Fridge power - gas/electric???

[a-wanabbee]

IS it possible to have power run to your fridge when you are travelling? Right now it is plugged in at the house, and we want to keep some perishable items in it when we are travelling. However, it will have no power run to it....IS there some way of getting electric power from the vehicle?

Thanks again....

[balrgn]

Originally Posted by Tin Lizzy

IS it possible to have power run to your fridge when you are travelling? Right now it is plugged in at the house, and we want to keep some perishable items in it when we are travelling. However, it will have no power run to it....IS there some way of getting electric power from the vehicle?

Thanks again....

Not unless you have a 3 way (DC too)
Ours stays cold for hours, you should be OK as long as you plug in when you set up

[wahoonc]

It depends...if the fridge is a 3 way AC/DC/LP you could run it on the charge line from the tow vehicle. But 12volt is usually the least efficient method of coolling. If our trip is under a couple of hours we will precool at home on AC then pack it full of cold stuff, including a couple of gallon jugs of frozen water, that is good for most if not all of the day. Then plug back in when you get where you are going. Or you can run it on LP while driving. There are pros and cons to this. But regardless you will need to kill the flame prior to refueling or even pulling up to the fuel pumps. FWIW on longer trips I do run mine on LP.

Aaron

[azflycaster]

We precool ours with shore power the day before our trip. I then put a couple of those blue freeze things inside with our cooled food. I also have one of those battery powered fans inside too. We have not had a problem with it getting warm inside even when outside tempertures exceeded 110 degrees.

[Pick]

If your tow vehicle is a pickup truck, you can run a generator in the bed, with an extension cord to the coach.

[peegreen]

I've heard of using an inveter while traveling so the fridge can run on 110. Running a generator with extension cords, I'm not sure about that. Ice blocks are an option or go shopping when you get to your destination. There was a forum pole on how people operate the fridge while travelling. I don't recall seeing any prohibition in any users manual for operating on propane. Many travelers will not pull in to refuel if they see another RV at the pumps for fear that the fridge may have an open pilot, and with a potential gasoline spill or vapors, could cause a fire or explosion. I haven't heard of that happening either. If the pilot goes out, all gas flow should stop to the burner and the ignitor will stop sparking if it will not relight. Again, when operting, there is a flame. You'll see lots of opinions, confusing, compare it to polishing techniques and hithes.

[davidz71]

There is no reason why you can't run your refrigerator on propane while traveling. As mentioned previously, turn the system off prior to entering a gas station for refueling. One poster from several years back reported problems with the light blowing out and had to fabricate a baffle to keep the wind from hitting the burner. Another solved their problem by placing a kitchen stove hood vent filter between the door and the burner. Most report no problems.

[Cracker]

On long trips (New England to Florida) we do run the refrigerator on propane. I solved the flame blowing out problem by simply fitting one of the thin A/C "cut to fit" (---with plastic reinforcement) filters to the inside frame of the louvered door. For the record, I calculated the opening area provided by the louvers and compared that to the net area of the A/C filter less 40% (---I came up with that 40% figure from some data I found. It represents the reduction in free air passing through the filter due to the filter material.) The A/C filter stands an inch or so behind the louvered door - permitting its' entire surface to be considered - and its "net free air" exceeds that of the louvers. Although I normally remove the filter when we're setup at a campsite, I've accidentally left it in for days at a time without any noticeable problems with the ventilation of the refrigerator.

Although the TV is diesel - and I've never personally heard of any confirmed cases of RV explosions while refueling - I do shut the frig off before pulling up to the pump.

Additionally, when the trailer is stored, leaving the A/C filter in place serves to keep out the mud daubers (wasps) and other little critters. I've been planning to put one of the commercial screens over my HW heater intake for the same purpose - but so far I've been too lazy to get around to it! It'll probably happen right after the HW heater stops working due to a mud dauber nest!