Trip report and a lesson learned

[Pap and Mimi]

We ended a long drive last year to find a warm fridge when I didn't check to see that it had switched over to propane before we got on the road. I think the fridge tries to light a limited number of times, then "gives up". Now, my routine is to light one of the stove burners to make sure I have good gas flow, then switch the fridge over to propane and confirm the fault light doesn't come on. There have been times it took multiple tries to light the stove.

[Richter]

Tell us more about the above. Brand/Model maybe pictures. Asking a lot, it seems you have a very nice monitor.

I attached one sensor the the bottom of a mid-level shelf, below the cooling fins. The other is attached to the bottom of the shelf in the freezer. Both are about centered, top to bottom and side to side. We also use the small battery-operated circulating fans in both the fridge and freezer. I got mine from Amazon.

[Buckskin]

We run with refrig running and gas on. I always purge air from lines by lighting gas stove. I then always make sure refrig come on after I disconnect power.

[Scott'n'Wendy]

Wow. $18.99...how does anybody make money making those?
Thanks for posting that up Tom. I might have to buy one.

[Richter]

We actually have two. One set stays in the fridge. I put the other set in the trailer over the winter. One sensor goes in the main living space, the other in the basement. I’m an info junkie, and I just like to see how cold it gets in the trailer. We used the second set for a more practical application at the end of February, as we readied for our first trip of the season (heading south). I had turned on the furnace as a test to see if it would keep the basement from freezing before I de-winterized for the trip.

[ArmyLifer]

I did light a stove burner and ran it for a minute or so. I just didn’t confirm a successful lighting of the refrigerator burner. Next time...

[Troutd0g]

I have noticed that when the fridge is switching from electrical to propane, or just starting with propane, after having propane shut off for a while (more than a few days), it may have trouble establishing a steady burn. Firing up one of the burners on the stove resolves this. Could be due to air in the lines introduces when re-filling bottles. But i now just start a stove burner first. Thereafter it cuts over from propane to electricity and back without any issue.

I use plastic ice blocks to accelerate cooling the fridge and freezer down when packing and prepping for a trip. Once the fridge is at temp, load the already chilled food the day before departure and re-freeze the ice blocks. If the trip is short (<4 hours) I put those plastic ice blocks back in the fridge and freezer and it keeps it both in the correct zones. For longer trips (>4 hrs) we've been traveling with propane on and I shut it off when re-fueling, but it makes me nervous hearing the igniter firing to re-start the fridge, so if there is enough space in the gas station lot I pull away from the pumps and then restart the fridge.

i like the battery idea.
Too bad our specialized tow vehicles don't generate electrical power that could be routed to the coach to operate the fridge while underway.

[fez111]

...I too travel with the fridge on and I check it before I leave, at every fuel stop, and when I'm setting up. Not a fan of warm beer.

We have been on the road with our fridge on gas since the 70's in two TT's and two 5er's. Our 2016 Solitude is the first one that switches automatically. I had to explain to DW to leave the switch on 'auto' and to not manually set it to AC power.

Like you, I listen at the vent for the burner sound every time I get out of the truck.If I can't hear the flame because cool is not being called for I remove the vent cover and "carefully" touch the heat chamber to make sure its hot. We keep a pitcher of Iced tea and a bag of ice where we can reach them with the slides in while traveling. It's called "Iced Tea" for a reason. If the ice had melted we would have to cancel the entire trip!!!!

[#bwasser]

Came up to north GA yesterday towing the trailer, about a four hour drive. Your opinion on towing with the refrigerator on may vary, but I do. Anyway, when I unplugged from the house I assumed that the refrigerator had switched over to gas. When I arrived I hung out with my buddy for a couple of hours before checking the fridge. Apparently it had faulted out at some point and was almost 60 degrees inside. The food inside still seemed cold but it’s a bit scary.

Lessons learned: check to ensure the fridge successfully switches over to gas before departing. Check fridge is working immediately upon arrival.

This is my first trip “boondocking”. I’m using a generator to top off the battery and run the coffee maker. So far so good.

We had some serious rain last night as the leading edge of Delta hit us. It’s actually pretty peaceful up here. It’s a great location. Picture from my buddy’s back yard. Two more nights and head home Monday.
Attachment 30066

I actually have to run my heater and water heater for a little bit to purge the system. Then when I unplug the camper the first thing I do is go to where the fridge is and listen for the clicking sound and wait for the fridge to fire up. If it doesn't I shut the fridge off, wait a minute and then try again. I always make
sure that I can hear it run before we take off for the weekend.