A GrandVilla exploded when the owner went to start the heater.
https://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/article276646016.html?fbclid=IwAR1gSHAVfmKKQ3PCjM_s_4OcKIrUiigBQhawhwS7RDTn3G8Tig9qDOcfX5M
Sorry to hear about the GrandVilla. We cannot read the story, but wonder what happened
Only members can read that FB group. Please copy and paste the story so our members can benefit.
Thanks. . .
Scary. I'm glad he survived. I found this little job on my grand villas LP detector during our remodel. Wonder if there's a common root cause.
Someone cut the wires rather than replace the detector. It likely was beeping because it had aged out, and whoever did that took the "easy" way out.
1 hurt in Surfside Beach-area camper fire, Horry County Fire Rescue says | WBTW (http://www.wbtw.com/news/grand-strand/horry-county/1-hurt-in-surfside-beach-area-camper-fire-horry-county-fire-rescue-says/)
http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/article276646016.html
It does not look like there was any fire.
For only one person injured, and not killed is amazing.
It seems the two common causes of fires in these rigs are propane and the generator. Would love to get rid of both, but cooking with propane is real nice. A reduced risk of fire may be nicer.
To be fair, it's a common cause for an uncommon event
I can't watch it either so I missed the details. I have a back up for my propane system alarm. Also have two smoke alarms so if one fails. Look forward to seeing the details of this event.
Quick reset for gas detectors is to give them a shot of air from a small can of compressed air for cleaning a keyboard.
Having looked at the damage, the person that tried to light the propane heater is lucky to be alive. Damaged an RV on both sides of that coach. Blew the top completely off. That was a bad leak to do that! Having dealt with both propane and natural gas for well over 20 years, I always told people that propane will kill you, natural gas will scare you when it goes, but nothing like the latter! Always make sure your propane detector is working, as well as the smoke alarm!
Does anyone know if it was a forum member?
How could you not smell the amount of propane that must have been present. Lucky individual that survived that.
Propane is at the floor. It's heavier than air so you have to bend over it to smell it.
Folks - let's remember this is yet another human being that has lost their coach. I've had to remove a couple of posts that were putting blame on the gentleman who has lost not only his Foretravel, but a beloved pet is missing. Let's be kind and compassionate.
I hate it for them, can't imagine going thru such a thing.
Twig and I have had quite a few discussions over the benefits and/or dangers of propane.
That's a really scary situation. These coaches are getting older and sometimes preventative maintenance doesn't get everything.
Losing a pet is quite devastating. Events like this certainly makes one think. I love this lifestyle being full-time in my motor coach, and recognize there are definite risks that I take on. Like when I got stuck in the snow on the ride up to fish lake in Utah and couldn't get my Jeep out. We're getting the coach stuck in Idaho in the mud. Neither one was life-threatening but certainly nothing like just staying home and living in the sticks and bricks and taking an occasional Cruise or fishing trip.
As juicesqueezer said make sure your alarms are all in working order.
So lucky to survive that much of an explosion!
Hope the dog is recovered soon, poor little thing must be terrified.
This is very scary. I always am nervous about the giant tank of explosive under the coach. Going all electric would be ideal...
Compare how much power a kg of fuel contains versus a kg of batteries. They aren't even in the same ballpark. If there was one perfect solution everyone would use it.
Yeah, I would prefer rely on non explosive dieselfuel for heat instead of propane is all i mean really. Fridge and cooking could easily be all electric.
RV gas detectors are intended to be replaced every 60 months.
Very few people realize this!
Anyone aware of any updates on this story? Obviously a propane explosion but no fire afterwards? It had to be quite a concentration of propane contained in the bays to cause sure a catastrophic explosion. Very lucky no one was killed in this incident.
First allow me state that I believe in knowledge and reason and find fear a superpower.
Propane tanks do not explode. Period.
Propane does not explode. It may, under certain limited conditions, deflagrate or if contained detonate, but the flame front doesn't reach the speed for it to be termed an explosion. We have words to accurately describe these things. Explode is an incendiary, word with emotional strings attached to boot.
If you "smell gas" ventilate the space and turn off the fuel gas at its source. Problem solved.
FWIW when I was a teenager, there was a resident in town who tried to re-light the pilot light in his propane or city gas water heater. The resultant deflagration lifted his house above the foundation and the house turned slightly as it settled. The man was taken to the local hospital and treated for his injuries.
[inappropriate comment deleted - moderator Michelle]
You can begin your reading here:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0016236107001706
And from Italy:
https://www.aidic.it/cet/16/53/011.pdf
Then I wonder what really happened here. Your detailed articles are too technical for me to read and understand. But if propane does not explode, then...what did?
It appears to have experienced a "resultant deflagration " 🤷♂️
Introduction
Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), one of the most broadly used hydrocarbon fuels in the world, is also an important chemical raw material in the chemical process (Qian et al., 2021). Meanwhile, due to the flammable nature of LPG, fire and explosion accidents occur frequently once there is a leakage in its production, transition, storage, and utilization (Bariha et al., 2016). The explosion hazards caused by LPG have resulted in a large number of economic losses and casualties, such as the explosion accident caused by the leakage of an LPG tanker truck in Wenling, Zhejiang Province on June 13, 2020, which led to 20 deaths and 172 injuries (Lyu et al., 2022). Research on the explosion behaviors of LPG is valuable for developing methods and techniques to prevent corresponding explosion hazards.
While you may be technically correct, the distinction is somewhat irrelevant for most people as the resulting damage is indistinguishable from an actual explosion or detonation.
Also... well done calling an explosion an "incendiary word". I love a good pun.
There was no explosion per se. I see too much unfounded fear being spread, and I am only trying to give the conversation some perspective. If you use propane, you need to try really really hard to hurt yourself. The odorant used, ethyl mercaptan, is very powerful and sickening when propane concentrations in air reach flammable levels. If you smell the propane odor, open the doors and windows and go outside until it clears. Shut the valve off at the propane tank.
Edited by John S.
The information in my reply #25 came from Art's link if you follow all the information there.
"RV gas detectors are intended to be replaced every 60 months.
Very few people realize this!"
My monitors were beeping a few months ago before I finally realized that there was not a leak but the 60 month mark had been reached. Both my Propane and smoke detectors went off within a few days of each other. There must be a built in timer. They were impossible to ignore, but the older units don't necessarily have this feature.
"RV gas detectors are intended to be replaced every 60 months.
Very few people realize this!"
My monitors were beeping a few months ago before I finally realized that there was not a leak but the 60 month mark had been reached. Both my Propane and smoke detectors went off within a few days of each other. There must be a built in timer. They were impossible to ignore, but the older units don't necessarily have this feature.
During my 30 years as a firefighter, only a few things really scared me (where I thought I might die). One of them was entering a LNG filled home to see a kid trying commit suicide by "flicking his Bic"! My partner and I "tackled" him before the fuel/oxygen mixture reached the critical ratio. I've seen the results of these explosions and they scare me.
Instead of checking the propane let's check our propane detectors,another safety precaution we can do is,if your not going to use
the propane for a few hours go outside and turn the manual valve off,does'nt take much,the propane did not cause the fire
something probably avoidable did.If your generator has shutdowns check them to make sure they actually shut the thing down,
it can be done.
I found a spot on our 90 G.V. at the rear of couch, gas line and heat duct go through cabinet to H.W. heater . Spring in duct had started to wear into copper line . installed a piece of gasket material between them.