Refrigerator while towing

[KeithB]

We have plans to take our first trip with our 2108DS in about a month. We will be traveling approximately 8 hours to get to our destination. We are used to camping so understand how to pack a good ice chest for a day of travel. But wondering, do you pack the refrigerator and leave propane on for that travel day? Or do we pack a cooler and transfer contents to the refrigerator upon arrival? Interested to know how others handle refrigerated needs during travel.

[RocknRoll]

Congrats on your new TT!

I just posted about portable 12V fridge/freezers. There's a comment after my initial post that may offer some insight

https://www.winnieowners.com/forums/...ml#post3887688

[DavidM]

On my prior trailer where the absorption fridge was mounted in the back so the vents faced aft, this is what I did:

I started the fridge on AC about 12 hours before we left and then the next morning loaded up the fridge with food and drinks for our trip. Just before we left I unplugged and switched it to propane. It kept or food nice and cold on the middle temp setting- 40/15 degrees.

The aft mounting probably did not let the propane flame blow out along the way. But for all I know it did, and just relit itself.

With our new Axis where the fridge is mounted on the passenger side wall, I suspect it will blow out. So I will follow the same 12 hour cooldown, but then when we get ready to go, I will switch to DC for the trip and when we stop, I will switch to propane.

DC doesn't supply as much energy to the absorption system as AC or propane do, but it will hold the temp steady, it just won't cool down much. But that isn't necessary.

I would love to know what others do and if anyone has any observations on the flame blowing out underway.

David

[Cooperhawk]

We run the genset most of the time, but when we aren't we run the fridge on propane. Never had a problem.

[be happy]

As it takes 12plus hours to get your TT frig cold, I would first off plug it in at home if possible.

Most RV frigs are good at holding their cold while turned off, providing they were at temp. to begin with. I would get frig cold, fill with all ready cold items. Putting warm soda or water in really draws the frig temp down.

You can travel with the frig on propane with out a problem, they are designed for that. The idea of the ice chest to me makes no sense because by the time you arrive at your destination wait the 12 plus hours to get the TT frig cold etc.

Depending on how large your frig is, you could always get a bag of ice to put in frig to keep stuff cold.

Good Luck safe travels

[RocknRoll]

Originally Posted by be happy

You can travel with the frig on propane with out a problem, they are designed for that.

You are correct that you CAN travel with it on. However, you take all risks associated with it. I don't want to sound harsh, but saying that they are designed for it is false and a dangerous statement to make on a public forum.

Risks of running on Propane
The risks of running the refrigerator while towing include fire and explosion, something I don’t want to put my family at risk for. This risk is mostly if something were to go wrong, and we have all seen things go wrong while traveling. If you get into an accident or if a tire blows out, the gas lines that run under the camper could rupture and leak. The propane could get trapped in a storage compartment or a cavity under the trailer.

All it will take is an ignition source to start a fire or cause an explosion. This could happen during the accident or just after. If you hit something like truck tire retread, which are all over the road, it could possibly hit the gas line and you may not even notice that your propane is leaking until your trailing in in flames.

https://camperreport.com/can-i-tow-a...ridge-running/

Amerigas recommends turning it off
https://www.amerigas.com/amerigas-bl...propane-safety

[Marine359]

I would echo Rock’s post. Leaving propane on poses unnecessary dangerous risk.
I bought my first used MH in Texas about 40 years ago. It was kind of a beater that I planned to rehab when I got it back to California. Driving with my brother, we stopped to sleep in Arizona. The propane was left on and we found out later there was a leak in the fridge connection. Fortunately, I woke up in an hour with a splitting headache. The coach was full of propane. Could have killed us.

You really don’t have to worry about your fridge if it’s on 12v while traveling. If it’s an absorption or compressor fridge it will only consume 2-3amp per hour at worst, if you have pre-chilled it on shore power, filled the freezer with frozen stuff or ice, and put only cold things in the refrigerator. Even if you drive 10 hours, if your battery was full when you started, you likely will consume less than 25 amps. When you arrive, plug I. Shore power or fire up your Ginny, and things are quickly back to 100%.

Traveling with propane on is inherently dangerous. Plus in some states it’s illegal. Every state that I know of prohibits driving through tunnels or across bridges with propane on.
Be safe.

[pj48009]

Former fire inspector here ditto to not running on propane while moving. I have always run the fridge overnight loaded before I leave in the morning then shut it off. My travels are about six hours a day and the fridge has always stayed cold. When I arrive at the CG and stay plugged in overnight the next day is done the same. It takes me four days travel back and forth from Michigan to Florida. There has been no reason to run the fridge while traveling. Just leave the door closed. My next fridge will probably be a 12vt but for now my practice is with caution. I’ve seen so much go wrong in my career in public safety.

[creativepart]

While it is true that some folks are in the camp of not driving with the propane fridge running - it’s true that the majority of RVers with gas absorption fridges do this all the time without issue.

I don’t know if your travel trailer has a dual fuel (A/C and propane) fridge or one of the newly 12v compressor fridge.

If it’s dual fuel start it at home on A/C power as far in advance as possible and load it once it’s to temp. We always gave our TT fridge a full 24-hrs to get to temp. Then load it with cold food if possible and give it time to recover if possible.

Then only you can decide which camp you are in - do you drive with the propane on to run the fridge or not. There is no absolute right or wrong on this. It’s up to you. You will find strong opinions on both sides of the subject (like with most things it seems these days).

PS. We had three travel trailers over a 15 yr period and always traveled with the propane on to run the fridge.

[Morich]

This is a case where I go with looking at the hazards and benefits before jumping too quickly to decide.
Is there a hazard to driving, definitely. Is it more dangerous to leave the propane on, maybe a touch of hazard but most people do it and most places the only question is when you come to places which are already so dangerous you might want to avoid them! Like driving through tunnels on the East coast where accidents or fires is already a high risk? Maybe you should just go a different route that takes several days longer, just to be safe!!!
When I have a new RV, I find out how it works and most of the time, the propane frig stays lit fine and I do it as a very small added hazard for the tremendous benefits it provides!
If I have an old beater rig where the flame blows out, I adjust things until it doesn't!

[pj48009]

There is no data supporting that most people do it and they do it all the time with no issues. It’s a risk and it’s probably a small risk with little reason to take it. The food will stay cold in transit so what is the gain in having it on? Nothing. I’ve seen houses burn down from leaving the toaster plugged in. Most people may not bother unplugging it. Etc etc. if someone asks me for advice I exercise caution. If people want to take risks that’s their choice except if it creates a danger for others. That’s the camp I’m in.

[Fasttimes]

Originally Posted by creativepart

While it is true that some folks are in the camp of not driving with the propane fridge running - it’s true that the majority of RVers with gas absorption fridges do this all the time without issue.

I don’t know if your travel trailer has a dual fuel (A/C and propane) fridge or one of the newly 12v compressor fridge.

If it’s dual fuel start it at home on A/C power as far in advance as possible and load it once it’s to temp. We always gave our TT fridge a full 24-hrs to get to temp. Then load it with cold food if possible and give it time to recover if possible.

Then only you can decide which camp you are in - do you drive with the propane on to run the fridge or not. There is no absolute right or wrong on this. It’s up to you. You will find strong opinions on both sides of the subject (like with most things it seems these days).

PS. We had three travel trailers over a 15 yr period and always traveled with the propane on to run the fridge.

Ditto here, many years running with fridge on propane no issue. It may blow out, but restarts asap.

I have a love/hate relationship with my RV fridge. Love having it, but hate how they respond to hot weather. Especially here in the humid south. But I have done some upgrades that help and have a process that works best for me....

First, I would highly suggest upgrading and/or adding a second fan to your RV fridge. It's cheap and easy to do and will help the fridge recover much faster to fighting outside heat and losing temps from opening doors.

Like everyone mentioned, pre-cooled for 24hrs on shore power. Fill only with chilled items. And what I like to use is about 4-5 of those blue freezer blocks. I will keep them in the freezer and then when ready to leave and I disconnect the shore power and fridge switches over to propane I put the blocks wedged around the food for the travel. I find this works out pretty good. Once I get to camp I put them into the freezer. Then as the trip goes on, especially in summer and if the humidity is brutal or the door has been opened a lot I'll pull a couple down from freezer into main to assist in recover.

[Wayne M]

What if's: What if someone side crashes into you where the propane tank is. What is the risk? What if a piece of road debris kicks up into the open propane compartment and breaks the valve off then a spark ignites it. What if, what if

I'm in the crowd that did it for years, first in a 5th wheel, then a motor home and both had absorption type refrigerators...Norcold to be exact. I guess everyone of the opposite view would nickname me "Lucky!"

I now have a conventional house refrigerator so no propane to it. However, I do have a 28 gallon propane tank for the 3 burner gas range in the motor home. No, I do not shut the propane off when we are traveling.

So far, so good. I think it is a matter of beliefs of what can happen and personal satisfaction.

[RocknRoll]

Originally Posted by Fasttimes

will help the fridge recover much faster to fighting outside heat and losing temps from opening doors.

Good tips there Fasttimes. Opening the door for even a few seconds will cause the temperature to increase 5-10 degrees!

I did a lot of tent camping with my kids back in the day. A week at a time without going to the store except for a few bags of ice. The ultimate boondocking experience as most of you can attest.

What I did is to bring 3 coolers.

One to hold frozen meats using dry ice. This cooler may have been opened once a day and maintained it's freeze level for 4-5 days

Another one to hold drinks and only drinks. Keep a frozen 1 gal milk jug and you're good to go.

The 3rd was for all other food. This one was replenished with ice halfway thru the week but all was good.

Moral to the story is maintaining refrigeration management. Conserve wherever possible. Keeping a 12V cooler outside to hold those things accessed often (drinks, snacks, ice, etc...) is a game changer

[Marine359]

Off or on, off or on, briefs or boxers.
I suppose it’s more dangerous to tow my MM without a TMS.
I don’t have one. Am I at real risk is I check my tires daily?

[Sun_Seeker]

Originally Posted by KeithB

We have plans to take our first trip with our 2108DS in about a month. We will be traveling approximately 8 hours to get to our destination. We are used to camping so understand how to pack a good ice chest for a day of travel. But wondering, do you pack the refrigerator and leave propane on for that travel day? Or do we pack a cooler and transfer contents to the refrigerator upon arrival? Interested to know how others handle refrigerated needs during travel.

Yes, you can run your fridge on propane as you travel. I have done this with every trailer I have ever owned.

Next...in capitols and is critical:

IF YOU DECIDE TO RUN WITH PROPANE TURNED ON, AND THE FRIDGE RUNNING WITH THE PROPANE SELECTED ****YOU MUST TURN OFF YOUR FRIDGE**** ---->BEFORE<---- YOU APPORACH GAS STATION GAS PUMP BARS!!!!

....I pull over (out of the way) near the entrance to a service plaza, or street side gas station, and go in, and turn off the Dometic 2 way fridge, and THEN, proceed to the gas pump bar. You DO NOT want a running flame anywhere near yourself, and people around you filling up their vehicles, as that will be generating gas fumes all around you, as well as you creating fumes while filling yourself. After filling, pull well away from the gas bar, step in...turn back on the fridge to AUTO, and carry on! It's also a good idea, to have a little self-made placard taped to your driving wheel, that reminds you to ***STOP*** and turn off your fridge while travelling before you pull up to the gas bar. This is the only major 'red flag' to running with your fridge using propane. The odds of a tire blow out...this or that...that or this...is so low...but the danger of pulling up to a active gas bar with the flame running is very real. Make yourself a reminder, like airplane crews have, and you will be good to go!

[KeithB]

Lots of good discussion things to think about. Thanks for the replies. I am thinking cooling the fridge 24 hours ahead and adding frozen prepared meals (which we like to do) should keep for a days travel. I guess one could check it at gas stops and throw in some ice if there was a concern. I see both arguments but I like turning the propane off during travel.

[Sun_Seeker]

Originally Posted by KeithB

Lots of good discussion things to think about. Thanks for the replies. I am thinking cooling the fridge 24 hours ahead and adding frozen prepared meals (which we like to do) should keep for a days travel. I guess one could check it at gas stops and throw in some ice if there was a concern. I see both arguments but I like turning the propane off during travel.

Keith, as a few have said, including me...we do want our fridge's turned on, to keep things cool, and to be able to open and close the fridge, at en-route rest stops, etc. The only time the fridge needs to be turned off, is as I highlighted...before you go near combustible liquids/fumes, like a gas bar.

The other thing you might think about...is it is great to know ENROUTE, that your fridge is in fact running/cooling, before you enter your campsite. In that way, you have a chance to directly go to a service depot/dealer near your camping destination to source out WHY, your fridge stopped working, etc...than to find out, once at your campsite, that your fridge is not working, if you do not have electricity at the site.

Also, I suggest if you (and we do) pre-cool your fridge for 12 to 24 hours upon your driveway, that you do plan to sleep inside the RV/T.T. during the night, to avoid having your AC power cord stolen before the next morning of departure. It happens, even if some would post that it has never happened to them. If you sleep out in your trailer/R.V for the night...you can be sure, IT WON'T HAPPEN! You'd feel it being disconnected, or sounds of someone approaching/outside. Just a suggestion, to not have the start of your camping trip ruined upon your driveway...and you out $$$ for a new 30/50 amp A.C. cord. Have fun...have a blast!

[Oldchinahand]

This question comes up now and then. It is always fun to see how many of us hyper opinionated folks crawl out of the woodwork to opine.

We graduated directly from 40 years camping in a 3-person tent and what would fit in our pickup to our new-to-us Journey.

We revel in the comparative luxury and love our Norcold. We run it on propane anytime those 22.5's are rolling. Don't have any "scientific" data, but we meet tons of folks, and they all do the same.

Heck, EVERYTHING comes with a degree of risk. In life, risk is like salsa on a taco (you can use that) Given the propensity of the g'mnt to try to micro manage every aspect of our life, if the degree of risk was of any magnitude, our rigs would be plastered with mandated warning stickers.

Having said, it is always prudent to maintain situational awareness. Since gasoline has a flashpoint of -40F, if we fuel up in a gas station, we try to use an outside pump and use the fill tube on the opposite side (driver) from the refer. Otherwise, we turn the refer off until the 22.5's are rolling again.

Since diesel has a flashpoint of +140F, if we pull into diesel lanes at a truck stop, we just fuel up and go. Still tend to use driver side fill tube. If that sounds too risky, look down the line. There are likely a dozen refrigerated trailers fueling up with their propane fired chill units just putt-putt-putting away. And THEY are highly regulated.

Rolling down the highway, our biggest worry, hands down, is that clown that whips in front of us apparently believing we can stop on a dime.

Fair Winds and Following Seas

[tinglett]

I'm on the side of always turning off propane while traveling. I think of it like seat belts. I've driven for decades without a single car accident. Therefore, it's absolutely clear I didn't need to wear seat belts all those decades. Does that convince me to stop using seat belts? Nope. I wear them for the accident that might happen. The future is harder to predict than the past. I could probably go without the pull-away brake cable and chains on the hitch, too, but just in case (and for the law) I won't. Anyway, that's my personal logic on this.

This is where the 12v compressor fridges shine. I assume the 12v absorption fridges work good too, but it's getting out of my league to say if the sloshing around is ok or not while they run. Some engineer can probably tell us, but it's a moot point for me as mine doesn't have a 12v-only mode.