Condolences to my Brother (aka The Dutchman)

[Jim Stoltz]

My brother, a member here but not a frequent poster, lost his RV today. We were supposed to head out to Hershey this afternoon. He had the fridge on electric, and in preparation for leaving switched it over to propane. He waited for the green light indicating it was lit and went in the house. 15 minutes later the trailer exploded. Thank God no one was hurt and the house, while damaged, didn't light up.

I'm still going, but I have to say I'm really shaken up. You may recall that he and I (to a lesser extent) spent a lot of time restoring that thing. He has a month-and-a-half old baby. I can't even think about what could have happened if they were in it or on the road. 

The FD said it had to be a propane leak because of the damage (it was torn apart) rather than an ammonia fire.

[So ska noname]

So the pipe in back behind fridge has insulation around it? I don't mind electrical but am taking to shop now for a propane check. This trailer new to me. I took tanks off before we hitched her up. It's scary to think how close they were to loading up and taking off on the road.

[Jim Stoltz]

Good idea Janis. All of his documentation was inside and and burned up. Registration, insurance and title. In NJ, salvage yards won't take anything without a title. Now he has to go to Trenton to get another one.

I think we're going to make a flatbed cargo trailer out of the carcass, though. I want to tow my motorcycles behind my Allegro. It was only 18 feet long, but it might be too big for that but we'll see...

[So ska noname]

I am thankful no one hurt, thank god, and sorry for your loss.

[Jim Stoltz]

Thanks Rich. There was no insurance. Just liability on the trailer, and homeowners won't cover the trailer itself. So he'll be starting over. And he will. He'll also probably have full coverage - I know I'm calling my insurance company in the morning and bumping my just-liability coverage on the Allegro to full. It's not worth much, but I would at least recoup part my investment if something happened.

[Rich Thomas]

Jim, I was on vacation sorta, when I saw this and tried to comment with my cell but couldn't remember my login password, any way I am so thankful no one was hurt. Please pass on my condolences to your brother; it's little comfort  I know but, I hope he can recoup enough from insurance that he can replace it.

[Jim Stoltz]

I forgot to mention that when it blew, my brother happened to be looking out the window. Something shot straight through the roof in the area of the fridge when it exploded. When he ran out and opened the door, it was full of smoke and the inside was already on fire. He knew there was nothing he could do so he pulled the propane tanks off before it went up completely.

[Jim Stoltz]

Thanks for all the comments. I just got back from Hershey - I'll post about that in a separate blog.

I see there's another thread about gas fridges so I'll post there, too. But....

If you're familiar with these fridges, there's a big pipe that runs up the back of the fridge. It usually has some insulation around it. The heat is applied at the bottom of it - electric or propane.

The actual cause is still a mystery. My brother had it on electric for a couple of days. The electric element is long and distributes the heat. He switched it to gas just before the explosion. The propane flame is very concentrated. The Fire Marshall said that it will superheat that pipe (if it's clogged) red hot and eventually it will blow. He showed me where the top of that pipe was blown out. It could either have been super-heated from a propane fire or from a clog. No one knows. The fridge worked fine, which would seem to put the clog theory to bed.

In any event, the Fire Marshall said not to touch anything until the arson investigators did their thing. I'll try to snap some pics of the remnants of the fridge tonight. 

[R. Randall Halton]

Man, that's awful. I'm thankful for you that no one was hurt. 

[Kevin wright]

Holly cow, glad no one was hurt

[James and Yvonne Hoak]

Thank God no one was in it or hurt I feel bad for them for the loss