The wind

[Gina D.]

OK, what have you clever folks come up with to keep the pilot on the fridge from blowing out in windy conditions?

I boondock lots. I live in the wind tunnel of So. Cal.

I don't like warm pop or smelly meat.

I don't want to be a crispy critter from covering the intake vent of the fridge.

Maybe leaving the Dr Peper out to get the windchill is the best solution. No, wait.. the bears will drink it.

Ideas? (Safe ones?)

[Morgan]

Gina,

I use a piece of plastic excelsior made for evaporative coolers. I cut it to fit the intake opening of the refrigerator compartment and stand it up against the louvers.

It keeps the fridge from blowing out while driving and while parked, I don't know if it would work in SoCal, but it works fine in NM and AZ. It even worked in TX which could teach wind lessons to SoCal.

I, too, like my DP (and my MGD) cold.

[Loren G. Hedahl]

On our old '70 Avion I was able to cut a small tin can to fit around the pilot burner to solve the problem. Unfortunately, I have tried that and several other strategies with little success on the Scamp refrigerator. I didn't want to restrict the entire opening on the side of the trailer, because I think that would reduce the efficiency of cooling.

One possibility is a device called a "re-ignitor" that produces a lighting spark at a frequency that keeps the pilot lit. I priced them at about $50 some time ago. It may be the way I'll have to go.

I'll be watching this topic to see what success others have had in this.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Gina,

I use a piece of plastic excelsior made for evaporative coolers. I cut it to fit the intake opening of the refrigerator compartment and stand it up against the louvers.

It keeps the fridge from blowing out while driving and while parked, I don't know if it would work in SoCal, but it works fine in NM and AZ. It even worked in TX which could teach wind lessons to SoCal.

I, too, like my DP (and my MGD) cold.

I'd never never drive with propane appliances running.

I believe that it's far saver to turn the propane off at the tank before moving the trailer.

[Loren G. Hedahl]

I'm not sure what the fear is, or the risk. But I would think thre is far greater chance of falling asleep while driving, getting run over by a drunk driver or cell phone abuser, or having a fuel line on my car leak and starting a fire than having my trailer catch fire due to a refrigerator burner. I just don't store anything flamable in the little compartment where the burner is.

I haven't seen any statistics on these kind of things. It seems like propane appliances are designed pretty fail-safe. They are pretty hard to get lit and then any slightest provocation causes them to go out; at least I have never seen one or heard of one that just lights up on its own accord.

Actually, I guess I have heard about the re-ignitor. I'm thinking I might just like to have one of those!

I'm pretty easy to convince otherwise, provided the evidence is overwhelming. Overwhelming might be something like 10% of all campers in the junk yard are there because of fires while driving with propane refrigerators left on.

[Byron Kinnaman]

I look at it like driving down the road with out a seat belt. Probably won't have a problem, but............

Also I believe it's illegale to pull into a gas station with a propane appliance running.

[Ron N]

OK, what have you clever folks come up with to keep the pilot on the fridge from blowing out in windy conditions?

I boondock lots. I live in the wind tunnel of So. Cal.

I don't like warm pop or smelly meat.

I don't want to be a crispy critter from covering the intake vent of the fridge.

Maybe leaving the Dr Peper out to get the windchill is the best solution. No, wait.. the bears will drink it.

Ideas? (Safe ones?)

Ideas? Stop drinking Dr. Pepper.

[Susan Tiller]

I drink DP (actually Dr. Thunder) much cheaper. My method for keeping it cold may not work for you but does the trick for me. I save a couple of the large empty bottles, fill with H2O, freeze and put in refrige with full one. I have a supply of water and a cool Dr Thunder to drink.

[Brian B-P]

There was a heated discussion of the pros and cons of having the propane system on while on the road (see Propane). As interesting as that was, I will not attempt to repeat it here... but then I don't think it applies. Gina, are you talking about the refrigerator pilot going out while driving, or while camped (specifically, boondocked, and thus running on propane and not AC power)?

I have heard that some people drink their Dr. Pepper hot - you could try that, since the stove burners don't need a pilot light. For the meat... there's always beef jerky, which never goes bad!

[Gina D.]

Hot Dr Pepper Thats sumtin' them there fancy Boston boyz came up with.. it's, uh.. icky.

I do not drive with the propane on. I too do not feel it's worth the risk of an explosion over cold beer. I run on 12v when driving, charge line from tug. It isn't a huge investment in time, brain power or money..

Stop drinking Dr. Pepper

Go to your room, and that was SOOOO bad, as an added punishment, you must give me your Bigfoot.

I wonder if fashioning a steel or aluminum tall box with air intake at the BACK of the compartment would work. Place it around the allready installed burner box, but run it up above the vent opening. Keep the vent open everywhere else.

[Kurt & Ann K.]

Gina,
So far I've not had a problem with the refrigerator in our Casita. The problem has been trying to light the blankety-blank water heater when there is any kind of a breeze blowing around it. I sure would like to have the type of lighter which functions from inside, like that of the refrigerator. I know they are available, but it works fine once it's lit, so it seems like a poor excuse to spend that kind of money. Like anything else, I suppose the cost is relative to the degree of disgust.
I recall someone also using a furnace filter of the appropriate size or cutting one to fit. Probably works similar to the evaporative cooler pad like Morgan suggested.
Thanks for bringing the topic to our attention, maybe someone has some new info to shed light on the subject.
Kurt & Ann K.