propane appliances

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Hi, a friend of mine gave me a propane refrigerator and TV set out of his old motor home. I was able to light the pilot on the refrigerator and it works fine.

However, there is a little trouble with the reception on the TV. I have hooked the propane and I can get a “good” blue flame on the pilot light but when I attempt to turn up the burner the TV has poor reception and there is a lot of snow. I am just using the little 2’ long V shaped antenna that came with the TV. Do I need to get a larger antenna or maybe a satellite dish? Does anyone know someone who makes a propane satellite dish?

thanks,

-- mike wood (308wood@excite.com), November 07, 2001

Answers

are you saying,, you have a TV that runs on propane??

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), November 07, 2001.

A propane TV now that is something I could relate to. Deer camp would be a lot less boring if we had one. Need to know more about this critter. Sally

-- (mallardhen67@hotmail.com), November 07, 2001.

Me, too! I can understand how propane can run a compressor, but I am at a loss as to how it can run a TV! What is the brand? Nameplate data? Or do you also have some bridges for sale? Brad the skeptical, but ever willing to learn.

-- Brad (homefixer@SacoRiver.net), November 07, 2001.

Is the fridge cold enough to hold boneless chicken? Does the t.v. have a kick starter like the older motorcycles?

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), November 07, 2001.

I don’t know much about these things but the TV is VERY heavy like there is a little generator or something inside. I looked at the TV for a tag but the back of the unit is somewhat rusty and it looks like the tag has rusted off. There seems to be the little pilot light and the burner. I have been lighting it with a kitchen match and have not looked for an electric starter. I can’t see anything that looks like a kick-start. But there must be an easier way to start this than using a match.

-- mike wood (308wood@excite.com), November 07, 2001.


O.K. Mike I checked the calendar and it's not even close to April and being from Missouri all I can say is show me!!!

-- Jim Tanner (tanner_jim@hotmail.com), November 07, 2001.

Yeah our TV ran off of propane also! A propane generator, that the TV plugged into :) Now that would be heavy! We do have a small 22 foot airstream trailer that not only has propane/electric heat, propane/electric fridge and propane/electric water heater, but also 2 propane lights inside! Hoping to sell it to someone wanting it for a deer lease. Bet it would sell quickly with your TV want to sell it :) Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), November 07, 2001.

Mike,

About that antenna you're using. Is it copper, stainless steel, aluminum or cast iron in composition?

Copper has the best heat conduction and will therefore give you the best reception but it's a nusiance to keep it clean and there's some concern about mind poisoning when used to view programs with a high acidic wit content.

Aluminum has the next best heat conduction but there's a lot of popular folklore about metal poisoning from watching cheap programming brought in by these types of antennas. It's possible to get aluminum antennas with non-stick coatings that will alleviate this problem but there's been a lot of complaints that the Teflon coatings cause unwanted, spontaneous reception of televised speeches from Bill Clinton, Richard Nixon and the like. I've always found aluminum reception to be a little flimsy and uneven leading to hotspots, particularly in election coverage so I generally avoid it.

Stainless steel isn't as good a heat conductor but if you get a heavy stainless steel antenna it heats very evenly. I use this type of antenna for most things. Highs and lows tend to get rounded off somewhat but it seldom disappoints. It's what most of America uses.

Cast Iron is the antenna material of choice for when you're in the homestead, conservative mood and want that feeling of solid reassurance. Reception isn't the best but when there is a strong signal it performs quite well, gives very even heating from the bottom up, and unlike other materials *left* behind over the years cast iron keeps *right* on going year after year of solid service.

Mate up the proper antenna material to your propane fired TV and I think your poor reception and snowy viewing problems will clear right up.

={(Oak)-

-- Live Oak (oneliveoak@yahoo.com), November 08, 2001.


It's shore gettin' thick....hang on a minute while I go out to the barn an git a shovel..........don't let it get to deeep!

-- Jim-mi (Hartalteng@voyager.net), November 08, 2001.

The blue flame syndrome is a misnomer amongst Propane Refrigerator users. Disconnect your TV from the refrigerator outlet. Hook it up with the Coleman Gas Stove and....Walla!

You can pick up HBO for free, and the Deer Channel!

Guaronteed!

Dan

-- Dan (d.keeling@worldnet.att.net), April 27, 2002.



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