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Old 05-23-2022, 09:18 AM   #21
sourdough
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Originally Posted by SandyBurg View Post
RickyV - we have the knob on our fridge. We use it everytime we travel. They put it in crooked. It holds the right door and freezer well. but can allow the left door to open just a bit. Since we can't get to the fridge while traveling. We try to make sure and stuff a towel around it to make sure that left door doesn't open. We also make sure all our items are secure in the fridge and can't move. Thanks for the input!

You can buy all kinds of rubber washers/grommets at hardware stores. I made one from an old scrap of rubber approx. 3/8" thick to keep things tight.
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Old 05-23-2022, 09:58 AM   #22
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As mentioned check the charging pin on your truck plug to confirm when/how charging is connected. Also may want to check the truck fuse panel, most likely under the hood, to confirm the fuse is in that circuit, my last truck it was not.
Also if equipped with an onboard generator you could run it while traveling, no worries then about the fridge & could have the A/C cooled off when you get parked.
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Old 05-23-2022, 01:34 PM   #23
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Easy way to never worry about it is to get yourself a Victron smart shunt. ~$150 on Amazon and takes minutes to install. It will tell you via Bluetooth how your battery is doing for your long hauls. Otherwise, if you are like me, you will be thinking about it for miles on end wondering if you will show up with a refer full of bad groceries. Seriously it takes the guesswork out of it.
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Old 05-24-2022, 06:38 AM   #24
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Another way to look at it, it’s a residential fridge, you’re not opening it while you travel. Obviously the. Artery will run it for several hours, most of. It all of the trip……how long can the power be out in your home before you start worrying about the food in your fridge? Residential fridges do a very good job of keeping the cold in as long as you don’t open the door. It would be several hours without power before it got warm enough inside for food to start to spoil. I’ve read somewhere that it’s good for something like 4 hours without power. I’m sure you could look that up to verify that.
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Old 05-29-2022, 07:31 AM   #25
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Just as an added comment, I use 2 solar panels to keep batteries charged while in storage and I leave them on never turn them off so while traveling I also get the benefit of solar.
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Old 05-29-2022, 07:35 AM   #26
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Put a Honda 2200 generator on the back of the trailer. Turn off the breakers to everything except the refrigerator. The generator can run up to 8 hours per tank and the draw on it should be low. Remember to turn it off when you fuel your TV.
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Old 05-29-2022, 08:14 AM   #27
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I have 4 six volt batteries in my camper. If my inverter is beeping I turn the inverter off and wait a few minutes and turn the inverter back on. If dealing with batteries you need to google the 12 volt side of life part 1. It tells all about batteries and how to check them plus wire them up
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Old 05-29-2022, 08:43 AM   #28
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Another battery (matched) is always a good idea to lengthen the time the inverter can provide AC power to refrigerator. Be sure all other devices are turned off. ie: electric water heater, usb converters, lights, etc.
A cold refrigerator, with already cold contents and the door not being opened for 4, 6 or 12 hours probably won’t run for 50% of the time. Should be able to stY below 38F and keep freezer at 20F no problem.
Some people even travel with fridge cold, turned off and door not opened until they camp.
Met one couple that would put 5 lbs of dry ice in fridge and some in freezer. Never let it too near food or bologna will take a day to thaw out.
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Old 05-29-2022, 08:57 AM   #29
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I would never recommend using "dry ice" in an occupied space, especially a small space like a camper.Dry ice is solid carbon dioxide. When it evaporates it's heavier than air and replaces the air. That's how CO2 fire extinguishers work, they CO2 replaces the oxygen. No oxygen no fire. Thing is, we need the oxygen also so it can be dangerous.
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Old 05-29-2022, 09:06 AM   #30
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Using dry ice in a cooler or fridge poses no threat as long as it isn’t a pressurized airtight container.
There isn’t enough off-gassed carbon dioxide in an open space like a camper to build up CO2 levels and deplete O2 levels.
Many food stuffs are transported with blocks of dry ice. Ice Creme trucks travel with blocks of it in every compartment, (some don’t even carry refrigerator compressors).

CO2 blocks are available from many grocery stores in summer. It’s in a non-refrigerated chest containing about 500 lbs of the stuff.
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Old 05-29-2022, 09:14 AM   #31
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Using dry ice in a cooler or fridge poses no threat as long as it isn’t a pressurized airtight container.
There isn’t enough off-gassed carbon dioxide in an open space like a camper to build up CO2 levels and deplete O2 levels.
Many food stuffs are transported with blocks of dry ice. Ice Creme trucks travel with blocks of it in every compartment, (some don’t even carry refrigerator compressors).

CO2 blocks are available from many grocery stores in summer. It’s in a non-refrigerated chest containing about 500 lbs of the stuff.
Not trying to argumentative but I'd like to see some data on that.
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Old 05-29-2022, 04:30 PM   #32
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A residential fridge is pretty efficient. If your battery is good and you aren’t going to be opening the door, it’s not going to be cycling the compressor on very much (unless you’re towing through the desert and it gets hot inside the trailer), I don’t see it discharging the battery in 12-14 hrs. Even if it does, it’s likely it will be towards the end of your drive, and as others have said, the contents of the fridge will stay cold for many hours after the power goes out as long as the door stays closed.
I Also have a thermometer that has two sensors that I put one each in the fridge and the freezer. It will log the the highest temp the contents saw so I can determine if I need to worry about my food.
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Old 05-29-2022, 06:17 PM   #33
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The electric heating element in the ice maker (to release the cubes/crescents from the mold) is one of the biggest users of battery power in a RV refrigerator. If you're concerned about the battery lasting long enough to power the refrigerator during towing, it might help to turn off the ice maker when on the road and turn it back on when plugged into shore power.
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Old 05-30-2022, 02:27 AM   #34
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It also wouldn’t hurt to freeze some items in th fridge section to act as ice blocks in transit. Two things that come to mind, for example are juices an d drinking water. Treat it just like an old school ice box.

Good luck,
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Old 05-30-2022, 06:55 AM   #35
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We just did a long trip and the fridge stayed on for 10 hours not plugged in. I only have one battery for the inverter.
I don’t know if my GMC is charging the battery but I have not had an issue on long drives.
Like someone said you are going to be constantly thinking about it while driving.
Pull into a rest area and open the slide to get to the fridge and see if it is still holding its temp.
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Old 05-30-2022, 10:14 AM   #36
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I’ve towed many times 10-16 hour days. I tow with a 2017 Ford Super Duty, once you hit the brakes once it seems to me it energizes the circuit. I keep the inverter on all the time. I have never had an issue with the residential fridge keeping items in the freezer frozen and refrigerator items cold.
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Old 06-01-2022, 04:15 PM   #37
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Put some water bottles in the freezer the day before your trip. Move them to the refrigerator just before departure. This will help keep things cold and you can drink the cold water when setting up camp.
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Old 06-30-2022, 09:22 AM   #38
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Thanks all! I forgot to post this when we got home.

We traveled for over twelve hours, on two different days during our trip. No problems. Fridge and freeze were still cold and frozen. Even when the outside temps were in the low 90's.

For those wondering about fuel cost: it was over $6 around Tetons and Yellowstone. But I did the math. We were gone two full weeks. We saved over $1500 taking the camper vs hotels. Gotta love sleeping in our own beds!! Food and drinks were available - not in a cooler.

Thanks for all the responses!!

Safe travels out there.
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Old 06-30-2022, 11:43 AM   #39
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Thanks for the update, glad your trip was enjoyable.
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Old 08-31-2022, 07:42 AM   #40
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I Know I'm a little late to the party but I have installed a 40 amp dc to dc converter. It uses your alternator to charge your batteries. I don't have to worry about the refrigerator, I can also use anything I want (Except ac) when I stop.
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