Yup, another fridge question

[the sodfather]

I'm a newbie to all this high tech TT stuff. It's been tents and cooler for years. Now I've got a 2015 272BHS TT. Before I head out to my camping site, can I turn on my fridge (to propane) while I'm running down the road so it can be cooling on my drive to the camp site? Will the pilot stay lit?

Thanks!

[sourdough]

Prep/fill the trailer with your goodies at home and start the fridge so it can cool down then fill it before you leave. Plug it in at home and let it cool down and load on AC then kick it over to propane (auto) when you disconnect and leave. Everything will be nice and cold when you get there and it will kick back to AC if you have facilities or just leave it on propane if not.

[chuckster57]

The "pilot" light should stay lit as long as the flame shields are in place. And your control board uses the igniter as a flame sensor and will reignite if the flame goes out.

[the sodfather]

Good info! Thanks guys!

[buzzcop63]

For those who store their trailers off sight as I do I have found the following practice to work well for our travels. I have purchased a few blocks of "Blue Ice", these I keep in the freezer at home, when we have a trip planed I take them over and put them in the trailers refrigerator to help cool it down. The next day, even if the temperature has been high outside the refrigerator is now cold enough for food. I turn on the LP gas and DC power, and then make sure you have gas flow at the range and once that has been established I turn the refrigerator on with the Auto selected and bring home the Blue Ice. The cold food from my home refrigerator can now be loaded and the next morning we take off and keep everything running. Once at our location and plugged into shore power the refrig will go automatically to electric running. It stays on Auto until were home and have unloaded any un-used cold food into our insulated food carrier and then the refrig is turned off, doors propped open and the gas and DC power turned off until next time. If you make a gas stop, turn off the refrig until you are out of the station.

[the sodfather]

For those who store their trailers off sight as I do I have found the following practice to work well for our travels. I have purchased a few blocks of "Blue Ice", these I keep in the freezer at home, when we have a trip planed I take them over and put them in the trailers refrigerator to help cool it down. The next day, even if the temperature has been high outside the refrigerator is now cold enough for food. I turn on the LP gas and DC power, and then make sure you have gas flow at the range and once that has been established I turn the refrigerator on with the Auto selected and bring home the Blue Ice. The cold food from my home refrigerator can now be loaded and the next morning we take off and keep everything running. Once at our location and plugged into shore power the refrig will go automatically to electric running. It stays on Auto until were home and have unloaded any un-used cold food into our insulated food carrier and then the refrig is turned off, doors propped open and the gas and DC power turned off until next time. If you make a gas stop, turn off the refrig until you are out of the station.

Awesome. This is my situation and this is what I'm gonna do from now on. The nice thing is my trailer is stored less than a mile from home so this will be easy to do too!

[gearhead]

All good info. Just can't throw warm food in there, turn the fridge on, and expect it to cool everything down. Give it a head start.
Also, if you stop to gas up your tow truck be aware of where the refrigerator is in relation to the gas pumps. If you are at a pump island and the fridge vents are right next to it, I would turn the fridge off.

[tribalsimba]

Eye opener on turning off fridge at refuel stations!! Thanks!

[MotownJG]

Someone mentioned to me that it was a bad idea to run propane while driving down the road, so I haven't.

Its not been an issue since we have only been driving 3-4 hours at a time before starting things back up refrigerator-wise.

but here's my question, is it OK to drive/tow the 5th wheel with my propane tanks open and running the refrigerator while driving?

[chuckster57]

but here's my question, is it OK to drive/tow the 5th wheel with my propane tanks open and running the refrigerator while driving?

I have done it for years. There are places that require the cylinders be turned off. I have found those to be in the Eastern portion of the US. And it started after 9/11.

[{tpc}]

I drive with it on propane all the time. Usually we start on AC at home the night before, load up the fridge in the morning before we leave. Propane works faster than AC, so don't be surprised.

It is nice if we stop at a grocery on the way...everything nice and cold and can load up more with no worries.

[Barbell]

We also leave the propane on while traveling. Have seen signs on approach to tunnels in the Northeast saying turn off propane but we never have.

[gearhead]

Someone mentioned to me that it was a bad idea to run propane while driving down the road, so I haven't.

Its not been an issue since we have only been driving 3-4 hours at a time before starting things back up refrigerator-wise.

but here's my question, is it OK to drive/tow the 5th wheel with my propane tanks open and running the refrigerator while driving?

Yeah that is what they are designed to do. I've done it since maybe 1984.

[LuvsPalmTrees]

We have also always run with our propane and fridge on.