Fire Safety

wdk450

Well-known member
Gang:
I just finished a 3 week stay at Thousand Trails Pio Pico near Chula Vista, Ca. During my stay, a luxury Class A parked for over 2 years in a leased site, caught fire and burned to the ground. Fortunately, everyone got out safely. Preliminary opinion by the insurance investigator is that this is another RV ammonia adsorption refrigerator fire.

I am posting this as a reminder as the high RVing season is upon us, to think about fire safety in your RV. Admittedly RV fires are statically pretty rare, but when they happen they are devastating to the RV and a threat to the lives of all in the RV. Any of us with ammonia adsorption refrigerators should think VERY STRONGLY in investing in a self-deploying Halon fire extinguisher for the external refrigerator compartment. You can buy these from the RV Cooling Unit Warehouse, or Mac The Fire Guy. They both have websites.

Also think about how you, your loved ones, and your fur babies could get out of your rig in the event of a fire in less than 2 minutes (the time for toxic smoke to become overwhelming). Also think about an alternate escape route if the fire blocks the main entrance. I bought an apartment chain ladder to drop out the bedroom window, along with a pillow and window prop bar to escape my rig via the bedroom window. I also bought a 10 lb fire extinguisher to replace the smaller Heartland-supplied extinguisher by the door. The Heartland extinguisher is now mounted near the stove cooktop.

In 2012 I witnessed an active RV refrigerator fire in an old Class A as the rig pulled into Betebel RV park in San Juan Bautista, Ca. It didn't burn to the ground, but the refrigerator compartment burned out, and the interior smoke damage was significant.

I invite anyone who is interested to do a Google Images search of "RV Refrigerator Fires".

A happy summer and safe RVing to all my Heartland friends.

Oh, BTW - I didn't seem to find a specific area on the forum for Fire Safety. This "Smoke Detectors" area was the nearest I could find for this important topic.
 

JohnD

Moved on to the next thing...
Fire Safety...How much is it worth to you???

Down at the Arizona HOC Tucson Rodeo Rally this past February a couple who makes a product to protect us and our RV refrigerators from this very thing, gave a seminar about their product.

While myself and a few others saw the significance of this product, most said it was just "Snake oil!" to take our money.

What I find amusing is that I continually read on a daily basis about all of the other k r a p (stuff) that people spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on for their RV's here in the chats, be it safety items or little DIY projects to make life a little bit easier.

But a product that would probably save their lives, or at least save their RV's, is not worth $200 bucks?

Several had them install their fridge saver there at the rally, and they are planning on being at the National Rally in Vegas this October.

And I plan on having them do the installation on our Prowler there.

Here is a link to their website:

www.arprv.com

I personally think this is a very important upgrade that we won't get from the factory or the refrigerator makers . . . so we need to take it upon ourselves to cover this issue.

Ironically, on my way to work on my first day back from the Tucson Rally a flatbed passed me going the other way with a motor home on it that had been destroyed by a fire (ie.- the whole roof was completely burned and gone).

And the interesting part was that it sure looked like it started right where the refrigerator vents were on the side of the motorhome.
 

JohnD

Moved on to the next thing...
Is this a DIY install?


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Yes, although I think they were only charging $35 to $50 for the install, depending on which package you choose.

There are a couple of different vent fan options to choose from.

After seeing their demonstration, I now shut the fridge off before climbing and decending some of our steep mountain passes out here in the wild wild west.
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
Yes, although I think they were only charging $35 to $50 for the install, depending on which package you choose.

There are a couple of different vent fan options to choose from.

After seeing their demonstration, I now shut the fridge off before climbing and decending some of our steep mountain passes out here in the wild wild west.

We don't really haul the rig around, once it's set up for the summer, and when we've driven down to Goshen for the rallies, the fridge was off. But once it's on site, the fridge is on the whole season whether or not we're there. Something to look into.
 

wdk450

Well-known member
We don't really haul the rig around, once it's set up for the summer, and when we've driven down to Goshen for the rallies, the fridge was off. But once it's on site, the fridge is on the whole season whether or not we're there. Something to look into.

Again, the fire that I cited at TT Pio Pico was on fairly new looking luxury Class A motorhome THAT HAD BEEN SITTING (and lived in) UNMOVED FOR OVER 2 YEARS!!!

Check this link out (especially the 3rd paragraph) to learn why Halon is entirely different than any other type of fire extinguisher. The webpage also cites Halon as being EXTERMELY EFFECTIVE (only a small amount of Halon concentration in the air is needed for fire suppression). http://www.h3rcleanagents.com/support_faq_2.htm
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
As I said, it's something to look into. And I'm looking at the SS30 Halon unit. Just need to check which version will fit my compartment. Not my first day dealing with fire suppression technology, either.


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