Refrigerator on gas

**walljoy** · 08-27-2018, 04:00 PM

Getting ready for our maiden voyage. Just a short trip. I understand the fridge will take a while to cool down. Do you start it on propane while driving or just turn it on when you arrive?

**livinthelife** · 08-27-2018, 04:28 PM

Originally Posted by walljoy

Getting ready for our maiden voyage. Just a short trip. I understand the fridge will take a while to cool down. Do you start it on propane while driving or just turn it on when you arrive?

Depends on the trip. If our first travel day is only a couple of hours, we wait until we get to the campground. If it's at least 4 hours, we turn on the propane to start the cooling while on the road.

Since we typically have all our cold stuff in the big cooler we bring out to the storage yard to hook up, we just leave everything in there while traveling.

If we don't turn on the fridge til we get to the campground, we wait to move the stuff from the cooler to fridge till the next morning. If we've had the propane on while traveling, we will start moving some stuff into the fridge by bedtime the first night. Usually the freezer gets colder first.

**walljoy** · 08-27-2018, 04:31 PM

Thanks for the help! I love this forum so far.. first trip with first Trailer!

**TheLexx** · 08-27-2018, 04:32 PM

Our Dometic takes a full 24 hrs to cool all the way down to 33-34 degrees. So I always start it up on "auto" mode the day before our trip. In that mode if you're hooked up to shore power, the fridge will run on electricity. If not, it'll run on propane.

BTW unless you have a real battery disconnect, the battery will drain even with the oem kill switch in the off position. So it's always good to have shore power unless you've installed a real battery disconnect.

**DougW9876** · 08-27-2018, 04:49 PM

Is your camper where you have easy access to it? If so start the fridge the day before so it will be cold when you leave. Our camper sits in our yard and is plugged in to shore power all the time. I always start ours, put it on auto and let it cool off before we leave and it runs on gas while we are on the road.

**LV Naturist** · 08-27-2018, 10:56 PM

Our routine is to pull the camper home a couple of days before the camping trip. This way, I can do my pre-flight ahead of time and get the fridge cooling down. That way, when the DW goes grocery shopping for the trip, she can put the cold stuff in the fridge right away and it's done. then we leave the fridge on "Auto" while traveling and are ready when we pull in to camp. After setting up it's usually cocktail hour anyway, and all our stuff is cold and ready.

John

**Kadiddle** · 08-29-2018, 07:54 AM

We left after work on our first trip so I placed a bag of ice in the freezer part when I left that morning for work camper still hooked to the electricity, turn the refrig on to auto. When we got home that afternoon it was cooled down and we placed the items in the refrig. I unhooked the electricity and made sure the refrig gas ignited properly. Then we were off. A friend suggested plastic milk jugs (Freezing water in them of course) instead of bagged ice which I plan to do next time so that I don't have the double bag the ice to help with the melting. It helps get the empty refrig cooled down faster.

**walljoy** · 08-29-2018, 08:14 AM

great idea - thanks!

**Jerryr** · 08-29-2018, 08:42 AM

All good advice above.

We are plugged into power at our storage site so if I remember, I turn the fridge on auto 1-2 days before a trip. Then I bring it home to load it up while plugged into power. It needs at least 24 hours to cool down. I travel in auto mode so it runs on propane on the road.

I only load it with pre cooled items when loading it at home.

**chunker** · 09-01-2018, 06:46 AM

Originally Posted by Kadiddle

We left after work on our first trip so I placed a bag of ice in the freezer part when I left that morning for work camper still hooked to the electricity, turn the refrig on to auto. When we got home that afternoon it was cooled down and we placed the items in the refrig. I unhooked the electricity and made sure the refrig gas ignited properly. Then we were off. A friend suggested plastic milk jugs (Freezing water in them of course) instead of bagged ice which I plan to do next time so that I don't have the double bag the ice to help with the melting. It helps get the empty refrig cooled down faster.

I do a similar but use red-neck salad bowls, cool whip type topping containers. They don't leak like a bag and help keep the compartments cold. I keep all the RVs at home and plugged in to maintain the batteries. Before a trip, day or 2, I turn on the refer to get it cold. When loading fill as much as possible with COLD food and use the ice blocks, containers, to completely fill the space. Also don't hold the door open and contemplate what your next move is. Open, load, and close. If you have room in the freezer, keep a couple blocks in there while on a trip. Solid ice lasts longer in a cooler than bagged.