Fire

[bcdennis]

I purchased our Thor Vegas 24.2 used. Being a 2015 it only has 15,000 miles on it. After our purchase we got it ready for our first time camping with it. My wife unplugged it from the electric and when the coach transferred over to Propane for the fridge the gas poured through a cracked line and basically blew up causing over 18,000 dollars in damage. Of course the dealership claimed it was an as is sell and would not help us out. Does anybody know if this is an issue with Thor or are we the most unlucky couple in the state of Montana?

[Judge]

Glad no one was hurt and sorry for you on your first time out.

Can't say I have heard of a fridge blowing up but there have been some fires for various reasons.

From my chair I would push this as a safety issue with the dealer and tell them they were liable to make sure they were selling a safe unit. They should have caught the leak if they did in fact inspect the vehicle. They could come back that they inspected it and the leak developed after you drove it off the lot.

Also, the unit should have a propane detector. Did it have one? Where was it located? Was it functional?

The broader question is where was the leak? Was it the line leading into the fridge? Was it the connection to the fridge? Was there a problem with the gas valve?

Propane is one thing people take for granted. There are several lines, connections and a regulator that should be inspected at least annually for leaks or signs of wear or damage.

I had a regulator start leaking when my coach was less than a year old. Fortunately I caught it before it could have been a real issue. The ones Thor uses are very cheap so I replaced it with a better regulator.

[Pete'sMH]

We’ll that sucks! I’d expect your insurance will cover the loss. Let them pay for a new coach and let them argue with the dealer. Fridge fires are a thing with propane units. If the burner overheats a few times from operating it out of level the copper refrigerant lines can get brittle and crack. When this happens the refrigerant can escape and then the burner overheats like a pot on the stove that boils dry. I learned this a few years ago and looked for a solution. I found a device called the Fridge Defend ARP. It shuts off the fridge if the burner overheats. The company’s web site is poorly organized but very interesting, I did the installation myself and it was an interesting project

[rvclassrooms]

I had a significant gas leak under my fridge, luckily my carbon monoxide detector went ff before anything happened to us.
I had the mechanic replace the rubber hoses with metal.
There was a huge hole in my gas line. TERRIBLE DESIGN!
Sorry you had that to you. I just added a carbon monoxide detector to the couch where my kid sleeps just in case. I still have nightmares about what could've happened.

[Pete'sMH]

Just traded for a Travato and it had a massive propane leak from the start. It was on the fill line so we couldn’t shut it off. Emptied the whole tank in about 48 hours. When I took it apart I found the flare fitting on the tank was defective from the manufacturer. $7 part from Lowes fixed me up.