Propane Tanks must be OFF when Driving - Dutchmen Owners
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×

Go Back   Dutchmen Owners > Dutchmen Brand RVs > General RV Related Discussions
Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 07-05-2014, 08:05 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
Wanderer's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Jellystone
Posts: 489
Wyoming
Propane Tanks must be OFF when Driving

I posted this information in another thread but I think it bears repeating as a new thread.

Some research regarding running your propane while driving unearthed some interesting information. Here in British Columbia and I suspect in all other jurisdictions as well it is unlawful to do so.

The Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations require that the appliance tank valves be closed when your RV is moving.

Our provincial Gas Safety Branch also recommends valves be closed when the vehicle is moving.

Here in BC the Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement (CVSE) now has the authority to stop any vehicle for safety, including speeding, and issue tickets. They are responsible as well for RV safety including requiring RV's to stop at weigh scales if requested. I have seen signs out at the scales saying, "All Recreational Vehicles Please Report to Scales".
That would not be a good time to turn off your propane tank or find you're overweight.
__________________

Wanderer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2014, 01:51 AM   #2
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Tucson
Posts: 872
Arizona
Too bad you got so many regulations up there. I run my propane to keep my fridge cold and there are no laws on the books to stop me. One other thing, the cops in the US must have a verifiable violation of the law BEFORE they pull you over - it's a matter of constitutional rights. They can't pull you over to look for a violation.
__________________

__________________
2014 Voltage 3600
2013 Chevy 3500 CC DRW
2019 RZR 1000XP Trails and Rocks Edition
azdryheat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-07-2014, 02:02 AM   #3
Senior Member
 
Wanderer's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Jellystone
Posts: 489
Wyoming
Quote:
Originally Posted by azdryheat View Post
One other thing, the cops in the US must have a verifiable violation of the law BEFORE they pull you over - it's a matter of constitutional rights. They can't pull you over to look for a violation.

I was referring to when they post signs that RV's are required to report to the scales. The CVSE can pull you over anytime for a safety check though.

This information is useful to people who wish to travel here in Canada. Similar information to that which forbids propane tanks in some of your tunnels and bridges.
Wanderer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-08-2014, 12:36 AM   #4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Tucson
Posts: 872
Arizona
Sorry, I wasn't aware you were posting a PSA for Canadian travel. When you mentioned "other jurisdictions" I thought you were including the US.
__________________
2014 Voltage 3600
2013 Chevy 3500 CC DRW
2019 RZR 1000XP Trails and Rocks Edition
azdryheat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-08-2014, 03:15 AM   #5
Senior Member
 
Wanderer's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Jellystone
Posts: 489
Wyoming
Quote:
Originally Posted by azdryheat View Post
Sorry, I wasn't aware you were posting a PSA for Canadian travel. When you mentioned "other jurisdictions" I thought you were including the US.
This would be good law for the US as well probably. The only burned and burning RV's we've ever seen on the side of the road were in the US.
Wanderer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-08-2014, 05:08 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
hddecker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: kamloops
Posts: 2,152
British Columbia
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wanderer View Post
This would be good law for the US as well probably. The only burned and burning RV's we've ever seen on the side of the road were in the US.
Hi Wanderer,

You must not make it through the Canyon that often, there is usually at least one a year going up in smoke.

About six years ago a Class A started a forest fire just south of Cache Creek, shut the highway down for a few days.
hddecker is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-08-2014, 05:58 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
Wanderer's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Jellystone
Posts: 489
Wyoming
I do but fortunately I've not come across any burning ones here. I hate seeing this no matter where we are. Note also that just because we have this law not everyone knows about it or follows it. Hence this post.
Wanderer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-2014, 02:40 AM   #8
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Tucson
Posts: 872
Arizona
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wanderer View Post
This would be good law for the US as well probably. The only burned and burning RV's we've ever seen on the side of the road were in the US.
And the causes were due to propane? Please cite your sources. I've seen plenty of cars burning that were not any where near propane.
__________________
2014 Voltage 3600
2013 Chevy 3500 CC DRW
2019 RZR 1000XP Trails and Rocks Edition
azdryheat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-2014, 03:26 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
Wanderer's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Jellystone
Posts: 489
Wyoming
azdryheat, I'm just thinking that this would be a good idea for safety. All the burning ones I've seen you could tell were or were made worse from propane. I understand that electrical fires are common as well.

On another thread in a discussion similar to this someone mentioned an excess flow shutoff at the regulator but I've done a bunch of research and can find nothing on these. Perhaps this is why BC has legislated that valves be closed during transport.

I'm just posting this for information, each RV owner has to make the safety decisions for themselves based on common sense and laws WHERE they are traveling. Remember that ignorance of a law does not excuse you from the consequence of that law.
Wanderer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-2014, 03:45 PM   #10
Senior Member
 
sundancer 87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Tahlequah
Posts: 3,079
Oklahoma
The excess flow valve came along with the ACME nut that connects the gas line to the to the tank. I'm not positive but the regulator may have that safety valve installed as well.

Case in point, a buddy of mine was having gas flow problems when he had the refrigerator on gas, the water heater on gas and the heater. There wasn't enough flow because the valve was sensing excess flow and shutting down.
He took it to the RV repair shop and fixed his problem. They replaced the ACME nut with the standard POL nut.

Sometimes the things that protect us don't always work so well.
__________________
2013 Voltage 3800, 2012 Chevy 3500 HD
2010 Yamaha V Star 950
2009 Yamaha Raider
Volunteering with Habitat for Humanity Caravanners
sundancer 87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-2014, 03:55 PM   #11
Senior Member
 
sundancer 87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Tahlequah
Posts: 3,079
Oklahoma
So then, if a refrigerator catches fire will there be excess flow to shut the burner down? In a normal sense it won't because only so much gas will flow through the orifice. Normally the gas lines under the refrigerator are aluminum so it would take a lot of heat to melt them. If, on the other hand, the rubber gas line burns through somewhere then the valve will activate. But then, it's kind of late but a catastrophe could be prevented
__________________
2013 Voltage 3800, 2012 Chevy 3500 HD
2010 Yamaha V Star 950
2009 Yamaha Raider
Volunteering with Habitat for Humanity Caravanners
sundancer 87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-2014, 11:33 PM   #12
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Tucson
Posts: 872
Arizona
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wanderer View Post
azdryheat, I'm just thinking that this would be a good idea for safety. All the burning ones I've seen you could tell were or were made worse from propane. I understand that electrical fires are common as well.

On another thread in a discussion similar to this someone mentioned an excess flow shutoff at the regulator but I've done a bunch of research and can find nothing on these. Perhaps this is why BC has legislated that valves be closed during transport.

I'm just posting this for information, each RV owner has to make the safety decisions for themselves based on common sense and laws WHERE they are traveling. Remember that ignorance of a law does not excuse you from the consequence of that law.
The nice thing about RV-ing in the US is the lack of government intervention and I'd like it to stay that way. I'll continue to run my propane to keep my refrigerator/freezer in operation. I really don't want things to thaw when temps in the trailer hit triple digits while traveling in the desert southwest. BTW,are American RV's in Canada subject to those safety road blocks you're talking about?
__________________
2014 Voltage 3600
2013 Chevy 3500 CC DRW
2019 RZR 1000XP Trails and Rocks Edition
azdryheat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-10-2014, 02:15 AM   #13
Senior Member
 
arlan in arizona's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Quartzsite
Posts: 682
Arizona
Quote:
Originally Posted by sundancer 87 View Post
Sometimes the things that protect us don't always work so well.
You are talking about government, right?
__________________
2013 Voltage 3905
2013 F350 4x4 DRW
2013 RZR XP 900
arlan in arizona is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-10-2014, 09:03 AM   #14
Site Team
 
wahoonc's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Sprung Leak
Posts: 3,157
North Carolina
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wanderer View Post
azdryheat, I'm just thinking that this would be a good idea for safety. All the burning ones I've seen you could tell were or were made worse from propane. I understand that electrical fires are common as well.
I have seen many, many vehicle fires... made worse by that large tank of highly flammable gasoline attached to the frame, so do we ban driving with it? What about those big rigs with a couple of hundred gallons of diesel on board? I have seen overpass bridges compromised because of the fire caused by diesel burning. BTW diesel is a combustible not a flammable.

"Safety" is subjective. Too many laws, regulations and "rules" are knee jerk reactions to a single incident that many times can be traced to human error. "Can't fix stupid" and the corollary to that is; "You cannot legislate morality or personal responsibility". Many times the regulations are not based on hard facts.

Could the LP systems on RV's use some improvement? Absolutely! However as designed and installed they are safe under most conditions. If properly maintained and used the risk of fire is very small.

I stepped into my camper yesterday and it was 112°F inside... I tow with the LP on, if I had a generator I would try to figure a way to tow with the AC on too.

Aaron
wahoonc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-10-2014, 09:33 PM   #15
Senior Member
 
hddecker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: kamloops
Posts: 2,152
British Columbia
Quote:
Originally Posted by azdryheat View Post
The nice thing about RV-ing in the US is the lack of government intervention and I'd like it to stay that way. I'll continue to run my propane to keep my refrigerator/freezer in operation. I really don't want things to thaw when temps in the trailer hit triple digits while traveling in the desert southwest. BTW,are American RV's in Canada subject to those safety road blocks you're talking about?
The Commercial Vehicle safety guys can stop anyone on the roads, they usually set up at the scales and focus mainly on the 18 wheelers, commercials and buses. I have only ever seen one "safety road block" in 50 years driving in BC and they were checking everyone for lights, horn and wipers. If they found a defect in any of those they pulled you over and checked everything.

A couple of weeks back I saw one pull a camper over at the Costco lot, he was going through that rig when we got there and 45 mins later when we came out of Costco, he was writing up a some of those nice blue papers. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see that this guy needed to be stopped for his own good as well as everyone else on the road. This guy must have been riding on the rear bumpstops and you could see the positive camber of his front wheels.

This is not a common occurance, but these guys have the same powers as the police. I for one am glad they are out there, since they started cracking down, we aren't seeing as many runaway trucks killing people.
hddecker is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2014, 01:13 AM   #16
Senior Member
 
Wanderer's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Jellystone
Posts: 489
Wyoming
Quote:
Originally Posted by azdryheat View Post
BTW,are American RV's in Canada subject to those safety road blocks you're talking about?
Yes they are, that is why I posted this. It is incumbent on anyone traveling in another jurisdiction to know the laws as they apply where you are. We have a saying in law here that ignorance of a law does not protect you from being charged. I believe that applies everywhere.

In reality though a tourist from out of province or country probably would just get a warning unless the safety violation was serious. It is certainly not a draconian society we live in.
Wanderer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2014, 04:27 AM   #17
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Kamloops,
Posts: 647
British Columbia
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wanderer View Post
Yes they are, that is why I posted this. It is incumbent on anyone traveling in another jurisdiction to know the laws as they apply where you are. We have a saying in law here that ignorance of a law does not protect you from being charged. I believe that applies everywhere.

In reality though a tourist from out of province or country probably would just get a warning unless the safety violation was serious. It is certainly not a draconian society we live in.
Nicely said Wanderer.....
To our US Neighbours:
Welcome to BC please turn off your propane in your RV when traveling ; please leave the pistols and rifles at home and enjoy the higher fuel costs and increase in the value of US dollar.
Enjoy your stay.
Coops
__________________
2012 Dodge 3500 Laramie Crew Cab: Cummins: exhaust brake: tow haul:
Kamloops
British Columbia
Canada
Cooper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2014, 11:55 PM   #18
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Tucson
Posts: 872
Arizona
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wanderer View Post
Yes they are, that is why I posted this. It is incumbent on anyone traveling in another jurisdiction to know the laws as they apply where you are. We have a saying in law here that ignorance of a law does not protect you from being charged. I believe that applies everywhere.

In reality though a tourist from out of province or country probably would just get a warning unless the safety violation was serious. It is certainly not a draconian society we live in.
Perhaps if the title to this thread included "in Canada" I wouldn't even have bothered reading as my wife and I decided we only RV in the US. Anyway, enjoy all of your regulations up there. lol
__________________
2014 Voltage 3600
2013 Chevy 3500 CC DRW
2019 RZR 1000XP Trails and Rocks Edition
azdryheat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-13-2014, 12:57 AM   #19
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Kamloops,
Posts: 647
British Columbia
Quote:
Originally Posted by azdryheat View Post
Perhaps if the title to this thread included "in Canada" I wouldn't even have bothered reading as my wife and I decided we only RV in the US. Anyway, enjoy all of your regulations up there. lol

You must mean you only RV in the lower 49 states...or you get to Alaska from Seattle by ferry. As the only way to drive to Alaska is through Canada and mile zero of the Alaska Highway is in downtown Dawson Creek in the province of British Columbia...which is in Canada...you folks must get out more and see all your great country.
__________________
2012 Dodge 3500 Laramie Crew Cab: Cummins: exhaust brake: tow haul:
Kamloops
British Columbia
Canada
Cooper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-13-2014, 02:48 AM   #20
Senior Member
 
Wanderer's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Jellystone
Posts: 489
Wyoming
When we travel in the US we are more than happy to observe any and all US regulations and laws. We appreciate the different geographies you have and yes, even the differences of opinions. azdryheat, if you choose never to RV in Canada you are only robbing yourself of some great experiences.
__________________

Wanderer is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Dutchmen RV or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT. The time now is 10:44 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2020 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.
×