Fridge on or off - Gas or batteries while driving to destination

[Akfiredog377]

I believe our GD units have a switch that will shut off the gas due to a sudden gas leak.

Good information to know. Thank you.

[Larry Lee]

I believe the reason law enforcement (or the experts) recommend traveling with the propane bottles closed is that in the event you get into an accident, or the trailer comes off the hitch and crashes, there is a risk that the propane lines could sever and ignite from sparks flying, potentially causing an explosion or an out of control fire. Otherwise, no problem! For the past 25 years of RV camping, I always traveled with the propane running the refer with no issues. I've tried traveling with the refer off, it was a 3 hour trip...never again!

[BeerBrewer]

Let me start by saying that we are relatively new to RVing (our trailer is a year old) . The dealer that sold us our trailer said that its not safe to run the frig on propane while driving. That's all my wife needed to hear, so we haven't done it.... yet. A day or two before we leave on a trip we plug the trailer into the house electricity and let the frig cool down. Then just before we leave we pack the frig with already cold items from the house frig. I also put in a few ice packs to help keep it cold and we don't unnecessarily open the door. So far (we traveled just 4000 miles) we have not had an issue. The frig really seems to keep in the cold. I have to add a few caveats. We typically don't travel more than 4-5 hours in day and we've only traveled in the northeast. Now if we lived down south or in the southwest we might have to do things differently. I too had Salmonella, so I'll do whatever is necessary to keep my food safe.

[skier8674]

We have always cooled our fridge off the night before and then drove to our destination 15 mins or 8hrs away with fridge off. On those longer trips we have placed a large frozen item in the fridge too. Bottom line this is the safest way for you and anyone else in the event of a mishap at a gas station or on the road.

I’m personally not in the camp of using propane while traveling. I don’t disagree with some of the points stated for the use of propane while traveling... for us it comes down to our own comfort level.

We just made some major upgrades to our DC/AC electrical system this year and now have a sizeable battery bank and a healthy amount of solar on the roof so we can easily run our fridge on electric 120 VAC pretty much indefinitely. In my opinion this is safer than propane but it still adds some risks when compared to not running propane or electricity.

Tip... Grab a wireless battery powered thermometer and put the sensor in your fridge. Easy way to know what your temps are within your fridge at anytime. Beats second guessing!

Enjoy your maiden voyage!

[huegerich]

I can appreciate that many folks drive with their refrigerator on using their gas and battery. However, I always shutoff the gas because my wife and I experienced the worst case nightmare in 2016. We were towing a travel trailer (not a Grand Design) on a very busy I-95 north when a fire started in our refrigerator. We pulled over and did an “emergency disconnect.” In less than 5 mins, the fire truck arrived but they could not stop the fire. We watched our travel trailer burn down to the metal frame - it was a total loss including all our possessions in the trailer. Traffic was backed up for miles and it was a painful experience. Fortunately my wife, our dog and I were not harmed.

The insurance adjuster determined the fire was started when a joint in the gas supply line developed a small crack and sprayed gas on the pilot. He told me that he has seen a number of these fires and he was always disappointed that the RV manufacturers recommended driving with the gas turned on in the RV while driving.

There are many recommendations in this forum to manage the food issues. We live in the Southeast where heat in the summer is always an issue.

Best of luck - we own a 2017 Grand Design Imagine and have spent over 150 days in it with our grandchildren. We love it. My recommendation - please stay safe.

[fez111]

You will get many different answers on this topic. We have been towing with the fridge on propane for 15 years and no issues.

We have been pulling trailers (four) for almost 40 years with the fridge on propane. Always tried to stay away from the gas pumps while refueling. Its not an issue anymore as we use truck stops for diesel now and all trips we make are one tank until Florida each winter.

[Skiddy]

In BC it is illegal to have open propane valves with the trailer in motion, simple. I think this is a Transport Canada regulation and may apply across the country. BC Ferries demand you close valves.

IMO the risk of fire/explosion due to a motor vehicle incident is the issue.

I usually travel with valves off. We do stop every couple of hours to let our dogs stretch their legs and relieve their bladders. My first step after stopping is to turn on the valves, go into the trailer, turn on the fridge and the water pump. I then connect the rear spray port hose and have a fresh bowl of water ready by the time the dogs return with stretched legs and empty bladders. Our usual stop is 20-30 minutes, fridge has a chance to cool a bit.

Like many here I have travelled with valves on, but really not that often. I have noticed that travelling east, my fridge is on the cool north side of the trailer (street side) and holds its cool very well. Westward travel it is on the direct sun hot side and often needs some help to stay cool. Four hours is not an issue on a loaded fully chilled fridge from my experience.

[livinthelife]

In BC it is illegal to have open propane valves with the trailer in motion, simple. I think this is a Transport Canada regulation and may apply across the country. BC Ferries demand you close valves.

IMO the risk of fire/explosion due to a motor vehicle incident is the issue.

I usually travel with valves off. We do stop every couple of hours to let our dogs stretch their legs and relieve their bladders. My first step after stopping is to turn on the valves, go into the trailer, turn on the fridge and the water pump. I then connect the rear spray port hose and have a fresh bowl of water ready by the time the dogs return with stretched legs and empty bladders. Our usual stop is 20-30 minutes, fridge has a chance to cool a bit.

Like many here I have travelled with valves on, but really not that often. I have noticed that travelling east, my fridge is on the cool north side of the trailer (street side) and holds its cool very well. Westward travel it is on the direct sun hot side and often needs some help to stay cool. Four hours is not an issue on a loaded fully chilled fridge from my experience.

We took an organized rv trip through western Canada & Alaska. The pre-trip information, as well as the wagon masters (who've run this trip for years) did not have this information. Can you point me in the direction where I can see that law?

[Skiddy]

We took an organized rv trip through western Canada & Alaska. The pre-trip information, as well as the wagon masters (who've run this trip for years) did not have this information. Can you point me in the direction where I can see that law?

My insurance broker made me aware of this.
https://www.drivesmartbc.ca/rvs/operating-rvs-propane

[Ynot4me2]

I can appreciate that many folks drive with their refrigerator on using their gas and battery. However, I always shutoff the gas because my wife and I experienced the worst case nightmare in 2016. We were towing a travel trailer (not a Grand Design) on a very busy I-95 north when a fire started in our refrigerator. We pulled over and did an “emergency disconnect.” In less than 5 mins, the fire truck arrived but they could not stop the fire. We watched our travel trailer burn down to the metal frame - it was a total loss including all our possessions in the trailer. Traffic was backed up for miles and it was a painful experience. Fortunately my wife, our dog and I were not harmed.

The insurance adjuster determined the fire was started when a joint in the gas supply line developed a small crack and sprayed gas on the pilot. He told me that he has seen a number of these fires and he was always disappointed that the RV manufacturers recommended driving with the gas turned on in the RV while driving.

There are many recommendations in this forum to manage the food issues. We live in the Southeast where heat in the summer is always an issue.

Best of luck - we own a 2017 Grand Design Imagine and have spent over 150 days in it with our grandchildren. We love it. My recommendation - please stay safe.

OMG, glad everyone was alright. I wonder if its best that this happened to you while you moving as oppose at night while parked and sleeping.