Power for a small refrigerator while traveling.

[FTWingRiders]

Hello all,

Maybe a newbie question.. My wife and I will be traveling about 10 hours this saturday down to Harpers Ferry, and we would like to power our extra small refrigerator to help keep everything cold. Usually we just get it cold for the hour or so to our regular campground.

I'm thinking a deep cell battery with an inverter might work, but will it last long enough? I need to determine the wattage of the mini frig.. any input/thoughts would be greatly appreciated..

[KanTC]

FTWingRiders,

Is there a particular reason why you can't use your regular RV frig (on LP) while traveling? Assuming it's working properly, that is.

Terri, the Chevy co-pilot

[Laredo291OH]

Hi FT,

We just got back from a 2 week trip with our TT that has the outdoor kitchen with the dorm size fridge that only runs on 110. We just set the fridge as cold as it would go for a few hours while it was still plugged in (this would even freeze some of the water bottles that were in the fridge). We went for 2-3 days without being plugged into electric and our fridge worked just fine, especially with the frozen water bottles in it. We tried not to open very often while not plugged in also.

[poncho62]

Originally Posted by FTWingRiders

Hello all,

Maybe a newbie question.. My wife and I will be traveling about 10 hours this saturday down to Harpers Ferry, and we would like to power our extra small refrigerator to help keep everything cold. Usually we just get it cold for the hour or so to our regular campground.

I'm thinking a deep cell battery with an inverter might work, but will it last long enough? I need to determine the wattage of the mini frig.. any input/thoughts would be greatly appreciated..

Not sure what your RV is, but you should be able to plug in an inverter to your house battery. It should be constantly charging by your driving charging system, be it in a coach or tow vehicle

[Javi]

Originally Posted by KanTC

FTWingRiders,

Is there a particular reason why you can't use your regular RV frig (on LP) while traveling? Assuming it's working properly, that is.

Terri, the Chevy co-pilot

X2,

I've towed thousands of miles with the fridge on propane while traveling.

[Essness]

I have a small dorm type fridge in the garage of ours. Anytime we are towing more than about 3 hours I run the generator for about an hour or between fuel stops.
I would think you should be able to get the wattage off the fridge tag In the back and get an appropriately sized inverter to run it.

[FTWingRiders]

Thank you for all your replies! We run the regular refrigerator with propane while traveling, the reason for the second frig in the garage is that my wife likes to stock up for a weeks worth of groceries, and we need the extra space for drinks and such. We have a 325 SRX toy hauler, and to run 12v to the rear thru an inverter would require a bit of work to get wires back there. A job for this winter.

Maybe if I stock the freezer section with water and let it freeze it would keep it cold for most of the day if I keep it closed.

[KanTC]

Originally Posted by FTWingRiders

Maybe if I stock the freezer section with water and let it freeze it would keep it cold for most of the day if I keep it closed.

Agreed, that should help! And, given that it's a smaller frig - you could also make your own *block* ice, using quart or gallon Ziploc-typed bags (frozen FLAT),
and place them in/around the food/drinks. As long as the bags are sealed correctly, there shouldn't be any water/mess as the blocks melt.

Terri, the Chevy co-pilot

[Murphsmom]

Milk can also be frozen. That would give you a large block of "ice" in the drinks fridge. Just remember to pour off a bit before you freeze it or it will blow its top.