Propane safety

[Ryan Wright]

Hi folks,

Quick safety check: I replaced my Dometic fridge with a slightly
taller Norcold. In doing so, the fridge has been lowered about 4
inches. This puts the bottom of the vent on the side of the coach
about 4 inches above the bottom of the fridge.

Do I need to be concerned about propane build-up in the event of a
leak? As propane is heavier than air, it would tend to settle down
into this space, rather than flow out the vent. On the other hand,
there is a huge vent there and a lot of air circulation between this
space and the outside world - even the slightest breeze flows in there
with ease, and the actual available cubic feet for propane to settle
is quite small with the fridge installed.

I did build a new shelf for the fridge to sit on and sealed the wood
with a layer of clear coat and a spray-on rubber top coat designed for
vehicle undercoating. All edges of that shelf and all other gaps in
that compartment have been sealed with a thick bead of 50 year outdoor
rated caulking, so leakage of propane and/or combustion gases into the
coach should be eliminated. The only remaining concern, therefore, is
whether propane is capable of gathering around the bottom portion of
the fridge in that compartment and causing a fire or explosion. I
don't believe it is due to the relatively large amount of outside air
flowing through that vent at any given moment, and given the large
openings to the outside world I can't see an explosion happening but I
felt it would be prudent to ask here, just to be on the safe side.

-Ryan
'86 PT-40 8V92