Skip to main content ↑ ↓
Topic: refrigerator woes (Read 6434 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: refrigerator woes

Reply #20 –
I was looking over the American Coach forum and noticed a couple had lost their coach to a refrigerator fire.  This after market refrigerator protective controller came up.  It is an add on unit the shuts down the heat for 10 minutes if it over heats.  Won't prevent all types of refrigerator fires, but looks like the most common one.  I have ordered one.  I like the concept.  Cost is $120  I thought that was cheap insurance.  Anyone have any experience with this unit?

ARPrv | RV Refrigerator | RV Fridge Control | Install by Cooling Unit | RV Fires 


Roy

Re: refrigerator woes

Reply #21 –
Although mine is not under recall, I plan to add a part from the recall kit. This is a thermal circuit breaker mounted on the flue to kill DC power to the refrigerator if it gets too hot. It has a reset button.

The recall also includes a metal sheet positioned to direct the flame away from the outside wall. My non-recall 1492 already has this.

I like the simplicity of this approach.

By the way, with the DC power off, the propane will also be off. Even without a fire suppression system, the fire will stopn an the cooling unit empties. I wonder how long that is? Apparently this is what Norcold and Domestic are counting on.

Propane

Reply #22 –
I did not have a Propane off on my 01 with no DC power. The lines are still charged.

Re: refrigerator woes

Reply #23 –
Roy, I believe Barry Beam had one of those installed on his coach.
  He might be able to give you some insight on the product.

 Richard B

Re: refrigerator woes

Reply #24 –
Quote from: John S –
I did not have a Propane off on my 01 with no DC power. The lines are still charged.


The lines will still be charged, but the controller won't open the valve to the burner nor fire the igniter without DC power.

Re: refrigerator woes

Reply #25 –
Quote from: rbark –
Roy, I believe Barry Beam had one of those installed on his coach.
  He might be able to give you some insight on the product.

 Richard B



Mac the fire guy also has one, he Ike's it better than the thermal circuit breaker.

He also tells me Dometic boasts of not having a fire reported in three years. Records are made to be broken.

He also tells me both Norcold and Domestic used to tell customers with recalled models it was safe to run on as ...until they had a bunch of fires on ac.

One more tidbit from Mac. He asked the engineer about the sheet metal fire stop added as part of the recall, and was told that was to direct the fire up the flue when it caught fire. Mac asked if he meant if it caught fire, and was told he meant when.

Re: refrigerator woes

Reply #26 –
Quote from: Roy Dameron –
I was looking over the American Coach forum and noticed a couple had lost their coach to a refrigerator fire.  This after market refrigerator protective controller came up.  It is an add on unit the shuts down the heat for 10 minutes if it over heats.  Won't prevent all types of refrigerator fires, but looks like the most common one.  I have ordered one.  I like the concept.  Cost is $120  I thought that was cheap insurance.  Anyone have any experience with this unit?

ARPrv | RV Refrigerator | RV Fridge Control | Install by Cooling Unit | RV Fires 


Roy

I'll be adding one, sounds like a good idea. Their website is good reading, this device solves many issues other than fire.

By the way, Mac says the fire suppression device needs no maintenance, inspections, nor recharging.

Re: refrigerator woes

Reply #27 –
Quote from: Tom Lang –
The lines will still be charged, but the controller won't open the valve to the burner nor fire the igniter without DC power.

Refer is wired around the shutoff.  Direct to battery.  Door shutoff no effect.  So is the chest freezer I think.  Prevents turned off refers with food in them.  Propane leak detector also?

Bob

Re: refrigerator woes

Reply #28 –
The thermal shutoff would be wired to the DC power line feeding the regfriferator, completely shutting it down.

Re: refrigerator woes

Reply #29 –
Here's another kudo re: Fotetravel's attention to detail, quality, and safety.

Mac the fire guy told me RV manufacturers put nothing between the refrigerator  fire box and the wood wall. When I told him my coach has a fire resistant blue foam, he said it does not go very far up. Mac has a FleetWOOD.

I talked to Drew at Foretravel today, and he says that foam goes all the way to the roof.

I looked at my campground host's newer Monaco. And the raw wood is jammed right up in contact with the recall-added fire stop. And no foam.

My fist size fire was probably licking at the bottom edge of the foam, and left a fist size depression in the foam, maybe a quarter inch deep.

Needless to say I'd rather have an older Foretravel, built for safety no matter the cost, than any number of new SOB coaches, no matter how costly.

Re: refrigerator woes

Reply #30 –
Quote from: Tom Lang –
Here's another kudo re: Fotetravel's attention to detail, quality, and safety.

Mac the fire guy told me RV manufacturers put nothing between the refrigerator  fire box and the wood wall. When I told him my coach has a fire resistant blue foam, he said it does not go very far up. Mac has a FleetWOOD.

I talked to Drew at Foretravel today, and he says that foam goes all the way to the roof.

Tom - here are some photos of the cabinet interior that were taken when our Dometic fridge was removed (we went residential).

The selected media item is not currently available.

Re: refrigerator woes

Reply #31 –
Tom and Michelle,

The blue you have is the right stuff. Wish they had done that in the earlier models. Foretravel didn't say when they started installing it, did they? Our 1993 U300 was just thin Lauan everywhere in the compartment.

Here is a video showing the fire resistive blue type vs ordinary Styrofoam: Burn Test: Regular vs Flame retardant EPS (styrofoam) - YouTube

Tom, can't trust those FleetWOODs. :D

Pierce

Re: refrigerator woes

Reply #32 –
Drew seems to be on the learning curve, filling in with James T. away. I'd wait a week and ask James that question.

The Monaco I peeked at has only wood visible surrounding the refrigerator. They have a piece of wood running across the cabinet, just above the access hatch, that is touching the aluminum insulating material they wrapped around the firebox as a fire director in the recall, there was no room for the sheet metal fire shield.

Re: refrigerator woes

Reply #33 –
I had and have the blue insulation in my coach too.

Re: refrigerator woes

Reply #34 –
Quote from: Michelle –
Tom - here are some photos of the cabinet interior that were taken when our Dometic fridge was removed (we went residential).

The selected media item is not currently available.


Maybe the blue foam doesn't go all the way to the top. I'll know for sure when the refrigerator is out. Drew couldn't tell me what foam was used, but it might be labeled. I might give James a call when he gets back.

Re: refrigerator woes

Reply #35 –
STYROFOAMTM Brand insulation products are combustible and should be protected from flames and other high-heat sources. They contain a flame retardant to inhibit accidental ignition from small fire sources. During a fire, smoke may be heavy and contain the original material as well as combustion products of varying composition that may be irritating.

Re: refrigerator woes

Reply #36 –
Tom, in our 99', the blue foam goes all the way top. I figure they put it there to help the fridge not have t work as hard to keep things cool. There is also an extra inch and half of insulation skinned with a sheet of fiberglass that is on the wall above the vent, but doesn't come all the way down to the vent. This is in addition to the thickness of the wall insulation. I just completed my marine style fridge installation and since there is no burner, I brought the insulation all the way down to the vent opening. The blue insulation used in the fridge compartment is the same as used in the basement floor and coach floor as well as the side walls of the coaches. The walls have an extra layer of some kind of brown foam as well. Thread on the fridge install coming soon...
Don
Quote from: Tom Lang –

Maybe the blue foam doesn't go all the way to the top. I'll know for sure when the refrigerator is out. Drew couldn't tell me what foam was used, but it might be labeled. I might give James a call when he gets back.

Re: refrigerator woes

Reply #37 –
FWIW, here are some pictures of the blue Styrofoam used by Foretravel throughout the coach. Unfortunately, the flame rating text is not intact, But by putting the two pieces I had together you can read most of it. It does seem that the Styrofoam is superior to bare wood in terms of catching fire, but I wouldn't count on it keeping the coach from burning to the ground any event of a catastrophic fridge fire! These are pieces are left over from my fridge project, I took these pieces out to get a more flush surface and then I added a half-inch foil faced rigid polyurethane foam insulation which has a similar characteristic as regarding exposure to flame as the Styrofoam type used by Foretravel. Though the new fridge is not an absorption style, I lined the compartment with .032" thick aluminum sheet over the insulation. I did it more for weatherproofing then fireproofing, But I am quite sure that it is superior to wood or bare Styrofoam as regards susceptibility to flame!
Don

Re: refrigerator woes

Reply #38 –
Quote from: Tom Lang –
STYROFOAMTM Brand insulation products are combustible and should be protected from flames and other high-heat sources. They contain a flame retardant to inhibit accidental ignition from small fire sources. During a fire, smoke may be heavy and contain the original material as well as combustion products of varying composition that may be irritating.

Tom,

I don't think anyone expects the blue foam to have a one hour fire rating. The question is with a clean compartment (no rodent nests, etc) how long does the fire last and how intense is it? There must be a video or documentation of both. The next question is, has any Foretravel with the blue foam had a refrigerator fire that spread beyond the compartment?

That's one of the reasons I installed the backerboard. Not even a welding torch will go through it. Possibly an overkill but...

Installation of a residential or cold plate fridge does away with all the questions.

Pierce

Re: refrigerator woes

Reply #39 –
Mac says a fist size fireball will run out of hydrogen-ammonia in about three minutes. My guess is mine was going about that long. No real damage other than the fridge.