Do you leave your fridge on?

oldschoolhdmike · 06-09-2018, 06:19 PM

My laredo is hooked up to 30amp power all the time at my house. Should i leave the fridge on? Or should i just turn it off and clip the doors so it doesn’t mold?

**chuckster57** · 06-09-2018, 06:24 PM

RV style, either way is fine. I leave ours off, doors ajar.

Residential style, I would leave it plugged in and operating.

dwall · 06-09-2018, 06:31 PM

I leave mine off with doors open then turn it on 2-3 days before a trip to give plenty of cool down time.

hankaye · 06-09-2018, 06:45 PM

oldschoolhdmike, Howdy;

Bought mine 04/27/2011, fired it up in the lot, drove back to the Park I was
living in at the time. Plugged it in and a few days later I 'officially' moved in,
it's been working fine ever since. Clean it out at the Seasonal changes and
defrost when necessary.

hankaye

Ken / Claudia · 06-09-2018, 08:19 PM

Mine is in driveway and is turned off until about now, when the warmer weather starts. I turn it on and store beverages in it. Saves going into house when working in garage or yard.

Bisjoe · 06-10-2018, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dwall

I leave mine off with doors open then turn it on 2-3 days before a trip to give plenty of cool down time.

Same here. It does come in handy as an additional fridge at time when having a bunch of people over, though, especially when they are all bringing something for dinner. I find that it takes at least overnight to get it to temperature.

**sourdough** · 06-10-2018, 05:43 PM

Come on guys! Using the RV fridge for keeping things cool when someone comes over? And you aren't using the RV? Heck, I've got a huge side by side in the house, a 25 cf fridge/freezer in the garage and an 18' cf fridge freezer in the shop....not to mention the "freezer" freezers. When one of those go out it's a few hundred, not many, many hundreds as an RV fridge costs. Maybe I just keep more "beverages" cold??

- along with a frozen case of super sweet corn, a tow sack of frozen Hatch green chiles etc.....

Lee · 06-11-2018, 04:52 AM

Hi,

Mine stays on, 2-3 before the first camping trip (~May) straight through till mid-Oct each year.

This way I don't have to unload the fridge/freezer after each outing.

BTW: I am lucky enough to be able to park the TT on my property under a roof and plugged in.

Laredo Tugger · 06-11-2018, 07:22 AM

"BTW: I am lucky enough to be able to park the TT on my property under a roof and plugged in."
Yes. You are lucky.
How about traveling with the fridge on (propane)? What does the jury have to say about this practice?
Thanks,
RMc

Bama Hammer · 06-11-2018, 07:27 AM

So far as traveling with it on.. I would be cautious. An unlevel fridge can have issues with the pipes and lead to some very expensive repairs.

**sourdough** · 06-11-2018, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laredo Tugger

"BTW: I am lucky enough to be able to park the TT on my property under a roof and plugged in."
Yes. You are lucky.
How about traveling with the fridge on (propane)? What does the jury have to say about this practice?
Thanks,
RMc

I think you'll find a hung jury on that question.

Folks are of different minds on it but I travel with mine on. It's on the off side from the gas pumps so I don't worry about it.

66joej · 06-11-2018, 07:32 AM

^ likewise it's nice to have a cool one when arriving and after setup. Or ice cubes for other drinks.

Carrottop · 06-11-2018, 09:10 AM

I have a 50amp plug I installed on the side of my house, I used to own a class a and still use for the 30amp trailer. When sitting on my driveway level the fridge and ac stay on. I keep the RV at 73 degrees and the fridge running and stocked all summer. I have never had an issue with any RV and have been doing this method for years. I also leave the fridge running on propane while driving again never had an issue in years of RV'ing

ftrupe · 06-11-2018, 05:05 PM

I leave mine plugged in from May through October and I travel with it on gas. Most of my travels are 1 tank of gas, but once when I had to fill up on the road, I turned the fridge off. After I moved away from the pjmps, I relit the gas. My trailer is parked next to my house and I have a 30 amp circuit.

Gegrad · 06-11-2018, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dwall

I leave mine off with doors open then turn it on 2-3 days before a trip to give plenty of cool down time.

This is exactly what I do as well.

Bnrc73 · 06-14-2018, 08:18 AM

I've traveled many miles with the fridge on propane with no problems. My 3400rl on my F350 SWD is pretty level when hooked up, so I always have a cold adult beverage ready for after setup.

wobly · 06-14-2018, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lee

Hi,

Mine stays on, 2-3 before the first camping trip (~May) straight through till mid-Oct each year.

This way I don't have to unload the fridge/freezer after each outing.

BTW: I am lucky enough to be able to park the TT on my property under a roof and plugged in.

We do the same without having the benefit of overhead cover for our trailer. When traveling, we have it on propane to keep it working and cool.

mcmeadows1 · 06-14-2018, 01:44 PM

As others have stated, two or three days before we travel, we turn on the fridge. At this point, since our RV is connected to 20 amp shore power, the fridge is running off of electricity. Once we connect to the tow vehicle, and disconnect from electricity, the fridge switches to propane. Since our 5th Wheel is almost perfectly level when attached to the truck, we keep the fridge running while traveling. Once we get to the campground, and connect to shore power, the fridge switches back to electricity. For the return trip home, we do the same.

After traveling over 5,000 miles in the last year with the RV, we have never had any issues with the fridge staying powered, either while stopped or underway, and whether on electricity or propane.

johnlewis · 06-14-2018, 07:20 PM

We travel with our fridge on all the time. I understand the concern with damaging the fridge because it isn't level enough, but our 5th wheel is pretty level when we are hooked up. Have been doing this for about 2 years, without a problem.
As for leaving it hooked up when parked, I agree with sourdough - why put unnecessary wear and tear on such an expensive appliance?

travelin texans · 06-14-2018, 08:54 PM

Before retirement we had storage at our home with full hookups & the rv had fridge on, heat/air set, water/sewer connected, & beds made, there were weekends we camped in the driveway & it was a great guest house for family/friends. Never wore out a fridge, water heater, furnace or air conditioner.
As for the fridge on, yes! We've had several rvs in the last 40 years & every one of them had the fridge set to "auto" & never changed, that's how they were designed to operate.
In my opinion there's no right or wrong way just different opinions, so how you operate it is up to you.

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