Keep food cold on the road

[rrman96]

I use my 1kw inverter to supply electrical power to the refig while traveling on the road. the tw supplies charge to the batteries.

[Jackie1953]

We turn the LP on to the refrigerator the night before we leave and keep it on for our trips. Never had a problem.

[tjdonahoe]

Turn on refer..gas..run it been doing it since 1970..never any problems..even have run the furnace...

[DAHBABY]

We live in Arizona where temps typically reach over 110° for about 6 weeks. In the past, when large areas of electricity go out, the utility will give free dry ice for people to put in their refrigerators to keep food from spoiling.

[Belbein]

There's an ice chest discussion on here somewhere. I know because I started it in January.

[banderabob]

As with many others, we plug in and turn the fridge on the night before departure so we can transfer from the House fridge into a cold environment. We run on propane while in transit. The cost is negligible!

[Bompagene]

All good ideas so far. Just to let you know there is a Walmart Supercenter in Flagstaff. Also, the grocery store in Tusayan has a pretty good selection of basics.

[Milo1952]

I would say turning the fridge off DEPENDS. On what you may ask.
It depends on how far you plan to travel. If you do 5-6 hrs of traveling you should be fine IF you use the excellent advice given on this forum.
However, I can tell you first hand that it does not work when traveling longer distances and time.
I regularly travel 12-14 hr days when traveling across the country. and turning it off DOES NOT WORK, PERIOD ! Food gets too warm and may pose a health hazard at some point. The fridge just doesn't cool fast enough to turn it off repeatedly, day after day. NUFF SAID ! So, I tend to run with the propane on.
I have never turned the fridge and propane off when filling the TV as the fill cap on my TV is on the drivers side, and the fridge is at least 25-30 ft from the pump,located on the passenger side. I tow a 31ft AS. Never saw it as a problem. The fumes from the diesel would be too diluted by the time it reached the fridge and the diesel itself doesn't burn even if you put a match to it. I know, I tried it.

But, what I do is carry a Roto Molded cooler in the back of the truck, loaded with emergency road supplies such as flares,triangles. folding cones, tow ropes, etc. It is a backup to my fridge, If it should go out I can always empty the entire contents of the fridge into the cooler and add ice, and I'm good to go.
No ruined vacation or hungry stomachs.
But for all of those concerned about running with the fridge on, How many of you stop to turn the propane off when traveling through a tunnel ????

[Ray Eklund]

In the Winter months with low humidity, be careful what you wear.

Do not wear Polyester pants and shirt. The static electricity, stored in your pants, will act as a spark plug and ignite fumes coming from the filler opening when pumping gasoline. It is the VAPOR that is dangerous. The static discharge is what makes things go... sour. You drop the pump nozzle, it catches fire and gives everyone a bad name.

When you want to wear that 1960's polyester clothing and fill your tank... make sure you touch the exterior of your tow vehicle to ground yourself. If you hear that 'zap'... you just learned how to cause an explosion.

I was an OSHA 'representative' from 1970 to 1972. The only explosion I was aware with a 'zap' was in the Oil Patch. You are are suppose to have a wooden pole to measure the amount of oil in a large field tank. This 'genius' used a metal pole, contacted the wire on the power supply and most of him was gathered up for the funeral.

Oil from a well has every Hydro Carbon known in the mix. Some could be harmless grease.. and some light oils with explosive gases.

The ignition on the Dometic is like static electricity 'zap'. You would have to pour gasoline into the compartment and wait for the ignitor. If your fridge cycles every ten to twenty minutes, this spark could do it, if you hung around to find out.

If anyone has an example of a Trailer's refrigerator causing an explosion offer it and the source.

If you are drinking a High Proof whiskey... what will it take to set it and you off?
Even New Year's Day... nothing in the newspaper.

I tow with the Dometic Refer ignition within the Airstream 25 feet or so behind me operating when traveling. I also drive with the ignition and engine running and the trailer behind me in tow. Without incident. Dirty Harry said "Make my Day'.

I do not have my chainsaw idling when adding fuel. Some things are Safe, other things are not.

Wive's Tales they say? So... why NO Husband's Tales? Hmmm. Maybe something to it.

Before I forget. Never store OILY RAGS next to an Oxygen Cylinder that has a slight leak in the Summer, when it is hot. This is a good way to get a Free Ticket to a Funeral. Service Stations, today, are much more careful. Back in the 1970's... the burns on the face and hands were very painful. Grease and nearly pure Oxygen make for an interesting trip to the hospital.

[Silver.Sanctuary]

Originally Posted by skyguyscott

You can safely run the refrigerator on LP while on the road however I would advise shutting the gas off before entering a fuel station. My understanding is that in some states it is in fact illegal not to do so.

However, if you don’t want to take advantage of the propane system on the road, you can do a number of things unpowered.

Put as much Of the food that you were going to take with you in the deep freeze a few days before departure, Including a frozen gallon of water. A day or two before departure have your airstream refrigerator set to the coldest setting and let it reach that temperature for a day or two.

Right before departure transfer everything from your deep freeze into your chilled airstream refrigerator and close and lock it tight. Refrain from opening the refrigerator until you arrive at your final destination.

The food will slowly defrost over the course of your trip. Don’t be surprised to find some items still partially frozen by the time you arrive. This will work well for foods that need to be refrigerated, but will not work for foods that need to remain frozen.

Alternatively, you can use coolers. The yeti, which I think is overpriced, is allegedly able to keep food frozen for days at a time. There are less expensive competitor coolers on the market that make similar claims.

Finally, another strategy is to avoid bringing a lot of food with you from home and instead purchase what you need near your final destination.

Of course if you don't feel right about running the refrigerator on propane while driving, then you shouldn't... but I have always run my refrigerator the day before, and keep it on while traveling. My refrigerator is on the curb side, and my truck fuel tank is on the driver's side. There is a lot of space between the two, so I even refuel with the refrigerator running on propane.


I have two Yeti coolers, and although I don't want some things frozen, I find that cutting a yoga mat (or 1/8 inch rubber mat) into four pieces that fit the cooler at various levels allow me to keep food cold without allowing the air to circulate in the cooler and let things get warm. Cooler folks will tell you that the biggest problem keeping things cold is air circulation. They recommend even wadding up newspaper and putting that in the cooler if you don't have a full cooler. I use one as frozen and use dry ice. I access that one only when necessary (maybe once a day) and I have kept things crispy frozen for 8 days keeping this cooler in the back seat of my truck. The other I use for things that are overflow from the refrigerator, using frozen water bottles or ice packs that don't leak to keep things under 41 degrees but over 32.

The Yeti are overpriced but they do work and I saved enough on a three week trip to Yellowstone to pay for them. If I had to buy food in the surrounding towns, I would have gone broke. Taking enough for the whole trip was possible with the Yeti coolers. And there was no fuss trying to get to a grocery store before it closed.

This may not be easy to do if you have lots of mouths to feed, but my 22 foot Airstream does not have the bigger refrigerator so I have learned to adapt.

It is possible to use the refrigerator as a cooling box using tips from folks who have posted here, but it is important if you do this to consider which side of the trailer your refrigerator is on AND which side is exposed to the sun the most. We met some folks in Yellowstone who made an awning work on the opposite side of the trailer from the factory awning. We asked why, and they told us that their refrigerator was not on the curb side where the factory awning was, and the one they made kept the refrigerator cold because it kept the sun from hitting that side of trailer.

Lots of good advice on this forum.

[Piggy Bank]

https://www.airforums.com/forums/f29...-a-153482.html

This thread which I posted when we had a 22 bambi with a tiny refrigerator tells you how you can feed a family of 4 for 10 days without shopping for new food along the way. We had a Yeti 45 with dry ice for frozen meats, and a Yeti 105 with block water ice for refrigerator foods.

Using these 2 tools at a 1-time investment of $800 lets you basically have a Freezer and Refrigerator with you that are low-tech and non-electric.

[Silver.Sanctuary]

Originally Posted by azflycaster

Are you aware that the propane tanks will automatically shut off if a line is compromised?

Good point, Richard. The tanks have a valve that will sense propane going out too fast and stop the flow, I find myself fighting with this every time I use the Weber grill on a tank. If I really turn it on slow, I usually am ok. I have bought the parts to convert it, but then I find that the little green tanks are kind of handy so I haven't converted it yet.

I did put a thermometer in my Q1000 though.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, on one of our trips, I pulled into a gas station to fill up. It was a tight squeeze because of a tanker truck was there. When I got out to check things out, there was a strong smell of gas fumes. I was already in place with my refrigerator running on propane. At this point, I thought it would be best to not try to change, or turn off anything. Nothing blew up, but this was the only time that I was concerned.

[smithcreek]

Originally Posted by dhroberts

I used propane for the refrigerator while in transit but always knew there was a degree of risk I was not fully comfortable with.

Any idea how to quantify the "degree of risk"? It's probably so infinitesimally small that there would be a lot of zeros after the decimal point. If I was going to spend my time avoiding that level of risk I'd prefer worrying about dying in some cliche way like slipping on a banana peel and breaking my neck than an Airstream refrigerator explosion.

[boblind]

I have a 2002 22’ International Airstream had it for 10+ years. I never run it on propane while traveling.
The refrigerator used 175 watts at 120 volts I use a 300 watt invertor 12 vdc to 120 vac. It runs off my tow vehicle battery through a dedicated 10 guage wire through a outlet near the 7 prong trailer plug.
175 watts divided by 12 is roughly 15 amps. Amp times volts equals watts.
I’ve had to use 2 relays one 120 vac and one 12 vdc to protect the invertor, but this allows me to stop for an ice cream cone while traveling.
I only use propane when I’m stopped for a couple hours.

[Belbein]

Originally Posted by Ray Eklund

most of him was gathered up for the funeral.

A great line, Ray.



You have to give him this: he went out with a bang.

[Fly at Night]

Originally Posted by BigSxyWhtGuy

We keep the LP on ourselves.

Some people say just turn on the fridge a day before your trip to let it get nice and cold. Move all your items in and shut it until you’re hooked up where you want to be and then some. Gotta let the fridge get colder before you let all the harm air in.

Being in food service industry my entire adult life, I can say that the real risk of letting your food not stay refrigerated only comes after about 6 hours of the food being above 41. You could probably just freeze your meets to help protect them on your drive too.

I just renewed my Foodsafe and that is contrary to what they taught. At 40+F, bacteria starts multipling at the 20 min. mark. After two hours, it is at a point where you can become seriously sick.

I'd rather be safe than sorry, especially on the road.

[godber]

I clearly have a different outlook on risk management than most of you. That's OK, I'm not telling or asking anyone to turn their propane off.

I've now remembered that the point is moot anyway, because I have tried to leave it on and the temperature in the fridge on a 6 hour drive in hot temperatures and the fridge still exceeded safe temperatures. In fact, if it is sufficiently hot and sunny outside (mid 90s) the fridge has often failed to keep temperature even on 50 amps. Maybe it's broken, but there's been enough fridge problem posts in this forum to make me suspect that it's very likely these fridges simply don't work well in those conditions. I've seen all the suggestions and decided that an ice chest works, it's easy to manage, easy to understand if its working.

Everyone have a great day!

- Austin

[godber]

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

Hi, on one of our trips, I pulled into a gas station to fill up. It was a tight squeeze because of a tanker truck was there. When I got out to check things out, there was a strong smell of gas fumes. I was already in place with my refrigerator running on propane. At this point, I thought it would be best to not try to change, or turn off anything. Nothing blew up, but this was the only time that I was concerned.

I would have freaked out and hopefully I would have realized to move on. Truth is, I drive bad enough that I wouldn't even approach a tanker truck

If I were standing in your position I'd be asking myself:

* What are the odds of the fridge firing up right now? (The flame isn't going all the time, right?)
* What concentration of gasoline vapor is necessary to sustain ignition?
* What is the wind direction?
* Does my insurance cover blowing up my tow vehicle, trailer, a gas tanker, a load of gas and a gas station?

- Austin

[raidergal]

We also have always kept the LP gas on for our Refrigerator.