Storing 5th wheel w/residential refrigerator

[B3Dcampers]

We bought our rv last fall, and dealer told us to keep the rv plugged in b/c it’s better for the refrigerator. We live in East Texas and it’s very humid here. We keep our rv in an enclosed metal building. The temp inside of the rv is 80 (today at 6:00 pm). I noticed as I was putting things in the refrigerator (heading out tomorrow) that it’s sweating. I don’t want mold to start growing! Do y’all leave your refrigerator running or turn it off in between trips?

[jasin1]

Originally Posted by B3Dcampers

We bought our rv last fall, and dealer told us to keep the rv plugged in b/c it’s better for the refrigerator. We live in East Texas and it’s very humid here. We keep our rv in an enclosed metal building. The temp inside of the rv is 80 (today at 6:00 pm). I noticed as I was putting things in the refrigerator (heading out tomorrow) that it’s sweating. I don’t want mold to start growing! Do y’all leave your refrigerator running or turn it off in between trips?

I can’t see how it makes any difference if it’s plugged in or not.. I don’t have a residential refrigerator but I turn mine off and open the doors a little to keep it aired out between trips.
If it’s going to be sitting for more then a week I would probably shut it off and open the doors.
It’s just a compressor and a fan...it shuts off and on all day..it really doesn’t care what the temperature is it will just run until it pulls the box down to temp

Edit : by plugged in I mean refrigerator on or off, not shore power... I leave my shore power always plugged in

[Javi]

Originally Posted by B3Dcampers

We bought our rv last fall, and dealer told us to keep the rv plugged in b/c it’s better for the refrigerator. We live in East Texas and it’s very humid here. We keep our rv in an enclosed metal building. The temp inside of the rv is 80 (today at 6:00 pm). I noticed as I was putting things in the refrigerator (heading out tomorrow) that it’s sweating. I don’t want mold to start growing! Do y’all leave your refrigerator running or turn it off in between trips?

My Samsung has been on since July, I store it in a covered area with electric hookups.
If for some reason I were to have to turn the power off for any longer than a day or two I'd first turn off the inverter and activate the battery disconnect then prop open the doors of the freezer and refrigerator after laying towels in both to soak up the water from the defrost. Next day I'd go back and remove the wet towels.

If you're storing it with no power, make sure you disconnect the ground cables from all the batteries.

[dutchmensport]

It doesn't matter if you turn them off or leave them running. The residential refrigerators are the same type you'd have in your house. It doesn't hurt them a bit to run always, just like in your house.

However, if you do turn them off, then you need to prop the doors open so they can get air inside, just like at home. Otherwise, they stink after only a day.

It's a residential refrigerator. It's made to run 24x7x365.

[tech740]

We leave ours on all season once we fill it with groceries. I am not carrying groceries back and forth. One thing I read and choose to ignore is that the hotter it is in the camper the harder it is on the fridge. I am not running the A/C in storage to less than 86* so I take that chance. I am in Michigan also, so 86 isn't as bad here.

[JRTJH]

There is a statement in the owner's manual regarding leaving the refrigerator operating when the RV is not being cooled. Here's the statement from the owner's manual:

By design, these refrigerators will not operate properly when indoor air temperatures exceed approximately 110 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition, operating the refrigerator in these conditions could cause compressor failure which may not be considered warrantable. Leave the air conditioner set at a temperature below this if the refrigerator is left running in a vehicle that is not being used or shut it off.

Your RV interior temperature may not reach 110 F, so it may not apply. Just something to consider as the weather gets warmer, even up here in the "frozen north".....

[sourdough]

^^^^^and there is why we don't leave ours running 7x24x365 because here we would have to have the AC running all the time. At home with the 50a hookup it would be fine but the storage barn does not have that. We clean it, dry it, air it out with doors open for several days and then close it up (can't close slides with it open). Haven't had any issues but it has to really be dry, and we are in W TX.

[jasin1]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

There is a statement in the owner's manual regarding leaving the refrigerator operating when the RV is not being cooled. Here's the statement from the owner's manual:

By design, these refrigerators will not operate properly when indoor air temperatures exceed approximately 110 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition, operating the refrigerator in these conditions could cause compressor failure which may not be considered warrantable. Leave the air conditioner set at a temperature below this if the refrigerator is left running in a vehicle that is not being used or shut it off.

Your RV interior temperature may not reach 110 F, so it may not apply. Just something to consider as the weather gets warmer, even up here in the "frozen north".....

Your right it’s a good idea if temps are extreme. Whether really cold or hot..
In reality they are designed to operate in a conditioned space although they will work in temps between 40 and 95 deg F as some people have them in their garage.. I wouldn’t keep filet mignon in a garage freezer in the winter.