into winter weather, too much, going across Texas the last week of January

[Old-Biscuit]

Originally Posted by Cypressloser

IMO, it is safer to run the furnace while traveling than the propane fridge. I just saw another! burned out motorhome on the side of the road the other day, the most fire damage was around the fridge area. Make sure that sucker is well maintained, regardless.


If you're planning to run the furnace with the slides in, whether you're stationary or on the road, make sure none of the registers are blocked, because it can cause overheating resulting in a fire.

Furnace High Temp Limit Switch will shutdown furance ,,,,,,,,no FIRE

[mikena]

I don’t believe there would be a problem but why bother? Are you planning on being in the rig in the winter as in damn cold outside? Most campgrounds up here in the north are not even open in the winter. My advice is to go south!

[POPPASMURF]

Propane fired appliances are built with safety standards that if the flame blows out-it will auto relight, if auto-relight fails the gas valve will shut gas off after 10 to 11 sec. Same with fridge. The sky is falling bunch don't explain what you should do when parked in a 65 to 70 mph wind- the same velocity of wind one would find at speed down the hiway. And yes, you'll use more propane-so what.

[Mark 7]

Living in ND all of my adult life... and dealing with vehicles parked in extreme cold weather, it's kind of entertaining reading all of the comments on "wind chill". Pretty common knowledge (as some have tried to say here) that the engine on a parked car will not get any colder if it's -10˚F than -10˚F!

What is true is that if there is a 30 MPH wind howling through the grill the engine will cool faster when you park it... or when the block heater is plugged in it will have to work harder to keep the engine warm as the wind is whisking the heat away faster than still air.

As to running with either the furnace or water heater on... remember what you have going when you stop for fuel, especially if you have a gas rig. Many years, pickups, and 5er's ago I pulled in to gas up my truck with the 5er in tow. As I was pumping in the gas, the water heater (I forgot to shut it off) only 6 feet away from where I was fueling decided it was time to fire as I stood in there with the smell of the fuel vapor all around! I got it shut down quickly, but never made that mistake again!

[DryCreek]

Originally Posted by mikena

Most campgrounds up here in the north are not even open in the winter.

Not everyone makes use of "campgrounds" (RV parks).
Some of use "Campgrounds" (BLM land, hunting lease, COE sites).

[Poppab]

You can run the propane (gas) heater while traveling if needed to warm the inside. I wouldn’t run all the time just to conserve gas, but it is your decision. I have an residential furnace in my Winnebago’s basement so I shut it off while fueling to prevent the possibility of an ignition of gas fumes if the gas furnace kicks on - I do the same with my refrigerator. Probably OK if roof mounted. I also have a floor coach heather that is fed my the motor that heats very nicely.

[Jim.B1]

We travel from Ontario to Florida each January in temps of -20C / 4F for the first couple of days and do it with the propane furnace, water heater and fridge running 24 hours a day.
It keeps our 32' RV interior warm, the fresh, black and grey tanks receive heat through a ducted system to avoid freezing and generally makes cold weather travel comfortable.
We boondock for the first 4-5 days and end up using only about $35-$40 worth of propane, so the cost is minimal.
We had initially asked many questions about safety etc. and always received positive comments, so we tried it and will continue to do so.
In warmer weather we always travel with the propane furnace running.

[RoadEyePie]

Originally Posted by hamm2018

What route do you plan on taking? We are doing the same trip but from Ohio. Our plan is to go to Diamond Caverns Ky. for 2 weeks the first of November. Then to Chattanooga for week, then to Charleston SC for 3 weeks. After that head across the Gulf Coast in 10 days to Lake Conroe Texas for 2 weeks. Next stop will be San Antonio for 4 weeks to the end of January. We plan on being in Phoenix on February 1 for 2 months. I hope we don't run into winter weather, too much, going across Texas the last week of January

Right now the plan is to head to Columbus, GA in December and stay with son and family for Christmas then head west via I-10 or I-20 depending on the temps.

[RoadEyePie]

Originally Posted by Mark 7

Living in ND all of my adult life... and dealing with vehicles parked in extreme cold weather, it's kind of entertaining reading all of the comments on "wind chill". Pretty common knowledge (as some have tried to say here) that the engine on a parked car will not get any colder if it's -10˚F than -10˚F!

What is true is that if there is a 30 MPH wind howling through the grill the engine will cool faster when you park it... or when the block heater is plugged in it will have to work harder to keep the engine warm as the wind is whisking the heat away faster than still air.

As to running with either the furnace or water heater on... remember what you have going when you stop for fuel, especially if you have a gas rig. Many years, pickups, and 5er's ago I pulled in to gas up my truck with the 5er in tow. As I was pumping in the gas, the water heater (I forgot to shut it off) only 6 feet away from where I was fueling decided it was time to fire as I stood in there with the smell of the fuel vapor all around! I got it shut down quickly, but never made that mistake again!

You living in North Dakota, you can laugh at all of us for talking about how cold anything will get.

As for killing the propane appliances at the gas pump, do you go inside and turn them off or just turn off the bottles and then back on when safe.