and who in the hell thought putting a baptism pool heater in a van would be a good idea?

[Cleanworks]

View attachment 111374

It was probably the van that blew up as the tank released the gas in a confined area. Guys that don't maintain their equipment are usually to blame. I have only recently gone away from propane into heat exchange units. Used propane for almost 40 years with out any serious issues. You need to leak test often. Part of your regular maintenance. Check your hoses ,fittings, etc for abrasions or corrosion.

 

[Nomad74]

It was probably the van that blew up as the tank released the gas in a confined area. Guys that don't maintain their equipment are usually to blame. I have only recently gone away from propane into heat exchange units. Used propane for almost 40 years with out any serious issues. You need to leak test often. Part of your regular maintenance. Check your hoses ,fittings, etc for abrasions or corrosion.

I blame it on meteors.

 

[Sierra Clean Care]

I blame it on meteors.

Or on stupidity, and laziness…

 

[FB19087]

See Fred?

I see they had a propane tank IN the van. Outside, where it is supposed to be, it would likely have done nothing other than fuel the fire a bit. It exploded because it was in a fire/expanded quicker than relief

 

[Sierra Clean Care]

Which begs the question?
Who here carries a fire extinguisher, or 2?
On board?

Myself? 2. One small up front,(2 lb), and a 5 lb mounted within reach of the back doors.??

Anyone? Just one?

 

[Cleanworks]

Which begs the question?
Who here carries a fire extinguisher, or 2?
On board?

Myself? 2. One small up front,(2 lb), and a 5 lb mounted within reach of the back doors.??

Anyone? Just one?

I have a 5 lb and an aerosol cool stop. You don't need propane to start a fire.

 

[FB19087]

You don't need propane to start a fire.

Nope. Seems like most are engine fires. DD and slide ins. All that gas



although having a heater adds a handy ignition source

 

[Hack Attack]

Which begs the question?
Who here carries a fire extinguisher, or 2?
On board?

Myself? 2. One small up front,(2 lb), and a 5 lb mounted within reach of the back doors.??

Anyone? Just one?

just the one

 

[bob vawter]

just the one

"Just the one"

YOU...have been watching too much
TWO AND ONE HALF MEN..

 

[Kenny Hayes]

Yeah, my trailer got broadsided where my Little Giant was sitting. Knocked it over and banged it up, but nothing more. Totaled my trailer of course and paid for a new heater.

 

[The Great Oz]

In the eighties, Ford vans went to plastic fuel lines that were susceptible to falling off when they got warm. Any vehicle that idled with the engine on (direct drive trucks mounts, courtesy vans, ambulances...) could spill fuel and catch fire. Picture ambulances going up in flames in New York City traffic jams.
Not to mention the dual-tank Fords that would recirculate fuel to the wrong tank until it overflowed and caught fire. Rather than fixing the problem, Ford voided warranties on anything that idled in place, and that was the end of getting a CDS in a Ford.

A friend in the business got t-boned by a girl that ran a stop sign. Hit him right in the external propane tank. Flipped and totaled the van and knocked the tank into the woods, where it hissed propane until empty. No fire, no splosion.

A real stink is added to propane, so if your truck doesn't smell like sewage already it's easy to notice a leak.

 

[Bob Savage]

View attachment 111374

LP Tank inside the van is a NO NO! The LP tank must be vented and be outside as in a belly mount tank.

 

[Bob Savage]

In the eighties, Ford vans went to plastic fuel lines that were susceptible to falling off when they got warm. Any vehicle that idled with the engine on (direct drive trucks mounts, courtesy vans, ambulances...) could spill fuel and catch fire. Picture ambulances going up in flames in New York City traffic jams.
Not to mention the dual-tank Fords that would recirculate fuel to the wrong tank until it overflowed and caught fire. Rather than fixing the problem, Ford voided warranties on anything that idled in place, and that was the end of getting a CDS in a Ford.

A friend in the business got t-boned by a girl that ran a stop sign. Hit him right in the external propane tank. Flipped and totaled the van and knocked the tank into the woods, where it hissed propane until empty. No fire, no splosion.

A real stink is added to propane, so if your truck doesn't smell like sewage already it's easy to notice a leak.

Mercaptan is the stinky gas added to propane.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Which begs the question?
Who here carries a fire extinguisher, or 2?
On board?

Myself? 2. One small up front,(2 lb), and a 5 lb mounted within reach of the back doors.??

Anyone? Just one?

I carry two.

We've had 2 van fires.

One was the Ford hvac fan switch internally shorted. (had identical switch failure in another Ford, no fire)

The other was a 405 blower hx with a lint buildup. Could have been catastrophic.

 

[The Great Oz]

Mercaptan is the stinky gas added to propane.

I'll try to work that into conversation.

One was the Ford hvac fan switch internally shorted. (had identical switch failure in another Ford, no fire)

The other was a 405 blower hx with a lint buildup. Could have been catastrophic.

Familiar with both of those problems.
Ford switches connectors were the most popular items at junkyards, as Ford would only sell the entire harness. We went through each truck and manually wired the switches to take the faulty connectors out. Not sure how Ford escaped being forced to issue a recall.

Had a commercial truck that we used continually on two soapy jobs, a ballroom complex that was shampooed regularly by the hotel staff and the "bubble room" at the Science Center. Dried foam eventually plugged the silencer and cooked any paint or plastic in the vicinity. Our tech noticed the smell before it was too late.

The only van fire we had was started by a cigarette left on the center cowling. The guy forgot it, and as it burned down it fell into a pile of trash he had stuffed behind the passenger seat. Seats and dash caught fire, and then the heavy smoke put the fire out. Nice that it's much easier to hire non-smokers now.

 

[Acp]

propane is only combustible as a vapor not as a liquid so your pretty safe if someone hits the vehicles