The fridge hasn't worked on propane since I got the rig. I'll try to remember to leave a window open tonight. If the fridge is actually sealed, then it will pop the door open before it suffocates me. If not, then it's got to displace oxygen in a 19 ft van to a depth of 2.5 feet overnight. And when you hold your breath, isn't it the CO2 receptors that produce the burning sensation? If I live, I'll report tomorrow : )
Ice blocks would work as well, but I don't have any way to make them - the freezer doesn't work : )
Wrap the dry ice in a couple of paper bags or newspaper after the refrigerator cools down to keep everything from freezing.
And let us know if you want help in figuring out why your refrigerator is not working on propane (we need to know what refrig you have). Most of the time the cause is not that expensive or difficult to fix if the cooling unit is OK (which it is if it works on 120 VAC).
It's a Dometic RM 2354. The problem with it is it's installed in a Roadtrek 190 Versatile that is my daily driver. Parked, on AC, works great. Shake it up all day long, & the propane doesn't work worth a flip. The original owner had a pushbutton ignition unit, & b/c his wife used it as her daily driver, he had a thermocouple controlled exhaust fan installed. I raised hell w/ my dealer about it, so they put in this electronically controlled rebuilt unit. When one of the many repair ppl have worked on it, they disconnected the thermocouple, so I just have an on/off switch for the fan behind the outside panel. Ran the fan all summer, the fridge worked fine. On propane, the only thing that makes it work is cold weather.
Thanks for making me double check that model #. The beer's under the dry ice shelf, and it's a lot colder than the the radio thermometer is indicating @ 53 degrees. I may have broken bottles in the morning! Which reminds me - the refrigerator is NOT sealed - beer leaks out of it.
Hmm, you have put 2lbs of dry ice in a roadtrek 190 and are sleeping in it.
That's possible one of the least sensible ideas I have heard or read about this year.
You may not survive to tell us about the beer. Get it out of there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I could give you a volumetric calculation of how quickly that dry ice will force all the oxygen out of the MH but all you need to know at this point is that it's a very very VERY crazy idea.
I'll take an impressive volumetric calculation over anonymous exclamation marks on the Internet please.
For your peace of mind, it's a bit warm out so I'm running the roof fan & I've cracked the window. It would make it the first time I've ever heard of someone being killed by dry ice, & my brother would inherit $400,000, so it's not all bad.
I'll take an impressive volumetric calculation over anonymous exclamation marks on the Internet please.
For your peace of mind, it's a bit warm out so I'm running the roof fan & I've cracked the window. It would make it the first time I've ever heard of someone being killed by dry ice, & my brother would inherit $400,000, so it's not all bad.
Gig 'em,
backbencher
The IDLH value for CO2 is 40,000 ppm - so in your 16' * 7' (internal)wide vehicle, a 2.5' high colum of air is 280 cubic feet.
Your dry ice sublimates into CO2(g) at a vapor pressure of 830psi and expands once out of the refer at normal atmospheric pressure into a volume of 8.2 cubic feet at 100% concentration - but the IDLH value is at 4% concentration so it 'contaminates' 200 cubic feet of your motorhome. Now multiply that figure by how many pounds of dry ice you purchased.
The unknown factor is that dry ice does not dissipate evenly and so you can get 'hot spots' of higher concentration from a slight breeze or air movement. At a 10% concentration you will be rendered unconcious almost immediately.
As I said, just don't do it!!!!!
PS IDLH - Immediate Danger to Life or Health
Quote:
Background: Exposure to a high concentration of environmental carbon dioxide (CO2) can result in poisoning through direct toxicity and by displacing atmospheric oxygen (O2). Dry ice undergoes sublimation to a gaseous state at ?78.5°C (?109.3°F), which is heavier than air and can accumulate in dependent areas. Case Report: We report the case of a 59-year-old man found in cardiac arrest shortly after entering a recently repaired walk-in freezer that contained dry ice. First responders and bystanders did not recognize the proximate hazardous environment but were fortunately uninjured. A careful Emergency Department history coupled with rapid case investigation by the Medical Examiner's Office led to the determination of the cause of death and the elimination of the ongoing hazard. Conclusion: This case illustrates the lethal consequences of improper storage of dry ice and the need to consider toxic environmental exposure as a cause of sudden cardiac arrest.
Good morning everyone. I'm still alive & the fridge is down to 46 degrees. It got down to 39 degrees last night, but it also got cool outside, so after I switched the heat on, since I killed the fan I put the dry ice on the running board for the night.
Stevelv, I take it that dry ice poisons 200 cu ft of air per pound when it completely sublimates - I take it that how fast all depends on the rate of sublimation?
I did read about the case you cite - chapped walked into an industrial freezer w/o a working ventilation system. There was one other case cited - a suicide w/ 100 lbs of dry ice in a car. No RV'ers reported. Two people died of exposure to industrial amounts in sealed areas.
Pity the propane alarm won't activate on CO2. Any CO2 alarms out there? Or would a CO monitor low mounted work? Will shop today for a plastic container that I can just fill w/ ice - I suppose I can add salt & go that route.
Ohmaha Steak's "Sealed" packages are able to vent CO2 when the pressure builds up. They won't let air in, but they will let excess pressure out.. It simply pushes the lid against the tape till it leaks out.. And celephone tape is porus, it can breath.
A standard RV fridge also has a vent... The drip tube on the back, so pressure will nto build up to dangerous levels unless that tube is clogged
And clogged it can become if the dry ice freezes water in the drip tube or in the evaporation tray on a fridge so equipped.
Nothin adds excitment like something that is none of your business
Kenwood TS-2000 housed in a 2005 Damon Intruder 377
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