Saturday, July 20, 2013

The Life You Save May Be Your Own

As  you know, I travel full time in my vintage trailer (Lolita) and boondock frequently away from electric hook ups. Three nights ago, I was in Lolita and had the windows open near the front of the trailer sleeping during a hot summer night...

I woke up and I could hear a hissing sound so I went out to figure out what was the problem. I could hear that is was coming from the propane tank area.  I went back in the trailer and got my hand held propane gas detector. 

 

 

Portable Gas Detector      



Went back out in my jammies and tested all around the tanks....I got readings that indicated that there was propane gas present.  (See how on the picture it shows holding it near connections) I turned off tanks and went back into the trailer and lit the stove and let it burn out the gas that was remaining in the lines.. 





Some lessons I have learned that will keep me safer in the future.

  1. Turn off tank valves when not using. 
  2. Prior to.travel check to make sure the propane is turned off.
  3. With the tank valves turned off, before departure, turn on burner burn off gas present in the lines. 
  4. Periodically use the propane detector to check around the fitting (especially after travel) to check on the status of lines

I  will never stay in a trailer with propane tanks with out a detector present.  

Nor will I be using the propane again in Lolita until new hoses and regulator are installed and all lines checked. 


Are there other items that should be added to my propane safety list?

The life you save may be your own. 


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6 comments:

  1. TeriJuly 22, 2013 at 9:04 PM

    My RV has a propane detector wired to the house batteries, if the batteries get low, the detector starts to beep. The detector is always on and its mounted low in the RV, I guess propane is "heavy".

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  2. klbexploresJuly 22, 2013 at 11:49 PM

    When I checked on Amazon for hard wired propane the ratings were not good for these.... Has it worked well for you?

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    Replies
    1. TeriJuly 23, 2013 at 6:15 PM

      It's always on, there is a light to let me know it is working. It did beep when I let my battery run down when the RV was sitting in the driveway of my house for 5 months. I'm assuming it is a good unit, it was part of the original equipment installed by Winnebago.

      Delete
    2. klbexploresJuly 24, 2013 at 4:54 PM

      Terri, can you tell us what brand you have. I think I would like a plug in model for overall coverage and use the handheld around the hoses and connections. Am I sounding paranoid?

      Delete
  3. KarinRossJuly 23, 2013 at 10:30 AM

    Hubby frequently wonders if we're loosing propane, hearing what he thinks is a hissing noise. I ordered the item you showed. Compared to other options it's inexpensive (plus I'm Amazon Prime so free shipping). When it arrives I plan to "create" a leak and make sure this item detects it! I figure if it doesn't I can always send it back..

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  4. Travels with EmmaJuly 25, 2013 at 2:37 PM

    I use a spray bottle of Windex to squirt around connections after I set up the extend-a-stay tank or refill the portable tank. If it bubbles, you've got a leak. I also always turn off the propane before traveling. My inside detector is CCI CONTROLS.

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