Honest question re running fridge on gas on ferry.

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PaddyM

PaddyM

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Portsmouth to Bilbao , two nighter , in all seriousness is there any REAL risk ?
I’m looking for evidence based expert opinion , all others , don’t bother 👍💡
 
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Yes, there is a real risk.

See recent fire in the petrol station.

I loaned my Mercedes’ car to a friend. It set on fire in the car park due to an electrical fault. They were booked on a sailing the same morning.

I said it could have been worse. How ? He asked. I said you could have been on the ferry !.

Naked flames are a big no no
 
Can you point me in the direction of the EVIDENCE that this fire was gas related ?
Also I’m crossing on a ferry not a petrol station 💡
I suppose another way to ask the question is ….. how many ferry fires have been caused by fridges running on gas , if the answer is zero then it’s totally safe or no one has ever run their fridge on gas .
Anyone care to admit that they run their fridge on gas on the ferry ? Cheers
 
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On the Dover ferry's I generally forget, on Brittany I turn it on to Lecky.

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Any car deck on a ship is required to be a safe space by maritime authorities, primary guidence requires amongst other things, no unecessary ignition sources.
Any risk is a real risk and I can assure you a fire at sea is the worst nightmare of anyone on a ship. I speak as someone who not only worked at sea but also experienced first hand a fire on a ship with 1500 people. The rules are there for a reason.
 
Detnor said:
Any car deck on a ship is required to be a safe space by maritime authorities, primary guidence requires amongst other things, no unecessary ignition sources.
Any risk is a real risk and I can assure you a fire at sea is the worst nightmare of anyone on a ship. I speak as someone who not only worked at sea but also experienced first hand a fire on a ship with 1500 people. The rules are there for a reason.
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But my question is …. Has a ferry fire EVER been caused by a motorhome gas fridge ? It’s quite a simple question .
 
The fact your running it on gas means there I an open gas bottle to help fuel any fire on a car deck and accelerate possible spread.
The fire may not start at your vehicle
What do you need in your fridge anyway that's so important?

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PaddyM said:
But my question is …. Has a ferry fire EVER been caused by a motorhome gas fridge ? It’s quite a simple question .
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Sorry to bump this but it is quite a simple question .
Or has a fire started elsewhere on a vehicle deck ever been accelerated by a motorhome fridge running on gas ?
 
PaddyM said:
Can you point me in the direction of the EVIDENCE that this fire was gas related ?
Also I’m crossing on a ferry not a petrol station 💡
I suppose another way to ask the question is ….. how many ferry fires have been caused by fridges running on gas , if the answer is zero then it’s totally safe or no one has ever run their fridge on gas .
Anyone care to admit that they run their fridge on gas on the ferry ? Cheers
Click to expand...
The point is that an electrical fault if it causes a fire could blow the Gas tanks ala TNT. It’s unlikely unless there is a leak, that a gas tank or canister could self combust.

Dont forget that your fridge has a Pilot light lit when it’s running, so potential naked flame could ignite a leak which could have been caused by rough seas. Why do you want to take the risk?
 
See my previous post please , either no one ever has or people have and there is no risk , I did ask for people to fess up that they do run their fridge on gas on ferries .
 
I have to agree with posters who urge no gas open during a crossing. It seems v.risky - like leaving your lights on or using a phone while you refuel (though I have also heard of people running their engines while refuelling because it was so cold)

I think this is a situation for an icebox for things like meat or cheese that would spoil otherwise, but for drinks, yoghurts, fruit or cooked leftovers, then it's probably ok up to 20 hours inside a closed, cold MH fridge- that you could probably add a frozen bottle of water to should you have it?

I think freezing stations would be a great thing for our community. If you could leave water to get frozen and pick it up again, it would be great - I claim rights to this (again!)

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PaulOH said:
I have to agree with posters who urge no gas open during a crossing. It seems v.risky - like leaving your lights on or using a phone while you refuel (though I have also heard of people running their engines while refuelling because it was so cold)

I think this is a situation for an icebox for things like meat or cheese that would spoil otherwise, but for drinks, yoghurts, fruit or cooked leftovers, then it's probably ok up to 20 hours inside a closed, cold MH fridge- that you could probably add a frozen bottle of water to should you have it?

I think freezing stations would be a great thing for our community. If you could leave water to get frozen and pick it up again, it would be great - I claim rights to this (again!)
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With all due respect this wasn’t what I was asking , there are a multitude of threads re advice about fridge off .
 
As a newbie, I accidentally ran my fridge on gas (battery wasn't working at that time) on a 140km drive home. I wasn't happy cos we could have been blown to kingdom come had anything gone wrong with any of the systems or there had been an accident -even a small one!
 
Otter Spotter said:
The point is that an electrical fault if it causes a fire could blow the Gas tanks ala TNT. It’s unlikely unless there is a leak, that a gas tank or canister could self combust.

Dont forget that your fridge has a Pilot light lit when it’s running, so potential naked flame could ignite a leak which could have been caused by rough seas. Why do you want to take the risk?
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Rough seas causing a leak in a fuel tank so no vehicles can carry petroleum or diesel or LPG for ICE ?
 
PaddyM said:
Rough seas causing a leak in a fuel tank so no vehicles can carry petroleum or diesel or LPG for ICE ?
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If you have seen the state of workmanship in some Motorhomes, they can be a far cry from the HGVs that are regularly serviced and safety checked.

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PaddyM said:
Portsmouth to Bilbao , two nighter , in all seriousness is there any REAL risk ?
I’m looking for evidence based expert opinion , all others , don’t bother 👍💡
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Before I reply with evidence based expert opinion. Why do you ask is there any REAL risk as opposed to any risk? What makes you the arbitrator of risk? I’m looking for an evidence based expert opinion so only reply quoting suitable experience and qualifications. Otherwise don’t bother.
 
You're crossing the Bay of Biscay, notorious for storms and heavy seas. I'm sure all the crew try to secure all the trucks with hold-down chains on their anchor points, but it only takes one to come loose and start damaging one of those huge fuel tanks you see on all trucks. If you're lucky, the fuel will spill out and spread its fumes, but won't ignite. If you're not, there'll be a motorhome whose owner forgot the fridge is still on gas.

It's an age-old problem - measures are put in place to prevent terrible accidents and fires. Terrible accidents and fires are prevented for a long time. Then someone says, Hey, there's never been a terrible accident or fire for years, that proves these measures are unnecessary. There's always someone.
 
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PaddyM said:
But my question is …. Has a ferry fire EVER been caused by a motorhome gas fridge ? It’s quite a simple question .
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Your question is totally irreverent it is against maritime regulation to run gas appliances on a car deck on a ferry so why would you even consider doing it.

People who think like you should be banned from ferries for life.
 
PaddyM said:
But my question is …. Has a ferry fire EVER been caused by a motorhome gas fridge ? It’s quite a simple question .
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It’s the under the regulations , why would you want to flout Brittany Ferries own safety protocols.
Unless your one of the
“Rules don’t apply to me Brigade"
In which case your being selfish
Besides if your on a British passport your not allowed to take meat or dairy products into the EU from the U.K.
 
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In bad storms, or collisions, trucks and cars can move on the decks, it happens more than it should. Imagine then, the carnage if someone left bottles of gas turned on, the motorhome was crushed, the risk of fire or explosions increase considerably..
Risking lives of the crew and the passengers Just because someone didn't want a pint of milk to spoil. :doh:

Meanwhile, I'm on a long haul flight next week and I get hungry, does anyone have any hard evidence that a plane was crashed because of someone using a disposable BBQ in the aisle. Has a plane fire EVER been caused by a charcoal barbie? It’s quite a simple question . :D

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Jim said:
Meanwhile, I'm on a long haul flight next week and I get hungry, does anyone have any hard evidence that a plane was crashed because of someone using a disposable BBQ in the aisle. Has a plane fire EVER been caused by a charcoal barbie? It’s quite a simple question . :D
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:rofl::rofl: :rofl:

Didn't notice any BBQ's on my long haul last week but I wasn't on Air Afghanistan. :LOL:
 
PaddyM said:
Rough seas causing a leak in a fuel tank so no vehicles can carry petroleum or diesel or LPG for ICE ?
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IMOA you are being very blaśe on this subject...
Ferry vehicle deck can be a hot bed for lethal fumes just waiting for a naked flame to ignite them... and you seem to be quite willing and intent to supply said flame.
Whether it has happened before or not is irrelevant....IT COULD!!
As Detnor stated above you REALLY REALLY don't want to be on a ship that is on fire. You can't just run away... I too have experienced ship fires.. yes plural.. and I dont ever want to be on another one.
Think you should post on here when you plan to sail so we can get on another ferry.🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
 
PaddyM said:
Portsmouth to Bilbao , two nighter , in all seriousness is there any REAL risk ?
I’m looking for evidence based expert opinion , all others , don’t bother 👍💡
Click to expand...
Put the same question to the Ferry Operators, see why they insist on these rules, if you are not happy with their reply like you aren't with what I have just read.... don't turn yours off, insist on evidence whilst on the car deck during your next crossing....I would be delighted to see you escorted off the vessel, Reducing a risk is not based on what's happened before, it's also a calculation of what could happen, in modern terms it's called "Risk assessment"

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