Road Trash

[mbwatson11]

Hit some road trash driving home Thursday after six hours of driving. It was night and raining. I never saw it, didn’t hit it with the truck as far as I know. We heard it, and pulled over and checked. Fortunately we were on a four lane road with great shoulders. See attached images. For those in favor of leaving gas on while driving, this is good reason not to do so. Also, not sure if black iron pipe would have faired better over all. No idea what it was.

[Mopar_Earl]

The LP tanks on trailers are dot tanks, they will stop flowing gas if the connection is broken. Also the pigtails have a leak shut down device, so if you have a leak they will stop the flow. So running with the propane on isn't a big deal at all and is pretty safe due to the above mentioned things. I've done it on 4 RVs and will continue. Gotta keep that RV fridge going.


Earl

[norty1]

That black iron pipe is a lot more hardy than that conduit or that sewer pipe.

Sure sorry for the damage however. I had a similar accident once with my dually. Road trash or something caused one rear tire to blow which caused my fiberglass fender to exit the vehicle along with the drivers side running board.

What a pain.

[Route 66 Traveler]

Originally Posted by Mopar_Earl

The LP tanks on trailers are dot tanks, they will stop flowing gas if the connection is broken. Gotta keep that RV fridge going.Earl

Same here...Hate melted ice cream!

Sorry for your damage. One reason I don’t tow in the dark. Too many alligators on the road that are impossible to see until it’s too late.

[mbwatson11]

Hmmm - well that wasn’t functioning on our trailer. I had neglected to shut off the tanks, and gas was quite merrily flowing until I shut off the valves.

[gypsmjim]

Originally Posted by Mopar_Earl

The LP tanks on trailers are dot tanks, they will stop flowing gas if the connection is broken. Also the pigtails have a leak shut down device, so if you have a leak they will stop the flow. So running with the propane on isn't a big deal at all and is pretty safe due to the above mentioned things. I've done it on 4 RVs and will continue. Gotta keep that RV fridge going.


Earl

If the gas is already flowing to an appliance, and the line is suddenly broken after the regulator, the gas "probably" will still flow.

If the temperature drops real quick, the safety valve "may" not open at all and your furnace won't work.

I use quotes because you just never know. Safety, schmafety. These "Improved" DOT tanks are crap. We were better off before.

We just buy the ice cream after we get there.

[Mopar_Earl]

Originally Posted by gypsmjim

If the gas is already flowing to an appliance, and the line is suddenly broken after the regulator, the gas "probably" will still flow.

If the temperature drops real quick, the safety valve "may" not open at all and your furnace won't work.

I use quotes because you just never know. Safety, schmafety. These "Improved" DOT tanks are crap. We were better off before.

We just buy the ice cream after we get there.

It's not suppose to. The flow stop is in the pigtails, not the dot tank. I can't even open my tank valve too fast or pigtail locks down. I have no worries. Way more to worry about on the road than LP. I'd be more concerned with the gasoline tank on a gaser.

Never had an issue with dot tanks. They're great. Can't be overfilled and flow stop if the pigtail comes off. I have dot tanks from 20 years ago that still work great.

Pigtails and regulators I've had failures with several times on several RV's. Pigtails fail and stop flow or don't near flow enough. I only got 1.5 years out of my Jayco pigtails. Replaced them with higher quality SS braided ones.

I rarely have ice cream in the fridge. But plenty of other food items I want kept cold and frozen. So the fridge runs on LP while on the road.

Everyone is different. I'm in the fridge will be on LP while on the road group. I turn my LP tanks on in April and off in December. Once on, they never get touched until a tank needs swapped out.


Earl

[TxLoser]

Two words..... residential fridge. Kidding of course. Sucks this happened and a good heads up on how the propane safety stuff may not work as advertised. I keep my propane on, but I’ll do that differently now. Especially with a res fridge in my case, no need to take the risk. Looks to be an easy repair for whoever does it. Hope it’s not too costly.

On a side note, we write a lot about walk arounds prior to departure and checklist. This makes a good point for a good “post flight” walk around. Would be tragic to get to your campsite and not notice the missing sewer and only to birth a large number 2 out the side of your RV.

[gypsmjim]

Originally Posted by Mopar_Earl

It's not suppose to.

Aye, there's the rub! Actual experience trumps the Manufacturer's / Government Specifications every time.

OTOH, my own personal experiences have influenced my handling of propane. It's a lethal force and it needs to be treated with care.

Now, don't get me started on no-spill portable gasoline cans. The Gov't spec. was illogical and the powers that be never followed up to verify that the new spouts satisfy the spirit of the law. It's nearly impossible to NOT spill when using the new cans.

[Route 66 Traveler]

Originally Posted by gypsmjim

Now, don't get me started on no-spill portable gasoline cans. The Gov't spec. was illogical and the powers that be never followed up to verify that the new spouts satisfy the spirit of the law. It's nearly impossible to NOT spill when using the new cans.

Amazon has a great selection of the old gas can spouts.
1 Gas Can Spout Replacement with Gasket, Cap and Stopper

[gypsmjim]

Originally Posted by Route 66 Traveler

Amazon has a great selection of the old gas can spouts.

A dozen or so states have outlawed the sale of these non-spill-proof caps. It all started, I believe, when California deemed them a hazard to the environment, and many other states followed. A few years ago I tried to buy some online and they wouldn't ship to me. I ended up finding them on vacation in a neighboring state, and bought a lifetime supply.