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Post Info TOPIC: My Honeymoon went up in a puff of smoke..literally...
Golddetectornomad


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My Honeymoon went up in a puff of smoke..literally...
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G'day, I just saw in the Techs Forum that one should never, never,ever travel with the Caravan pilot light on.......excellent advice, here's what happened to me...

My honeymoon nearly ended almost immediately in Divorce <and I had already had one of them!> Long story short...with photos to demonstrate..the fire that is..not the honeymoon..

My new bride and I, rented a brand new <never previously used> Pop-Top Caravan in 1984 to go to Halls Gap for our Honeymoon.....the chap who normally set up the hire vans we found out later was away, and our van was 'set up' for us by an employee who was not familiar with their rules...

He put the pilot light on and set the refrigerator running..I was unaware and luckily did not transfer any of my belongings from the 4WD into the Caravan....I filled up my 4WD with petrol and headed off...lucky that was not my first big bang....explosion that is...

We got to Bordertown, parked in the main Street outside the local Hotel and bought some cold champers for the big event... Halls Gap honeymoon that is.....

I opened the Caravan door and whisssshsh!/bang!..no....not my Main Street Marriage consummation......a leaking gas cylinder, the pilot light,...and some much needed Oxygen did the rest....the photos tell it all.....I got some drinkers out of the front bar to help me separate the two....not me and my new bride...my 4WD from the now furiously burning caravan...all I could do was open the champers and lamely point it at the burning mess....

The fire started to scorch/burn the verandah of the Bordertown Hotel as well....Bordertown CFS arrived and the rest is history....as the pop top gave its last "voila" and raised itself..the now quite large assembled voyeurs...yelled '...Olay'..which is more than I could do for the next 24 hours....

Total write off'...the caravan and nearly my marriage...SWMBO <Julie> could smell gas everywhere...even where no gas is attached...in our newly booked Motel Room in Halls Gap ..even when we went horse riding and in the picture theatre there...gas apparently everywhere...ready to explode...I wasn't even game to pass wind...!...in the bedroom...or the Theatre..

I ""confidentially"" told the Police who attended, I was a Minlaton S.A. Bank Manager on my honeymoon....mistake!....as we returned through Bordertown on our way home I wondered if our fire had made Page 8 near the Local Show results: flower/cake making winners.....it was the paper's bloooody headlines!!...imagine if I had simply been on a dirty weekend minus my wife?....?

It took me another 20 years <that was 30 years ago in 1984> to get Julie to even step inside a Caravan...we have since owned several and of course are on a very slow big lap at the moment having left Pt Lincoln in Jan 2010....

Never, not ever, leave your pilot light on in your Caravan...particularly on your honeymoon...instant soft-on guaranteed......

Whoever said a Wedding is 'Oceans of Emotions surrounded by Expanses of Expenses' knew what they were talking about allright.....we had the "worse" part before the "better" part.....

Hoo Roo......is that gas we can smell??....?.....

P.S. Julie has no idea I've told 'our' story....she has only just got round to forgetting it....don't mention it at any Happy Hours please...!



-- Edited by Golddetectornomad on Wednesday 27th of August 2014 03:01:51 PM



-- Edited by Golddetectornomad on Wednesday 27th of August 2014 03:18:54 PM

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GaryKelly


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My, my, what an adventure! I've read many comments from GNs about the danger of leaving a gas pilot light on during transit, so luckily I was forewarned at my last camp and made sure it was turned off before I left. Aren't I clever? But I forgot to lock the door of the gas bottle compartment, which flew open as I motored along the road and banged around like a cut snake. It was a narrow road with nowhere to pull over, and there was a large truck behind me urging me to get a move on. Finally, I found a spot to pull over and attend to the problem. Now I have a printed list of things to check before leaving camp, on the dashboard.

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Vic41


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A Honeymoon etched in your memory forever, albeit for all the wrong reasons cry

Glad you both survived it ok smile



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Gerty Dancer


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Do 3-way fridges still have gas pilot lights? Surely not!

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wendyv


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Gerty Dancer wrote:

Do 3-way fridges still have gas pilot lights? Surely not!

 I think he may mean do not run your fridge on gas when travelling.



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wendyv

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Friar Park


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Over the years i have been told stories by someone who knew someone involved in incidents like the one you have described but never been told by anyone who was actually involved. I am very glad indeed that I took notice and never travel with my fridge switched on to any power source be it gas or electric. I'm glad to hear you both go out and apparently over it as well as you have. Now i know i've learnt a valuable lesson.

Friar



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Awatea


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So...do u have to turn your fridge off when you're driving?



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Libby
Golddetectornomad


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Do you know of any gas appliance that does not require a flame/pilot whatever to start ignition...you can have piezo but it still has to create the spark....my space gas  heaters in this house I'm currently in, both have pilot lights running as does my Instant gas Hot water system....doesn't your gas Caravan HWS Suburban when run on gas have a pilot light to start..mine does..
I run my caravan fridge on 12V when travelling ..very inefficient in relation to gas but IMO so much safer..I presume if pilot lights are blown out whilst travelling that there is some sort of safety valve to stop the gas flow...but I don't really want to find out about that the hard way....I will never ever..not ever... have any gas appliance running in my caravan whilst travelling based on my personal experiences...if I had opened that caravan door say in a free park on my own I may well have lost my 4WD as well, without help to get it off pronto..with acrid smoke/smell/fire lapping round my ears....like happened in the Main Street at Bordertown where I had assistance...the irony was whilst the van had insurance <you have to pay for that when you hire> I lost my security bond $75 at the time..and it wasn't my fault..I hadn't lit the pilot light in the first place......Hoo Roo



-- Edited by Golddetectornomad on Wednesday 27th of August 2014 10:05:45 PM

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'Without Going, You Get No Where'.

' Aspire to Inspire before you Expire'

 Where Gold be....is where Gold be......old Cornish saying......

The older we get the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for.......
Golddetectornomad


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I realize this is not in the Tech section however would someone give an authoritive answer to Gerty D's question above please? I know how and what happened to me was some years ago..could it happen today with pilot lights?..HWS's,? Fridges's? etc.. Hoo Roo

__________________

'Without Going, You Get No Where'.

' Aspire to Inspire before you Expire'

 Where Gold be....is where Gold be......old Cornish saying......

The older we get the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for.......
Golddetectornomad


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Posts: 295
Date:
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I guess nobody knows what is the correct situation with pilot lights whilst travelling?...Hoo Roo

__________________

'Without Going, You Get No Where'.

' Aspire to Inspire before you Expire'

 Where Gold be....is where Gold be......old Cornish saying......

The older we get the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for.......
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