Traveling while refrigerator is running on propane

[greenflag]

35 years towing trailers I never shut it off while traveling.
Only exception is when aboard ferries in Pacific Northwest.
I have never had a problem

[Sol]

Originally Posted by AlinCal

What choice do you have? Let your food spoil?

My last RV had a 3-way fridge and I would sometimes travel on 12V only because the pilot would blow out occasionally and it did not have electronic spark to automatically relight itself.

I do it have on always in transit. But I found fridge temperature risen to ~46 after just a few hours from 38 at a park. It must be the pilot light. I wonder how I check it... Hmm...

[tjdonahoe]

Always on ,while traveling,never any problem since 1971.....

[GammaDog]

We travel with fridge running on propane.

The night before we travel I set the fridge to max cold (setting "5" on our Dometic). Even with that head start and propane on we frequently see the temp in the box at or over 40 in southern summer heat if the sun is shining on the fridge side of the trailer. I can't imagine what the temp would be if we didn't keep the fridge running on a 90+ degree day heading west. I recognize that there are risks to having an open flame on the road (a propane supplier in Colorado one chastized me about the danger of driving with the LP tank valves open since a slug of liquid propane can travel through the regulator, then through the pipes and blow out as a fireball in the fridge compartment... never heard of that possibility before or since) but so is there risk of eating spoiled food.

As for prohibitions, some tunnels prohibit propane at all (e.g.: the McHenry Tunnel on I-95 in Baltimore) and some allow propane in small quantities but require tank valves to be closed (e.g.: the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel between Maryland and Virginia). Most ferries require propane tank valves to be closed, although the staff on the NC ferry from Hatteras to Okracoke told us it was not necessary on their boat, while the ferry from Okracoke to Swan Quarter did require us to close them. Plan ahead and watch the signs.

[TinkersToy]

Originally Posted by centennialman

I never do. I believe in safety first at all times. Before leaving on a trip, a day or two before, I plug in the Airstream and get the refrigerator cold. The night before or the morning of departure I put all the food in the refrigerator and freezer along with some blue ice packs and the small battery operated fan that moves the air around. I have traveled in high heat for 5-7 hours and the food is still cold when I arrive.

Usually run on battery.

[guskmg]

All new OPD propane tank valves go to off automatically when they sense an open line. If that occurs, even as in opening the valve manually too fast, and the tank valve shuts off, just turn the valve off and reopen it more slowly. It is a great safety feature.
guskmg

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by DavidSowder

My most recent experience has led me to believe it is best to travel with propane off. When the trailer rolled over onto it side due the TT left rear tire blowout the hoses broke and propane was spewing out.

But there wasn't actually a fire, was there?

Did you have the newer ACME-threaded pigtails? Those are supposed to have excess flow checks that close in situations like this.

Food will stay cold until the next stop.

This depends on the situation.

We often purchase groceries on the road, and between the fridge door being open and adding food that isn't completely cold, the fridge temperature goes up.

Longer road trips also pose genuine food safety concerns. On a recent trip, we were on the road for about 11 hours, including stops.

My propane will be off when traveling from now on.

We all get to make our own choices.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by TinkersToy

Usually run on battery.

Originally Posted by boblind

I use a 12vdc to 120 vac to power my refrigerator while traveling. My 2002 22' AS refrigerator uses 175 watts AC, I installed a 300 watt invertor, cost about $100 to run my unit.
Its nice to stop along the road and have an ice cream cone.

Originally Posted by switz

Since we removed the Dometic refrigerators that used propane from both of our current Airstreams, we drive down the road with the 12Vdc freon DanFoss compressor keeping the contents cold in the fridge and the ice frozen in the independent freezer section.

You all do know that, statistically, there are more RV fires from electrical faults than from propane, right?

[Julie-Bob]

I always have it set to auto. Never had a problem after 12 years pulling with it on. I also forget to turn it off while re-fueling truck.

[Njg]

On the automatic refrigerators does switch over to 12 V from the umbilical while you're towing?

[1973Argosy]

Originally Posted by Njg

On the automatic refrigerators does switch over to 12 V from the umbilical while you're towing?

Unless specially ordered airstream does not install 3 way refrigerators. So no unless you have upgraded.

[1973Argosy]

Why would Dometic give detailed instructions in their manual on how to run the fridge on propane while in transit if it were unsafe? Talk about a major liability.......
A little common sense goes a long way

[tjplus]

Originally Posted by DavidSowder

My most recent experience has led me to believe it is best to travel with propane off. When the trailer rolled over onto it side due the TT left rear tire blowout the hoses broke and propane was spewing out. Site was cordoned off preventing me from retrieving items from the truck that the towing company personnel helped themselves to. Sometime ago I attended a propane safety seminar that advised turning the propane off when underway. Food will stay cold until the next stop.
My propane will be off when traveling from now on.

What a horrible experience. Thanks for sharing that. We will definitely be keeping the propane off while traveling. It's also very concerning that the people that are supposed to help you rip you off and not let you near your belongings. That must have been very frustrating for you. Tom

[SusanFleck]

We have started running it on propane when we travel and it has worked very well for us.

[Cyclist]

Originally Posted by 1973Argosy

Why would Dometic give detailed instructions in their manual on how to run the fridge on propane while in transit if it were unsafe? Talk about a major liability.......
A little common sense goes a long way

My thought as well. I recall the manual specifically states that the rocking motion when travelling mitigates the requirement to be close to level for operation. As for refuelling, I try to fuel at the first pump so the trailer is in the open and away from other pumps.

[EarStreaming]

Originally Posted by Llando88

Fridge is on all the time.

When I remove AC power, it switches to gas. We travel down the road with it on.

When I connect up at the next park, it switches to electric.

x2

[featherbedder]

I Have ran with propane on over 55 yrs towing AS, even rolled 1967 30 ft. all way over back on wheels frig. still working and never had prob. during all these yrs. Yrs. ago only propane no 110 elect or 12 volt in frig. plus sob before AS in 1962, so well over 55 yrs. with propane frig running. Also always had gas engines in tv and never will have diesel as to expensive both to pur. and maintain plus smell and noisy. My big trucks all diesel no gas as diesel much better for big trucks than gas, plus off road equip. same way only one gas engine.

[Elizabeth28]

I have had trouble keeping food cold on the road. The fridge seems to go off in transit. I wondered if it was a safety thing. Also, the mechanic told me to get the fridge from electric mode to gas mode, I had to light the stove to bring the gas up. This works; when I do it I hear the fridge switch on. But it seems I should not have to do that; it should switch automatically and stay on.

[1973Argosy]

Originally Posted by Elizabeth28

I have had trouble keeping food cold on the road. The fridge seems to go off in transit. I wondered if it was a safety thing. Also, the mechanic told me to get the fridge from electric mode to gas mode, I had to light the stove to bring the gas up. This works; when I do it I hear the fridge switch on. But it seems I should not have to do that; it should switch automatically and stay on.

Try turning your gas setting to max before you start your travels. My fridge is vintage 1973 and doesn't have an electric pilot light. With the fridge gas setting on max, the unit runs constant and isn't affected by the wind blowing out the pilot. These are the instructions per my manual.

[DavidsonOverlander]

We always travel with the propane fridge on. I've had people state that that's illegal, but I've searched extensively online and have never found anything about a law prohibiting it, other than tunnels, ferries and refueling.