DONKEY! Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 Is it legal/safe to drive/travel with the propane tank open and powering your Refridgerator? Is there anyway to power your tv while driving? sorry for the silly questions, Im am newbie, as you can tell! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86rader Posted April 28, 2007 Share Posted April 28, 2007 lp powered tvs? can't say as I've ever heard of one. Now the electric powered ones, I'm a bit more familiar with. Shouldn't be any trouble at all. I would think that the alternator would provide plenty of 12VDC to the inverter to supply 120AC for your TV, long as it ain't a big screen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gottasmilealot Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 That's why you have a propane powered refrigerator, so you can run it while travelling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 And my TV is both 120vac and 12vdc as are many of the smaller mobile TVs. As long as it can not be seen by the driver, in most states it can be turned on. But if it is anywhere within the vision of the driver, they can get a ticket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futar Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 Check on the back of the tv for power consumption. You would be surprised how little even a large TV uses (like 150 watts). A dc to ac converter should do just fine. I'm assuming yours is a small tv anyway. A lot of people use propane on the road although it is not recommended. The fridges consume very little like 1,000 btu/hour at the most. A gallon has 92,000 btu. Normally the fires are from large leaks so soap test all the joints from the regulator on. That's something that should be done once a year anyway. By the way those fridges keep working for hours after they are shut off so usually they don't cool down much during an 8 hour drive. It may not be worth the risk. You should crank it up anyway the day before a trip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geysergazers Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 "Legal"?? Yes, Noone can Cite a Law or a Fire-Marshall saying otherwise. "Safe"?? As safe (or unsafe) as any of the Technological Toys we use every day without thought. "not recommended"?? Says who? This is one of the standard Controversial Subjects on the RV Forums (do a search on RV.Net). The best comment I have read was on the Lazy Daze Forum. The Poster said that he found the risk of Food Poisoning (from running with the Fridge off) to be more worrisome than any risk of Fire (from running with the Fridge on). Our [new] Dometic RM2410 warms significantly inside after about 2Hrs on the road. We always run with the Fridge on. As always, YMMV Lew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtle Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 Both of my Toyota RVs have 3 power fridges. I just switch to DC and don't worry about it till I stop for the evening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 "Legal"?? Yes, Noone can Cite a Law or a Fire-Marshall saying otherwise. "Safe"?? As safe (or unsafe) as any of the Technological Toys we use every day without thought. "not recommended"?? Says who?As always, YMMV Lew I have to agree with Lew on this. How often have you heard of a RV burning up or exploding because the propane tank or cylinder was turned on while driving down the road. Follow the link, Propane 101, for more details on propane tanks and cylinders, and propane safety. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gottasmilealot Posted October 18, 2007 Share Posted October 18, 2007 "How often have you heard of a RV burning up or exploding because the propane tank or cylinder was turned on while driving down the road." None, but I'm sure there have been incidents. What a crock. A propane system is unsafe only if it leaks, in which case it would be unsafe whether it's parked or moving. I can see no good reason to alarm people about using a system as it is designed to be used. I run mine on propane while travelling and electric when plugged in. I camp without hookups most of the time. The setup works great. That's what it's there for. I'm sure not going to buy an RV then travel with an unpowered refrigerator. Stupid. Also, I don't avoid using tires because they might go flat either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtle Posted October 18, 2007 Share Posted October 18, 2007 "How often have you heard of a RV burning up or exploding because the propane tank or cylinder was turned on while driving down the road." None, but I'm sure there have been incidents. What a crock. A propane system is unsafe only if it leaks, in which case it would be unsafe whether it's parked or moving. I can see no good reason to alarm people about using a system as it is designed to be use The only issues with propane are that some tunnels require all tanks to be shut off at the valve before entering. When fueling, fridges need to be shut off and all other open flames should be extinguished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gottasmilealot Posted October 19, 2007 Share Posted October 19, 2007 The issue with tunnels is the additional risk that containerized propane can add to an emergency incident. That's why there are limits on tank size. The risk of a BLEVE when a combustible liquid container is exposed to fire is a concern. That's why other hazardous materials are regulated as well, it's not just propane. You're more likely to cause ignition with a static spark than your RV is with it's systems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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