Leave propane tank valves open while driving

[Ham Camper]

As a fairly new camper with all the stuff run with electricity or propane I was wondering. While I am driving down the road my fridge is running on propane to stay cool. When I plug into shore power it automatically switches to electricity. Am I correct in this? Or does the 12 volt system provide electricity while driving for the fridge? And I was told that I should leave both propane tanks open while travelling. I am curious to what others do and why. Planning on a long trip this fall and hope I have this all figured out by then.

[Mikegjax]

Originally Posted by Ham Camper

As a fairly new camper with all the stuff run with electricity or propane I was wondering. While I am driving down the road my fridge is running on propane to stay cool. When I plug into shore power it automatically switches to electricity. Am I correct in this? Or does the 12 volt system provide electricity while driving for the fridge? And I was told that I should leave both propane tanks open while travelling. I am curious to what others do and why. Planning on a long trip this fall and hope I have this all figured out by then.

I leave my propane on and frig set to automatic while traveling (motorhome). When I hook to shore power it will switch automatically. Some don't and you will hear many opinions on the subject.

[Ford Idaho]

When you plug in to shore power it should switch to 120v.

On the move your fridge needs both the propane and 12v to work.

I like to keep one tank closed so I can kind of track how much is used.

[Mr. Dan]

Originally Posted by Mikegjax

I leave my propane on and frig set to automatic while traveling (motorhome). When I hook to shore power it will switch automatically. Some don't and you will hear many opinions on the subject.

I agree with Mike's every statement (except I have a 5th wheel). This ON/OFF debate runs to several pages about once per month!

[Ham Camper]

Well I am pretty sure my TT is set up to do the same thing. Do you leave your propane tank open all the time while you travel then? I think MHs have only one propane tank if I remember correctly.

[Ham Camper]

I kinda figured that this has been discussed many, many times. I always thought that you should keep one closed so when you run out your covered. I guess I will listen to others and come up with a plan

[prof_fate]

Open and fridge running. We leave wed for an 8 hour drive, then several more days of 90F temps and 8 hour drives. I can't see not running the fridge!

[Oaklevel]

How you do it is up to you. Just keep your route in mind, many bridges & tunnels require that your propane be off. Many even require that you stop to be inspected to insure that it is off.........

[camping baba]

I leave one tank open and the other one shut off .it is easer to turn the other tank on when it goes empty than try to find a propane station in the middle of the night .

[prof_fate]

off or not it doesn't change the flammability of it.
teh issue would be a leak...and at 60mph I doubt it's possible for the gas to collect and explode on a camper.
the fridge and water heater are mostly outside and vented well, furnace? Haven't had to work on that so I don't know, the stove of course is completely inside and I guess a camper COULD fill with gas and blow up.

[Stovebolt]

I leave both tanks open, I have a gauge that I can attach to the tank to see how much propane is left. That way you know when you are getting close to taking the tank to get refilled. I have never ran out using this method. You can pick up a gauge at any camper store.

[pappcam]

Originally Posted by Ham Camper

As a fairly new camper with all the stuff run with electricity or propane I was wondering. While I am driving down the road my fridge is running on propane to stay cool. When I plug into shore power it automatically switches to electricity. Am I correct in this? Or does the 12 volt system provide electricity while driving for the fridge? And I was told that I should leave both propane tanks open while travelling. I am curious to what others do and why. Planning on a long trip this fall and hope I have this all figured out by then.

I'm certain there have been 20 threads on this subject since you joined last year.

I turn my propane on in the spring when I get it ready for camping and I turn it off when I put it away in the fall.

I should also add that I leave one tank off and manually switch over when one is empty. That way I know when a tank is completely empty and it's time to fill it.

[DickiedooFlagman]

And another note: the refrigerator always needs 12v to operate even when plugged into 120v shore power. The 12v operates the controls to manage the temperature. The 120v provides a source of energy for heat. When operating on propane, the propane provides the source of energy for heat.

The only exception to this that I know of is the few Class A motorhomes that are "all electric" and have residential refrigerators, large battery banks and inverters, and a generator that will automatically start when low batteries are detected.

[gbecker2]

I run my fridge on electric while traveling. I installed an inverter and it works great.

[bruane]

Travel without the tanks open. What happens in an accident with open tanks? Bye bye trailer and people. Its banned in most places in Canada and definitely at tunnels in the US for the above reasons. Because of the danger of an open ignition source there are reported cases of the electrical ignition starting major conflagrations at gas stations hence the warning signs about this that are generally ignored. Safety people say no. A well cooled fridge/freezer that is reasonably full easily holds the the temperature within limits on a long days drive,

[Ham Camper]

Thanks everyone for the input to my question. I am listening.

[CNYCamper]

I travel with both tanks shut and use propane with only 1 tank open. My trips never exceed 4 hours and everything stays cold/frozen in fridge. If I increase duration of travel I will reassess.
My fridge and stove are on a slide and while it would be very rare for something bad to happen w/ a gas line, I am reminded of the threads on this forum where something simple like the stereo wires are incorrectly assembled.

[pappcam]

Originally Posted by bruane

Travel without the tanks open. What happens in an accident with open tanks? Bye bye trailer and people. Its banned in most places in Canada and definitely at tunnels in the US for the above reasons. Because of the danger of an open ignition source there are reported cases of the electrical ignition starting major conflagrations at gas stations hence the warning signs about this that are generally ignored. Safety people say no. A well cooled fridge/freezer that is reasonably full easily holds the the temperature within limits on a long days drive,

Wow. Pull that "fact" out of a hat? That is clearly false.

[MtnGuy]

I leave both tank valves open, and let the automatic switch-over valve do it's thing. If I think a tank is getting low, then I weigh that puppy before I leave for a trip, and check the switch-over valve when I get back home to see if the tank went empty while away. If you are not using the furnace, it takes forever to empty a tank of propane.

What happens if you run out of propane by just leaving 1 valve open going down the road ?? Your fridge stops working, and you end up with warm food. I want to make sure my beer is cold when I set up camp.

[aceinspp]

I travel with just one tank opened for frig. It's marked and says in use so I don't mistakenly open the other. When it runs out mark as EMTY, When I return home it's turn off till next trip. BTW the attached gauges are not that accurate. Sun and heat effects them a lot.

I set the frig to auto so when I arrive at the CG it switches over. Later RJD