On the road ... again

[padlin]

I take it that means folks are turning off the gas at the bottles to travel?

[gbaglo]

I do. Although in the event of an accident, the propane bottle would likely shut down at the safety valve if lines were broken.

[fudge_brownie]

GBaglo

Can you post the Word file with the checklist in the Files section of the forum?

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by JohnB

Do not adjust the tongue jack when the stabilizers are on the ground. This could put excessive stress on one set of the stabilizers and they will bend.

This is good advice, but really... bend C-Jacks, which are rated for 3000 to 5000 pounds (depending on extension), with just part of the weight of a two-ton trailer?

[Donna D.]

Glenn, you can attach a Word doc here just like you'd attach a picture.

[gbaglo]

tried attaching but it didn't show up. I'll do it again. Here and now.

I get invalid file.

Copy and paste below. You can edit and size it yourself.

Drive Away Checklist

Inside Checks:

Loose Items Stored
Windows Closed
Blinds secure
Tank levels
Battery level
Thermostat OFF
Water Heater OFF
Water Pump OFF
Shower / Sink Drains CLOSED
Stove Cover DOWN
Screen Door FASTENED
Fridge OFF
Fridge Door Shelves LIGHT
Fan OFF
Roof Vents ( Bathroom / Fan ) CLOSED
TP and Paper Towels SECURED
Salt & Pepper Grinders SECURED
Door LOCKED
Step STORED / SECURE

Outside Checks:

Tire Pressure 40-45 (Min 30 / Max 50 )
Note: Lower Pressure = Lower Load
Gas OFF
Range Hood Vent LOCKED
Power DISCONNECT
Water DISCONNECT
Rock Shield DOWN AND LOCKED
Awning LOCKED
Stabilizer Jacks UP & TIGHT
Wheel Blocks STORED
Equalizer Bars LEVEL & SECURE
Chains IN PLACE
Hitch LOCKED
Brake / Signal Lights OK
Step STORED / SECURE

[gbaglo]

BTW, the salt and pepper secure step is because every time we travel, the knurled knob that holds the top of the salt and pepper grinders on comes undone and the contents end up all over the cupboard. I stick a strip of gaffer tape over the knob to stop it from coming undone.

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

I do. Although in the event of an accident, the propane bottle would likely shut down at the safety valve if lines were broken.

I'm not aware of any crash safety valve, other than a bypass one for overfilling.

[gbaglo]

I misunderstood how the valve works. I thought if a line broke that the valve would shut down, but, not so.
See below.
OPD Valve Design

The design of the OPD valve is such that turning the cylinder service valve handwheel will not produce any effect if the cylinder is not hooked up to an appliance. In other words, a connection must be made between the appliance hose end and the cylinders service valve. The inside of the OPD valve is engineered to only allow propane in or out if the internal valve is actuated by being depressed. This OPD valve feature adds additional safety in case the handwheel is turned, opening the valve. For this reason, OPD equipped cylinders will not allow gas out of the cylinder when opened. The same is true for industrial forklift cylinders. Click the photo of the OPD valve (left) to see a larger and more detailed picture of the of the internal flow valve.
See additional OPD Valve Information

[CADreamin]

You guys are AMAZING. We are going to follow the checklist and, hopefully, that will alleviate any anxiety we have about hooking up/leaving. One more thing to add to the list for newbies ... XANTEX!!

[Donna D.]

Yeah, it's not that it's a Word doc.. it's the size. One blank page exceeds the limit of 19.5kb! Dumb. An admin needs to fix this...

[TAfraser]

Just thinking about it for a second, I'd add two more items to a 21 interior. First, lock down the sliding table, and the second would be to secure the TV. I don't know if the Jack antenna should be facing forward during travel, but if so, then rotate it to face forward and lock it down.
Tom

[lefttee]

CADreamin...do you mean Xantex or Xanax? I thought the idea of "Escaping" was to leave your worries behind.l

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

I misunderstood how the valve works. I thought if a line broke that the valve would shut down, but, not so.

Although the feature described (which comes in current valves which include OPD, but is not part of the OPD itself) won't handle the crash situation, there is yet another feature. If flow increases rapidly (such as in the case of a hose ripped off in a crash), a flow limiter severely restricts propane flow. This doesn't prevent fuel being fed into a potential fire, but it reduces the severity.

This is the feature which can make it difficult to start a propane system which has been depressurized: unless the tank valve is opened verrrry slowly the limiter see the rush of propane to fill the hoses and piping as a rupture and keeps proper flow from continuing.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by padlin

I take it that means folks are turning off the gas at the bottles to travel?

Some do. I don't. Major discussion usually follows...

A substantial fraction of the discussion in the topic refrigerator deals with the topic of using propane while driving. There's probably little point in repeating it.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Glenn, you can attach a Word doc here just like you'd attach a picture.

Yes, but a PDF file is better, since not everybody uses MS Word. Of course, not everyone has a way to save MS Word documents as PDF files...

[gbaglo]

Can you edit a PDF file? I don't think so.
Easiest is probably just to copy and paste from the post to whatever program you use so you can edit it and size it.
I was just saving key-strokes for those who might use it.

[CADreamin]

Originally Posted by lefttee

CADreamin...do you mean Xantex or Xanax? I thought the idea of "Escaping" was to leave your worries behind.l

Well, I obviously don't take it so I have no idea what I'm talking about. HA! Maybe a good shot of Scotch would do the trick.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Yeah, it's not that it's a Word doc.. it's the size. One blank page exceeds the limit of 19.5kb! Dumb. An admin needs to fix this...

I just put Baglo's list in a Word document and it comes out to about 16 kB of content, but a 22 kB file. Unfortunately, even if the limit were increased slightly the forum does not support modern Word documents (which have a .docx extension), only the obsolete and bulky older format (which have a .doc extension)... and the old format version of the same document came out at 27 kB.

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Can you edit a PDF file? I don't think so.
Easiest is probably just to copy and paste from the post to whatever program you use so you can edit it and size it.
I was just saving key-strokes for those who might use it.

No, editing a PDF generally doesn't work, but I agree that someone who wants to edit and just copy the text and format it the way they want (from the text of the the post or a PDF document). Someone who wants to use the list as-is with formatting can use the PDF file without editing.

I do appreciate the effort. Attached is my version of the list... in PDF because I can't upload the Word version either, as explained above.

[gbaglo]

That's purdy.
Lot better looking than mine, and I was design editor at the paper for a number of years.