This may seem like a silly question to some of you, but here it goes. I have a travel trailer and my questions is, can you run the refrigerator going down the high? I have always been told that a refrigerator must be level before operating. Even though I have a 4 point sway and weight distribution system and the camper is level, what about bouncing up and down the road. Is is okay to run the refrigerator without causing any damage to the refrigerator? What about the fact to run the refrigerator while going down the highway the propane would have to be on?
You are correct, the refrigerator should be level when operating so the fluid in the coils will move properly. However, when you are in motion, the bumping around will keep it moving just fine. There are places that you have to turn off the propane - long before you pull into a service station, certain tunnels, etc. Even during the hottest summer day, if it is jammed full and at proper temperature, you can leave it off for about 5 hours without it losing temperature - as long as you leave it closed. I run mine all the time, no problem. I will turn it off before I enter a service station, and not turn it on again until I'm down the road. We usually stop at rest areas and make our lunches, so since the door is going to be opened there, that is why we leave it on.
QUOTE(HappiestCamper @ Sep 29 2010, 09:26 AM) [snapback]24335[/snapback] You are correct, the refrigerator should be level when operating so the fluid in the coils will move properly. However, when you are in motion, the bumping around will keep it moving just fine. There are places that you have to turn off the propane - long before you pull into a service station, certain tunnels, etc. Even during the hottest summer day, if it is jammed full and at proper temperature, you can leave it off for about 5 hours without it losing temperature - as long as you leave it closed. I run mine all the time, no problem. I will turn it off before I enter a service station, and not turn it on again until I'm down the road. We usually stop at rest areas and make our lunches, so since the door is going to be opened there, that is why we leave it on. Though I'm relatively new to this whole camping thing, I must say I haven't had any problems so far with running the refrigerator while towing. Granted, I haven't traveled more than a couple of hours from home with the fridge on, but I haven't noticed any ill effects from it. It is certainly nice to get to your destination and pull out a cold one from the fridge!! And yes, always be sure to turn the propane OFF before pulling into gas stations. That could turn into a big boom that would ruin your weekend
Our refrigerator is on all the time. If not gas then A/C power. We never mess with it, will change over automatically.
We have a class A, so this is a little different situation from you, but if it is really hot we usually turn on the generator to run the roof air while we're driving. Then we also turn on the fridge. If we don't run the generator we usually leave the fridge off. I can't recall a time that we have run it on propane while on the road. But I think it is OK to do so if you follow all the safety tips mentioned in the other posts. One thing we do is we freeze about 6 of the "blue ice" blocks and put them in the fridge to help keep things cold. That works well for us. If it helps a couple of RV dealers have told us that it is perfectly OK to run the fridge on propane while traveling.
QUOTE(MelindaK @ Sep 29 2010, 03:11 AM) [snapback]24333[/snapback] This may seem like a silly question to some of you, but here it goes. I have a travel trailer and my questions is, can you run the refrigerator going down the high? There are no silly questions, only silly people to answer them... We run ours for a day or so before we go out (on electric) and then run it on LP while en route. This way we can pack our weekend's food into the fridge before leaving and not have to go out and find groceries when we get there. I've been told that you only have to shut off the LP if the fridge is on the same side as your gas tank when you're filling the tow vehicle - not sure if I buy it, but I've heard it.
I'm new at motorhoming, too. I was wondering if the refrigerator runs on the electric mode while running down the road. I was always afraid to have the propane actively on while travelling. It would be so nice to know that the food could be placed in the fridge while travelling especially on long hauls!! We always put it in a cooler with ice which is a hassle!
QUOTE(mamawjudy @ Sep 29 2010, 04:11 PM) [snapback]24352[/snapback] I'm new at motorhoming, too. I was wondering if the refrigerator runs on the electric mode while running down the road. I was always afraid to have the propane actively on while travelling. It would be so nice to know that the food could be placed in the fridge while travelling especially on long hauls!! We always put it in a cooler with ice which is a hassle! Recent vintage RV refers run on either 120 VAC or propane (LP). On ours (a Norcold 1200LRIM), we can set it to AC, LP, or Auto. We leave it on Auto. Auto causes it to use AC if it available. If it is not, it automatically switches to LP. While we are driving down the road, it will run on propane unless we have the generator on. We haven't turned the fridge off except to defrost it since it was new. Older refers would also run on 12 VDC. I guess they stopped doing that because you can drain your batteries very quickly using them to power a refrigerator. You will need to check the manual for your refer to see how it works.
Thanks everyone! You all pretty much confirmed what I thought. I have been doing the get the fridge real cold and then travel or stuffing the parishable items into an ice chest. My only fear is that I will forget to turn off the propane before pulling into a gas station, but I think on my next long haul I will give it a try.
I've been on the road a couple years, and the refrigerator is on year round. I leave it in the auto mode so that it switches to propane for travel, and in case a campground's power goes out. I also keep blue ice frozen just in case (plus it's handy to have on hand) I'm glad I read the posts however, as have never heard about turning the propane off when gassing up, and have filled up hundreds of times. It's not mentioned in my owners manual. Is it a good idea for travel trailers too or just motorhomes. I'd like more info on this. How far from the pump should you be when turning it on/off ? I've filled up with propane in gas stations where the master propane tank is a few feet from the gas pumps so never thought this either.
QUOTE(jim crowl @ Oct 1 2010, 12:03 AM) [snapback]24366[/snapback] I've been on the road a couple years, and the refrigerator is on year round. I leave it in the auto mode so that it switches to propane for travel, and in case a campground's power goes out. I also keep blue ice frozen just in case (plus it's handy to have on hand) I'm glad I read the posts however, as have never heard about turning the propane off when gassing up, and have filled up hundreds of times. It's not mentioned in my owners manual. Is it a good idea for travel trailers too or just motorhomes. I'd like more info on this. How far from the pump should you be when turning it on/off ? I've filled up with propane in gas stations where the master propane tank is a few feet from the gas pumps so never thought this either. I have a TT and I always turn the propane off before fueling. I adhere to the old adage it's better to be safe then sorry
Well, I have a different problem. My refridgerator just QUIT! JUST QUIT. I plugged it in the night before I left for my current trip, and it worked ok. Put my food in, turned it off, went on my merry way. Got to a campground, turned it on, no problem. Then, later that night, I opened the door to get some juice, and noticed the light was off, everything inside was room temperature. Everything in the freezer was starting to thaw. AW MAN! I can't turn it on, electric or propane. Nothing happens. Well, I'm hoping I can get in to an RV dealer this morning. JJ
QUOTE(jim crowl @ Sep 30 2010, 09:03 PM) [snapback]24366[/snapback] I'm glad I read the posts however, as have never heard about turning the propane off when gassing up, and have filled up hundreds of times. It's not mentioned in my owners manual. Is it a good idea for travel trailers too or just motorhomes. It's a good idea to turn off the fridge while fueling up, although I have not done it once in eight years of fulltiming in both a fifth wheel and a couple motor homes.
I got to an RV dealer, turns out it was a silly "reset" button located behind an exterior panel. I kind of thought there was something like that, but couldn't find it when I looked last night. My freezer food is still cold, but all of it is thawed. I stopped at a butcher shop and asked about my meat. (fish, pork, hamburger) They told me, "publicly we don't recommend it, but....... we have all done it before." So, I'm going to refreeze my meat and hope I don't get sick. I'm going to drive with my propane on, which I don't like to do. I have two more hours before I get to my park where I'm hosting. I found this on a "google:" Q: Can you refreeze thawed meat? Ads by Google Food Safety Case Study A: According to the USDA, as long as the raw meat is thawed in the refrigerator (not at room temp), it is safe to refreeze it without cooking. You may end up with a little freezer burn, though. You can also marinate meat and freeze it, marinade and all! Well, it was thawed in the freezer..... but not at refrigerator temperature..... JJ
QUOTE(DXSMac @ Oct 1 2010, 01:19 PM) [snapback]24377[/snapback] ... turns out it was a silly "reset" button located behind an exterior panel... JJ REALLY? Tell me more, please. Where exterior? Thanks.
Foster, The little door on outside. This is the back side of your refrigerator. All the equipment is in this panel.
QUOTE(FosterImposters @ Oct 1 2010, 08:20 PM) [snapback]24383[/snapback] REALLY? Tell me more, please. Where exterior? Thanks. On the exterior of your RV, there is a "panel" that is behind your refridgerator. Open that panel. SOMEWHERE (mine was hidden) there MAY, emphasis, MAY.... be a "reset" button. JJ
How interesting. Thanks JJ and John. Hope I never need to use it. But am very glad to have found it! B)
