With the summer RV season getting close it’s an exciting time to start thinking about our plans for camping, but with recent events in the news it has made me more aware of safety around me, in the home, on the road and with my family.
How can you protect yourself and your family this summer?
We pull or drive a house on wheels, things bounce around so it’s only reasonable that we should be checking any components that could come loose. What is the most important?
The first one that comes to mind is the propane system. Most of our appliances operate on propane, and each appliance has a connection that could potentially loosen over time. Rocks hit the underside of our trailer where copper propane lines are run. Don’t you think this system should be inspected each year?
Before we get carried away and start visualizing explosions, how safe are RV propane systems? The answer is simple, very safe. Here are two reasons why.
- The propane system operates at less than 0.5psi (11” W.C.).
- There are fail safe features on all appliances, built in redundancies. If one safety fails there is a backup that works in its place.
What about copper connections that make up the delivery system for the propane? Have you ever had a bolt loosen on your hockey helmet, bicycle, stroller, frying pan? Of course! Threaded connections can come loose. Make sure your technician is inspecting the complete system.
Two types of RV propane testing tests are important to do each year; a propane leak test and a propane pressure test.
The leak test is done for obvious reasons. We balance the pressure in the system and hold the pressure for a set amount of time, if there is no pressure drop the system is leak free. (Note: We have observed some technicians forgetting to balance the system prior to performing a leak test, this step is critical to ensure an accurate result).
Along with the leak test there should be a visual inspection of all propane lines on the exterior of the trailer. Dents in the lines, corrosion and contact wear should all be inspected further.
Why do a pressure test? Appliances are designed to work at a specific pressure, when they fall outside this window they stop functioning properly. Fridges stops cooling, water heaters stop heating and you stop being happy.
When was your Propane system inspected last? Make safety a priority and have RV propane testing done every Spring.
Contact RV Mobile today to find out how you can receive this inspection for free.
Happy Camping
The RV Mobile Family
