Our friends lost their rig.

[DGBPokes]

Rode in a golf cart through Colaw Salvage awhile back. 600+ salvage motorhome. I bet over half had burnt. It was a scary thing to see. I didn’t expect there to be so many.

[09 harley]

Originally Posted by Gary RVRoamer

Based on what evidence? I'm not seeing anything tell-tale.

Good answer. Another example of people jumping to conclusions. If it was a fridge fire it could have probably been prevented by the ARP Fridge Defend. Why everyone with a ammonia fridge doesn’t have one is beyond me. I guess most people think it won’t happen to them. Time to think again.

[HJLowell]

Originally Posted by waterman480

#1 cause of RV fires is engine compartment. Don't jump to conclusions.

Yes
Correct

[Ron Gilbert]

We lost our 2004 HR 38ft three years ago due to fire. Ours was caused by a wheel bearing burnt the back third of the rv but of course was totaled. We had driven from Georgia to Phoenix and had gotten back to the Natchez Trace in Jackson, MS looked back and flames were coming out. We, like your friends got out safely. The Clinton Fire Department was the next exit and got there and did a wonderful job of getting the fire out.

[nehog]

Originally Posted by Cloud Dancer

...
Can a flat tire on a duallie get hot enough to cause a fire?

Absolutely this can happen. I've seen it on several semi-trucks over the years. Driver didn't realize one was flat and eventually it bursts into flame.

[CCrew]

Tow vehicle not big enough for the toad it was pulling. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

[chertman47]

Originally Posted by Gary RVRoamer

Based on what evidence? I'm not seeing anything tell-tale.

I wonder if the refrigerator was running on "propane"?? We never used propane when traveling. Always ran the generator and now have a residential refrigerator that runs off the house batteries.

[NeilV]

Seldom used vehicles with disk brakes are prone to brake drag and brake fires. This brings to fore the need to have brake systems serviced on a regular basis. On a gas chassis for example its considered in Severe Service having a motor home coach body built on it which means a 2 year schedule for flushing out the brake fluid along with lubricating the caliper pins, slides and guides with a good quality high temperature silicone brake grease. Dragging brakes can also be responsible for early tire failures/blowouts from the higher temps they will be running at along with reduced fuel economy.

I lost my Vectra with the gas chassis to a sticking brake caliper on the right front wheel and we barely got out in time. The rub was that I didn't have time to take care of them myself so I recently had a service center flush the brake fluid, lube the calipers and service the front wheel bearings. The coach was not new and valuable enough to take them to court over it since the forensics would have cost too much to make it worth while especially since nobody was injured or died.

Here is a hint that can help prevent a stuck caliper incident: Drive the vehicle forward and backwards a few times before driving off tapping the brakes sharply to shake the dust off the calipers and help free them up.

The tow truck driver that showed up for my fire told me brake and engine fires are most common and that 99% of the time the contents of the refrigerator and freezer will be untouched so get some coolers and come right to the salvage yard to get food for the next few days and to salvage the pots, pans, dishes and any other items not too badly damaged that can be cleaned up. We found that he was absolutely right and also that most items in the cabinets were just a little smokey even though the first third of the coach had the roof burned off.

[NeilV]

Originally Posted by winniman

It looks like a residential fridge. You know how those cause thousands of house fires a year.

Actually the newer residential refrigerators even from companies like Whirlpool have been exploding and causing fires lately. This has even caused a number of deaths and pretty gruesome injuries including a few dismemberment's. I had posted some of the security camera video once that captured some of these events but have decided its too morbid and will not do that again. Some of the cautions in the owners, installation or service manuals for these new residential refrigerators can be quite a eye opener with their warnings about how many cubic feet of air space needs to be available to minimize this danger or precautions service or cleaning personnel need to take to prevent setting off a plume of fire coming from the refrigerant lines in the new refrigerators that could burn them and result in permanent blindness if an explosive plume of fire hits them in the face.


I just spoke with a respected local refrigerator and air conditioning tech on this and he confirmed as companies try to come up with more efficient and cost effect refrigerants to replace Freon that there are some pretty explosive variations making it into residential products that do make one take pause.

[winniman]

Originally Posted by NeilV

Actually the newer residential refrigerators even from companies like Whirlpool have been exploding and causing fires lately. This has even caused a number of deaths and pretty gruesome injuries including a few dismemberment's. I had posted some of the security camera video once that captured some of these events but have decided its too morbid and will not do that again. Some of the cautions in the owners, installation or service manuals for these new residential refrigerators can be quite a eye opener with their warnings about how many cubic feet of air space needs to be available to minimize this danger or precautions service or cleaning personnel need to take to prevent setting off a plume of fire coming from the refrigerant lines in the new refrigerators that could burn them and result in permanent blindness if an explosive plume of fire hits them in the face.


I just spoke with a respected local refrigerator and air conditioning tech on this and he confirmed as companies try to come up with more efficient and cost effect refrigerants to replace Freon that there are some pretty explosive variations making it into residential products that do make one take pause.

Add to that the fact that they were not designed to be bouncing down the road in an rv. They were designed to sit in a house, and never move or shake. That cant be a good combination.

[Linda Bohr]

Originally Posted by NeilV

Actually the newer residential refrigerators even from companies like Whirlpool have been exploding and causing fires lately. This has even caused a number of deaths and pretty gruesome injuries including a few dismemberment's. I had posted some of the security camera video once that captured some of these events but have decided its too morbid and will not do that again. Some of the cautions in the owners, installation or service manuals for these new residential refrigerators can be quite a eye opener with their warnings about how many cubic feet of air space needs to be available to minimize this danger or precautions service or cleaning personnel need to take to prevent setting off a plume of fire coming from the refrigerant lines in the new refrigerators that could burn them and result in permanent blindness if an explosive plume of fire hits them in the face.


I just spoke with a respected local refrigerator and air conditioning tech on this and he confirmed as companies try to come up with more efficient and cost effect refrigerants to replace Freon that there are some pretty explosive variations making it into residential products that do make one take pause.

----------------------------------------------
So what you are saying is that we are exchanging one kind of danger (Freon) for an even worse danger. Isn't that comforting?? Is anyone in the refrigerator industry working on an RV refrigerator that is both good and safe? Maybe we ought to install Sumo springs under the residential 'fridges? There is a thought. The fridge is happily bouncing up and down as you drive down the road. Milkshakes anyone?

[bemmy miffer]

If this unit had drum brakes I would blame it on the automatic adjusters.

You do more backing up with your foot on the brake pedal and this is how the auto adjusters work.

[IC2]

The issue with exploding fridges looks like a problem with makers using a methane/propane/butane based material. Leak + spark = bang or fire. Lots of 'net articles on this potential problem. Sounds like the ammonia based Norcold or Dometic might just be safer (??) then a residential Whirlpool, etc

[GrittyGGoose]

Hope all occupants are okay. They are in my prayers. In cases like this is there an investigation into the cause? For me, after your friends recover, and if they are willing, would they share how they prepared for the emergency.