Propane explosion below cooktop

[Eggscape]

Originally Posted by Bobbie54

Can you please share those photos? I'd like to be sure what I'm looking for if I check mine.

The thin aluminum pipes could have a split or break anywhere, however people have found the break or crack where it attaches to the burners...red circles.

When the nuts comes loose on the two valves the entire pipe unit is supported by the locations marked with an X.

[Effie]

Sorry you had to go through this frightening ordeal. I wish you a quick recovery not just form the physical injurers but also from the emotional ones.
I wrote in an older thread about the leak we had in our 2019 e19 suburban. We were lucky to get away without an accident but every time we used the unit there was gas smell and sometimes the propane detector got activated. I found one of those aluminum pipes broken but all the nuts & bolts in and around the unit were sound. I was amazed how flimsy the design was. Comparing it to the cooktop we had in the old 15B this new one is junk, should never have been sold and at list recalled by now.

[gbaglo]

Scary.
Had a similar event in my tent trailer. My daughter and I were practice camping in the driveway. I lit the stove in the morning to make her hot chocolate and there was a huge WHOOSH. We vacated and went into the house for breakfast.
A neighbour, up the block, told me later that the trailer lit up like a Chinese lantern.
I never did discover what caused the problem, but I suspect a spider web in the venturi. Never occurred again.
Scary.

[UncleTim]

Is there a propane detector or a CO detector?

COs are created at the time of combustion. They occur, in this instance, from a stove that is not burning efficiently. I have a VERY sensitive CO detector that I use for my Buddy Flex. It is VERY sensitive and reports values as little as 1 ppm. The stove in the trailer never set it off at all. I will test further on the next trip. It is not just an alarm, but a true detector. That is not the same thing installed in the trailer (I think). The trailer has an alarm (again I think).

But this propane buildup seems to be before ignition. So does that mean COs will not be detectable because the propane is collecting in a reservoir and is not actively burning, until that point in time when it caught on fire?

It seems like two distinct issues. I also would like to express my thanks that you are going to be okay. Take care.

[Bobbie54]

Originally Posted by Eggscape

The thin aluminum pipes could have a split or break anywhere, however people have found the break or crack where it attaches to the burners...red circles.

When the nuts comes loose on the two valves the entire pipe unit is supported by the locations marked with an X.

Thanks!

[Bobbie54]

Report it: https://www.cpsc.gov/About-CPSC/Contact-Information
Besides to the maker and to Escape.

But I'm pretty jaded about whether a recall will happen. The cordless lawn mower that spontaneously combusted on my front lawn upon first use was still being sold at least 3 years later and now in a newer (but identical) model.

What's the fix? When my natural gas lines were moved the company replaced the metal pipes with flexible plastic of some kind. Is that available to replace the thin aluminum?

[rubicon327]

It appears there is a design flaw with these stoves and the tubes separating from the burner is not if but when. Personally if it was me I would use a camp stove on the counter with a 1# propane bottle before continuing to use these piece of crap stoves. I hope that a complaint (and threat of possible lawsuit) compels them to issue a recall ASAP. Airxcel who owns Suburban is a big company. Hopefully they do the right thing.

[oldwave]

We have two backups for cooking on the road, one is a Japanese butane stove for outside augmentation but could easily be used under the vent hood. The other backup is an ikea portable induction cooktop. It was cheap (50 maybe) and is very efficient. In fact when we have shore power it will be our preferred method as we have been much more cognizant of indoor air quality. We replaced our gas cooktop at home with induction. Escapes have good ventilation, but we prefer induction when we have power. That said poor quality propane devices is very alarming.

[NWtraveller]

Here’s a photo of the broken component from under the burners. The flange broke off of one end. We’ve called suburban with little help. I think we will be shopping for a new cooktop! My husband thinks he can make it so that we can use the other burner for now. I am skeptical. We are boondocking near Capital Reef and in the middle of our Utah experience. We have an outdoor grill fortunately. I am missing my morning coffee because we make it using our cooktop.

As an update, my injuries don’t seem so bad today. I have an area on my leg that blistered and opened at the time of the incident. Both of my legs had severe red and painful swaths covering about 50% of my legs. Also one arm had similar. Today, those areas seem more like bad sunburn than anything else. I do think that I may need a haircut. I think I’ll post a photo also of myself after the explosion as well.

I’m having a hard time figuring out how to attach photos. What’s the secret?

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Bobbie54

Report it: https://www.cpsc.gov/About-CPSC/Contact-Information
Besides to the maker and to Escape.

But I'm pretty jaded about whether a recall will happen. The cordless lawn mower that spontaneously combusted on my front lawn upon first use was still being sold at least 3 years later and now in a newer (but identical) model.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission does good work, but has limited ability to enforce anything. In contrast, the United States Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration can make recalls and repairs happen. The stove is a component of the trailer, the trailer is a vehicle, and there is a process for reporting safety-related defects in vehicles, getting them recalled if necessary. The equivalent here is Transport Canada.

Of course in any recall system the owner of a product is responsible for responding to any recall or other safety notice from the manufacturer. Both Airxcel (manufacturer of Suburban stoves) and Escape Trailer Industries are well aware of this issue - I assume that nothing has been sent to owners of trailers with the affected stoves.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission does good work, but has limited ability to enforce anything. In contrast, the United States Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration can make recalls and repairs happen. The stove is a component of the trailer, the trailer is a vehicle, and there is a process for reporting safety-related defects in vehicles, getting them recalled if necessary. The equivalent here is Transport Canada.

Of course in any recall system the owner of a product is responsible for responding to any recall or other safety notice from the manufacturer. Both Airxcel (manufacturer of Suburban stoves) and Escape Trailer Industries are well aware of this issue - I assume that nothing has been sent to owners of trailers with the affected stoves.

If I am representative of other owners with this stove you assumption is correct, Brian. Nothing from either Airxcel or ETI. Somehow, I think if Reace and Tammy still owned and operated ETI, we might have been informed by them.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by C&G in FL

If I am representative of other owners with this stove you assumption is correct, Brian. Nothing from either Airxcel or ETI. Somehow, I think if Reace and Tammy still owned and operated ETI, we might have been informed by them.

I tend to agree with you. But now that there's been an explosion and injuries caused by one of these faulty stoves, let's hope they respond.

[Ops]

I'm wondering if a pre-emptive fix to this potential deficiency would be to have the aluminium (piping/plumbing/gas line) with copper tubing?

Back in the 70s, when aluminium wiring became very common in new house construction, it was discovered that the cost saving over copper wiring was lost due to potential fires and repair costs. This was apparently due to aluminium becoming brittle and its expansion/contraction during heat cycles increasing fire risk.

Certainly would be an easy enough "fix" for a handy individual with a "repair kit".

[Bobbie54]

Originally Posted by C&G in FL

If I am representative of other owners with this stove you assumption is correct, Brian. Nothing from either Airxcel or ETI. Somehow, I think if Reace and Tammy still owned and operated ETI, we might have been informed by them.

The original post goes back to a 2018 trailer. The problem has apparently been around for awhile.

[Fox hunt]

please watch for infection often an issue with a burn due to loss of skin integratory! I'm so sorry this happened glad it wasn't worse!!!!!

[j3cub]

Dear Escape Trailer community. I have posted about this problem many times. I decided to just replace my cooktop with a dickenson cooktop and have quite using this super dangerous suburban cooktop. There is not a fix for this and they will only replace it with another very dangerous cooktop. I have been a true believer in Escape trailers and now that we have a scorched face on the forum, not so much a believer now. Has Escape Trailers crossed the line!

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by j3cub

I decided to just replace my cooktop with a dickenson cooktop and have quite using this super dangerous suburban cooktop.

Peter: I had helped convince you that the Dickinson was the way to go and that you could likely make it fit. I was wondering where you ended up with it. Do you have any details and pictures of your install? If so, it might be more appropriate to put them on the original thread out of respect for NWtraveller...
https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...top-16249.html

[kootenaigirl]

So sorry this happened to you and incredibly scary. Sending positive thoughts your way for quick healing.

[Mike G]

Have your husband photograph all of your affected areas as well as any damaged trailer components. Documentation for future reference is very important. You may not be the sort of people who usually 'make waves,' but in a case like this it might work to the future benefit of many others (perhaps even save lives) if you will make an exception and pursue this issue vigorously via both legal and governmental avenues.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Ops

I'm wondering if a pre-emptive fix to this potential deficiency would be to have the aluminium (piping/plumbing/gas line) with copper tubing?

Back in the 70s, when aluminium wiring became very common in new house construction, it was discovered that the cost saving over copper wiring was lost due to potential fires and repair costs. This was apparently due to aluminium becoming brittle and its expansion/contraction during heat cycles increasing fire risk.

All materials have limitations, and copper can certainly work-harden and so become brittle, if the tubing is not properly supported. The real problem in the aluminum wiring wasn't the aluminum itself, but compatibility with other materials in the connections.

In this case, the problem is apparently defective assembly leaving the valves unsupported and as a result the tubing being stressed and flexed. While a different material might help, it wouldn't address the root problem... and the root problem appears to be easy to fix.