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JMod45 · 08-14-2019, 08:37 AM

I'm still pretty new to the RV world, and learning all of the tricks to make things easier. I've got a weekend trip coming up, and wondering how you all get your trailer set up beforehand?

My main question is the absorption fridge. Last trip we took, we just loaded an ice chest with everything. Turned the fridge on once we were parked at the campsite, after a couple of hours, unloaded everything from the ice chest into the freezer, put as many ice packs as we could into the fridge, and then right before going to bed, moved most of the stuff into the fridge. It worked, but I feel like there has to be an easier way.

My trailer is parked in a storage lot, with no cover, and no power. Temperatures this week have been over 100 degrees, so I can't imagine how hot it is inside the trailer. I've thought about turning the gas on overnight, but not sure I trust that, especially since the place is abandoned at night. Also I realized last night that my battery is dead, and I think that is necessary for the fridge to run off of gas.

Any suggestions on a good way to cool down the fridge prior to parking at the campsite?

Bigd9 · 08-14-2019, 09:26 AM

Sounds like you are "between a rock and a hard place"; your RV battery is dead and you need a refrigerator. Yes, you need 12 volts to run the refrigerator even on propane gas. Its needed to operate the circuits boards and gas valves. Doesn't take a lot of battery powe but the refrigerator won't run on a dead battery.

My RV is parked out by our barn with 20 amp hookup. So when we get ready to go somewhere, we turn on the refrigerator several days in advance, pack and go.

A32Deuce · 08-14-2019, 09:27 AM

You need a fully charged battery. Propane has an automatic shut off if excessive flow. You should be able to start the fridge the night before. Dos not take that much battery power to run the fridge. I start mine after dinner the day before we leave.
Any vents in your roof You can open?

puttin · 08-14-2019, 09:31 AM

Turning it on the night before is the best way I've found. Test your battery- a good one should be fine running the fridge for 8 to 12 hours or so. If your battery(s) are approaching 5 years or so, it would be good insurance to replace them.

PAtrailtrim · 08-14-2019, 09:38 AM

Ditto.

I turn on the fridge the night before and run on propane. The fridge circuit board does not use that much battery power.

Once I’m loaded and ready to roll, I power up the generator, and if it’s hot, turn on the AC also. All cold food and beverages are in the ice chest.

Once at camp and on shore power everything in the cooler goes into the cold fridge.

rollondown · 08-14-2019, 10:43 AM

Turn it on the night before and put a case of water in it and a few bottles in the freezer. The absorption fridges work by removing heat from its interior. Since "Air" have very little bulk, it is hard for the fridge to remove the heat from its interior.
Your normal household fridge has a compressor like an air conditioner that cools the interior air of the fridge.

twogypsies · 08-14-2019, 12:05 PM

Can you park it at your home the night before and plug it in? That's the best.... cool the refrigerator the night before. If you can trust your present battery or get new batteries it's certainly o.k. to run it on propane overnight. It won't run down the battery.

When loading the refrig. have as much as you can frozen such as meats. Everything should be cold... including cans/bottles of drinks.

Bulletstoppe · 08-14-2019, 12:15 PM

I also store mine in a lot. I turn mine on on the way to work in the morning.

But, you also need to deal with the battery, when you pack after returning. All trailers have a parasitic draw when parked. From the carbon monoxide sensor if nothing else. If you have a battery cut-off, use it when you park. If you do not, my last trailer did not, disconnect the negative lead after parking.

JMod45 · 08-14-2019, 12:55 PM

I think I'll take my battery home tonight and plug it in for a few days. Hopefully that will give me enough battery to run the fridge for one night. I just read about norcold fires, which has me nervous about leaving it unattended for the night. I heard about some people running them while driving, but not sure that sounds like a good idea. I always turn off the gas before driving.
Filling up the fridge with water bottles sounds like a good idea. We typically take old water bottles, fill them about 75% and freeze for makeshift ice packs. I'll put some of those in, along with the package of water we normally take.
My trailer does fit in my driveway, but I would need blocks under the front tires to level it there. I put it there once after a trip, so we could clean out the inside, but I didn't level it. With the way people park in the street in my neighborhood, I may not be able to get out for a while either.