Is there a law in BC about leaving the propane appliances in my RV running while I am driving? I already know that I have to turn the propane off when I get on BC Ferries but I want to be sure that I can use it otherwise.

This reader has asked an important safety question to kick off another season of RV use and the answer to this question is a quick one: yes, there is a law that would prevent this. The Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations require that the appliance tank valves be closed when your RV is moving. Also, a quick consultation with a Gas Safety Officer at the BC Safety Authority confirmed what I have always believed, this it is not a good idea. In fact, it could be very dangerous in some circumstances.

When I bought my first travel trailer I read all the booklets that came with the stove, fridge, hot water tank and furnace because I was curious about this too. The manual for the fridge forbid operation unless the trailer was parked and as level as possible. The others failed to discuss the point at all and I decided that if it didn't explicitly tell me to go ahead then it was probably up to me to choose to make my own mistakes.

The first one I could see myself being caught in was forgetting to turn off all flames and pulling up to the pumps for a tank of gas. Murphy's Law would likely mean that I would find out about this the hard way. I really didn't want to end my holiday early by being burned to a crisp.

I found that if I stayed out of the fridge and turned on the propane whenever I stopped for a break it stayed cold enough during a day's travel that I didn't have to worry. If you are lucky enough to have one that runs on 12 volts while driving, so much the better!

What's the bottom line? The convenience isn't worth the risk. Keep your propane turned off at the tank when you are driving, fueling or on the ferry.