fridge traveling temp?

[gwilkrrs]

so sorry- I cant seem to understand this-

hook up at home to get fridge cold- pack it with cold stuff ( do not overfill) and turn all off with door closed and travel to destination? or leave propane on for the travel to maintain temps?

I have it hooked up to electric now (empty) while I work on the propane and it isn't very cold, but was when we bought it so I think maybe it cools better with LP?

2007 289bhs

[chuckster57]

As a rule, I have found that RV fridges get cold faster on LP. A vast majority of us will leave it in auto, do it will use the heating element while plugged in and then use the propane flame while on the road.

[sourdough]

I have always traveled with the fridge on auto. In hot weather, in an enclosed very hot trailer, the fridge just does not do well.

[Mikelff]

I fixed this issue by replacing my cooling unit with a 12V compressor system. I have a 1350 Dometic and living in the south the absorption cooling unit just couldn’t handle the heat. I would travel with propane on, but even then keeping the fridge cold enough was a constant issue. JC Refrigeration in Shipshewana, Indiana makes a compressor cooling unit in 12V DC our 120V AC if you have an inverter. My 1350 box is the largest they make so it was fine as far as size. I now have a “residential” type system, only stronger, with a 3 year warranty. At 102 degrees outside temp, the freezer held -8, and the fridge held 37 degrees, on the third setting. 1-5, 5 being coldest. No more waiting forever to cool the fridge down. Its at temp in 2 - 2 1/2 hours. It recovers temp in minutes, not hours. No issue traveling with propane on and possible fire issues. If your refrigerator box meets your needs, just swap out your cooling unit. No mods needed for your fridge space. No need to go to a residential fridge and have another bag of potential issues. They are not made for all the banging around an RV gives them. More and more dealers are refusing to install them because they cannot service them. I know many folks have residential fridge and have no issues. Thats great. Check out their web site for your model fridge and prices are listed and everything that’s is included. They are built by hand and are quite sturdy, hence their 3 warrenty, with an option to buy an additional 3 years. When was the last time you had a 3year warrenty on something that goes in an RV? Yea, I’m a fan. My beer is COLD and my ice cream is rock hard.

[ChuckS]

Also when traveling in high temps out some max air covers over the ceiling vents and then leave vents open while traveling. Let’s that hit air escape.. Ae have a Dometic 1350... fridge stays around 36 while towing down the road in 90 plus temps...

[B-O-B'03]

I fixed this issue by replacing my cooling unit with a 12V compressor system. I have a 1350 Dometic and living in the south the absorption cooling unit just couldn’t handle the heat. I would travel with propane on, but even then keeping the fridge cold enough was a constant issue. JC Refrigeration in Shipshewana, Indiana makes a compressor cooling unit in 12V DC our 120V AC if you have an inverter. My 1350 box is the largest they make so it was fine as far as size. I now have a “residential” type system, only stronger, with a 3 year warranty. At 102 degrees outside temp, the freezer held -8, and the fridge held 37 degrees, on the third setting. 1-5, 5 being coldest. No more waiting forever to cool the fridge down. Its at temp in 2 - 2 1/2 hours. It recovers temp in minutes, not hours. No issue traveling with propane on and possible fire issues. If your refrigerator box meets your needs, just swap out your cooling unit. No mods needed for your fridge space. No need to go to a residential fridge and have another bag of potential issues. They are not made for all the banging around an RV gives them. More and more dealers are refusing to install them because they cannot service them. I know many folks have residential fridge and have no issues. Thats great. Check out their web site for your model fridge and prices are listed and everything that’s is included. They are built by hand and are quite sturdy, hence their 3 warrenty, with an option to buy an additional 3 years. When was the last time you had a 3year warrenty on something that goes in an RV? Yea, I’m a fan. My beer is COLD and my ice cream is rock hard.

The minus here is dry camping... how do you run that 12V compressor on propane? I read somewhere the compressor style fridge draws ~8 amps @ 12V... using up to 1.5KWh per day, depending on ambient temps.

I have had no issues with our RV style fridge, the stuff in the freezer is frozen and the stuff in the fridge is cold... always. On our last trip the fins in the fridge were frosting up and Items that had been placed next to them froze, that was with the temperature setting on 3 out of 5 and 90+ degrees outside.

I doubt anyone makes a replacement cooling unit for our Atwood He fridge anyway, so new fridge time will probably also be new camper time for us.

-Brian

[bobbecky]

A couple years ago, having a conversation with Paul Unmack, who along with his wife, designed the ARP Fridge Defend device for absorption fridges, he recommended running these fridges full time on gas, as they don't use that much gas, and the flame heat is much more gentle on the boiler unit than is the rapid heat from the electric elements. Also it had been his observation that the gas mode does work better than the electric. As I'm sitting here typing this, our outside temperature is over 90 degrees, and the fridge side of the rig is in the sun, and our freezer is at 18 degrees and the fridge is at 37 degrees, and this on a Norcold 1210. By morning, the freezer is usually down to about 11 degrees and the fridge will be a couple degrees lower, and we have been exclusively on gas for over two years, and we fulltime. We also travel with the fridge on.

[ChuckS]

Since your running your RV fridge on propane a lot... have you removed and cleaned the flue and if so what sort of soot buildup was observed... if any...?

[bobbecky]

Haven't had any issues, and the flue is clean. If your propane is burning correctly, there shouldn't be any soot. If you have soot, your air/fuel proportions are wrong and need to be fixed.

[gwilkrrs]

well, I didn't know to check the flue- not even sure where to look.....

1sttime out and traveled with fridge running- 2-1/2 hour trip and all was cold going out and returning. so I guess its ok-

I did notice water dripping into the pan..... then dripping on items. I don't think the wife put all back correctly after she cleaned it...…. will check this also

[crowbar]

When preparing for a trip, we have the fridge on 110 as we load it up. Then when ready to hit the road, we turn on the LP and light the stove to make sure the lines are full and then get the fridge started on gas. Last time we arrived at our campsite, the fridge wasn't doing well but it was PACKED. So we emptied half of it out and in no time the temp dropped right down and we loaded it back up and had no issues for the rest of the trip. We also have no issues running the fridge on LP when travelling and have been doing it for years. Good luck and have fun.

[Mikelff]

The minus here is dry camping... how do you run that 12V compressor on propane? I read somewhere the compressor style fridge draws ~8 amps @ 12V... using up to 1.5KWh per day, depending on ambient temps.

I have had no issues with our RV style fridge, the stuff in the freezer is frozen and the stuff in the fridge is cold... always. On our last trip the fins in the fridge were frosting up and Items that had been placed next to them froze, that was with the temperature setting on 3 out of 5 and 90+ degrees outside.

I doubt anyone makes a replacement cooling unit for our Atwood He fridge anyway, so new fridge time will probably also be new camper time for us.

-Brian

Brian, sorry I'm late on this response. One way to keep frost off the fins is to have some fans on them. Helps air circulate in the fridge and, at least on mine, keeps frost off them. On my 12V it is very low amp draw. No where close to 8 amps. Maybe 1 to 1.5 or less. Go to JC Refrigeration.com for all the specs. They can probably make a cooling unit for you. Just give them your model etc.

[mikec557]

so sorry- I cant seem to understand this-

hook up at home to get fridge cold- pack it with cold stuff ( do not overfill) and turn all off with door closed and travel to destination? or leave propane on for the travel to maintain temps?

I have it hooked up to electric now (empty) while I work on the propane and it isn't very cold, but was when we bought it so I think maybe it cools better with LP?

2007 289bhs

GW

From time to time the question comes up about whether or not it's "safe" to run the fridge on propane while traveling. I think it may be a question like religion or politics, different people have different beliefs.

We always run the fridge on propane while we travel. Basically doing what others have said about setting it to auto fuel selection.

If the wind somehow blows out the flame the fridge electronics will shut off the propane.

Just my 2 cents
Mike

[mbi777]

GW

From time to time the question comes up about whether or not it's "safe" to run the fridge on propane while traveling. I think it may be a question like religion or politics, different people have different beliefs.

We always run the fridge on propane while we travel. Basically doing what others have said about setting it to auto fuel selection.

If the wind somehow blows out the flame the fridge electronics will shut off the propane.

Just my 2 cents
Mike

Is that true for all fridge electronics when wind blows out the flame?

[mikec557]

Is that true for all fridge electronics when wind blows out the flame?

Someone smarter than me should answer this, but...

My experience with propane fridges goes back to units from the 70s and 80s, then the present day units. There's a copper looking finger that extends into the flame. While it's hot it keeps a solenoid open and gas flows. When the flame goes out, it cools and it closes the solenoid. You can see this finger/flame when you light the oven burner.

But look at your own fridge to be sure.

[chunker]

The RV fridge, absorbent type, will keep frozen stuff frozen and cold stuff cold. It does a poor job freezing thawed items or trying to cool warm items put in the refer. For best operation pre freeze all items going into the freezer and pre chill items going into the fridge. Pack it full but don't fully block off a shelf and prevent air movement, i.e. cooling to move around. Limit door opening to limit the cold air spilling out and having to be replaced.

A few years ago I bought 20# of haddock filet in Maine which I wrapped individually and put in freezer, Norcold 1200. It took 3-4 days before the fillets finally froze. The next year in Alaska, I bought and caught 40# of salmon and halibut but I had them put the fillets in their freezer overnight, -10, and when I picked them up they were solid. On this trip I packed a bunch of ready to eat meals I made ahead of time and froze in the chest freezer. Everything solid in the RV fridge.

[GMcKenzie]

The only thing about running on propane is filling up at gas stations, and is the pilot near the gas pump. Mine is at the back of my trailer, so more than 40 feet from where I'm filling and usually nowhere near any pump. Might have a different opinion with a front kitchen model, but I just leave mine on.

But the new compressor one's are intriguing to me. I don't camp without services a lot, maybe a long weekend here and there, and I like that they are bigger for the same cabinet space. We've always though our fridge is too small and gaining a couple of sq ft in the same space is something I'm looking at.