How do I run the fridge on the road

[elektron]

Originally Posted by bearaboo

Run the fridge on the road. There have been very few fires attributed to the fridge. Maybe those units were faulty or not maintained properly. Consider the number of RV's on the road vs the number of fridge fires! You obviously here about the one that makes the news!

There have been, statistically, few RV fires in the first place.

On my first trip to Florida, I saw 4 RVs burning on the side of the road. One had already been reduced to the steel frame as the house had been completely burned and melted. I doubt if the refrigerator caused the fires, but LP leaks can cause catastrophic loss. So do gasoline leaks, but I believe are more common. Things shake quite a bit when you are driving. I'd hate to have the LP alarm go off while at 70 mph. Every time I go to South Florida I see something on fire.

It seems to me that following safety recommendations is a prudent action to take. There is another reason to NOT have LP turned on while driving. My refrigerator is triple powered and runs on 110 volt shore power and on 12 volt chassis power as well as LP. So when I stop, I don't want it to start using LP gas.

Just because you can "GET AWAY WITH IT" does not excuse deficient behavior, such as ignoring prudent safety recommendations. By mentioning this in their manuals, the makers inoculate themselves from the actions of imprudent users. Your insurance underwriters may examine your actions in any case of loss. I was in an accordion accident (in the middle) once. I was interviewed several times for over two years. Emory E Becker of Pennsylvania got away with causing the wreck of three cars and paying no penalty.

I also keep the water heater turned off most of the time. Rather be SAFE than Sorry.

[rvten]

I just drive with the propane fridge on.
You only need to turn the battery disconn. off when storing.
Converter will not charge house batts if it is off.

Most fridges are not conn. to the inverter.

What year and model MH?

[DogNPonyshow]

My dad retired from 30 yrs at a good sized City fire dept runs down the road w his propane fridge turned on.

He won't allow candles to be burned in his home.

The run don't run propane while driving is a long argument in the RV community.

For me, looking at all angles, I felt it was much safer than spoiled food 😘

[DallasOregon]

My nephew buys crashed or burned motor homes. I just got back from visiting him and my brother. They said a lot are from burned fridges and to not use propane while driving. Hubby and I are fire fighters, and he said yeah, no way. If a fire starts in a MH, there if very little chance of keeping it small. We have have enough burned MHs in our district and they are just shells by the time we are done.

[Mike and Cha]

Elektron, to each his own, whatever you think is best for you do, just don't scare others.

My manual doesn't say to turn off the propane while traveling or anything like that. In fact it says to use the fridge on propane while traveling, and they recommend putting it on the auto setting at all times even when hooked to shore power, in the event of a power failure it will automatically go to propane and no food will be spoiled.

I was just giving them an honest answer to help them in using their MH after years of having RV's,boats ect and what I have experienced. I don't think this site is intended for people to disrespect others opinions like you have, but rather to share experiences and help others learn how to use, operate and repair their MH's. I'm glad you responded though because I would have never known what a thermometer is, and I've been doing it all wrong. Your use of dry ice in my opinion is more dangerous/damaging than using a propane system , that was developed to be used to operate fridges while driving.You seem to be fairly intelligent, but putting ice in fridges to get them cool is a waste of time and money with today's technology.

[elektron]

Originally Posted by Mike and Cha

Elektron, to each his own, whatever you think is best for you do, just don't scare others.

Not that it matters but: When I talk about safety it's from the perspective of having been the "Safety Officer" in a construction oriented company for two decades. Our only employee death occurred when a young man drowned over a weekend in the Potomac River. We had a few serious injuries. One occurred from spraying too much OIL on a threaded tube and then screwing a bolt into it. My customers though lost more than a dozen men, often to errors of judgment due to a compressed gas which was NOT flammable (the correct term inflammable was abandoned as people did not know what it really meant).

The I've always gotten away with UNSAFE practices statement is an argument I've heard for almost 60 years. When you are responsible, as I was, you fire those people who don't follow the guidelines.

My manual doesn't say to turn off the propane while traveling or anything like that. In fact it says to use the fridge on propane while traveling,

This makes NO sense unless you have an older two way powered refrigerator. I assume such things exist. I have not seen one in the last 20 years when I looked (casually) at RVs and Boats with kitchens.

and they recommend putting it on the auto setting at all times even when hooked to shore power, in the event of a power failure it will automatically go to propane and no food will be spoiled.

That makes little send in context of the previous statement for this reason. If your refrigerator can be caused to switch from shore power to LP automatically then it is doing so on 12 volt chassis power. If it will do that, then it is likely to be capable of running on 12 volt as well (as every refrigerator that I have seen in an RV the last ten years does) which means that if you are running on LP while the RV is on the road, you are simply using up LP instead of engine fuel AND it's unnecessary.

I was just giving them an honest answer to help them in using their MH after years of having RV's,boats ect and what I have experienced. I don't think this site is intended for people to disrespect others opinions like you have, but rather to share experiences and help others learn how to use, operate and repair their MH's.

So... you think your "honest answer" which amounts to an unnecessary and possibly dangerous advice is different from my honest answer as a former Corporate Safety Officer and LP Gas Station owner?

I'm glad you responded though because I would have never known what a thermometer is,

Your statements brought this concept into doubt. So does the apparently extended time you seem to indicate that you are willing to have room temperature food sit in a warm refrigerator.

and I've been doing it all wrong. Your use of dry ice in my opinion is more dangerous/damaging than using a propane system,

(scarcasm)Sure it is. That's why the RV makers install those CO2 detectors that shriek if you use up all the oxygen in the coach. I'm sure that that the LP gas monitors, mounted at floor level are just there to boost the monitor makers as they are recommended to be replaced at intervals. At least the RV makers believe in supporting the ever expanding number of useless "make work jobs as our government has done since the first great depression".

I would not have known that if you hadn't pointed out that LP gas is not dangerous and doesn't have the potential to cause a coach to blow up like a bomb as it's sister "natural gas" does on a regular interval. When my LP gas monitor expires, I'll go by YOUR advice and NOT replace it (sarcasm mode off).

that was developed to be used to operate fridges while driving.

This isn't necessarily logical either. You know of the necessity of leveling the coach to be able to run the LP gas refrigerator don't you?

You seem to be fairly intelligent, but putting ice in fridges to get them cool is a waste of time and money with today's technology.

Who said the cool down time was 18 hours? As advised in MANY RV how to guides there are generally two ideas as using a refrigerator from warm:
A. Put in a bag of ICE (a good idea, you have Ice Cubes immediately)
B. Put in ONLY pre-cooled food item (if possible)

I do not tolerate even the 6 hours that it takes my refrigerator to cool down. I have a thermometer to judge SAFE temperature, not how long it takes to make Ice cubes.

While I personally do not care what any person does in their own lives; I personally support assisted suicide and the right to die, I insist on giving ONLY good advice to others. I would feel very bad if someone running their LP gas refrigerator had their RV burn to the ground. Would you?

[elektron]

Originally Posted by DogNPonyshow

My dad retired from 30 yrs at a good sized City fire dept runs down the road w his propane fridge turned on.

He won't allow candles to be burned in his home.

The run don't run propane while driving is a long argument in the RV community.

For me, looking at all angles, I felt it was much safer than spoiled food 😘

Sell your refrigerator and get a tri-powered model which runs on 12 volt while the engine is running. That's safer than allowing LP to be used, and cheaper.

[wa8yxm]

Originally Posted by ingram4868

The fridge will run with the propane on but can I drive down the road with the propane tank?? I would think the little pilot light would blow out from the wind..

First the burner area is shielded from the wind.

Second. I have not seen a fridge with a pilot light in a long, long, time, most are DSI (Direct Spark Ignition) Now.. I will admit the burner is not much bigger than your basic pilot light.

But with DSI several safety features are built in.

The flame is lit by an electric spark.. Just like the spark that lights the gasoline/air mix in your car's engine.

A flame sensor CONFIRMS to the electronics that ignition is successful.. If not, it tries again.. If it's blown out, it tries again.

So, you should not have a prolem running it on the road.

NEXT: others have mentioned add-on safety gear (Google Mac the Fire Guy) you can add.

NEXT: Fridge fires are one of the more common RV fire issues, Engine Fires and bedroom and electric being the rest.. Most of these can be greatly reduced by proper maintenance and not smoking in bed. (That last is not a joke, it cuts down on bedroom fires).

HOWEVER.. Imagine you are at a Rally, rigs packed in like sardines, and you are one of the lucky very few who has a fridge fire.. . By the time the FD gets there at least two more rigs are damaged, One (in addition to yours) Likely totaled.

Imagine same two rigs near you on the freeway.. Driver of other rigs sees smoke.. AND BOOGIES away from you...

Either way you are out a Motor home.. but I suspect your insurance company is going to be glad it is ONLY your rig they are paying for.

Oh, and least I scare you..... I have seen a few RV fires.. Last one was a TT.. It had smoke damage to the exterior. The Tow vehicle however (A big pick up truck) Was TOAST. Somehow I do not think that was a fridge fire (I have never seen a fridge fire up close. Have seen several engine fires in assorted vehicles, INCLUDING one of my own. (Minor damage since wife could not get hook up so it smothered itself,, Cost me about 2 bucks to fix it)

[navychaps]

Been RV'ing for over 30 years, always have run my fridge off of propane on the road (except when GENSET is on for cooling), never had a problem, even when using one of the old Norcolds that had a "fire" issue...just MY experience.

As for the OP, if you have the owner's manual, I would recommend you look up the manufacturer's recommendations on the use of all items in your MH.

Happy Trails and may you have many wonderful memories of your travels!

(And if you think this is heated, ask a question about tires!)

[mel s]

Originally Posted by wa8yxm

I have not seen a fridge with a pilot light in a long, long, time, most are DSI (Direct Spark Ignition)

My Norcold refrigerator has been run on LP when on the road for over 100k miles.
Mel
'96 Safari

[Mike and Cha]

Elektron, you are way off base and turning words/qoutes into something they are not. I never said I put my food into a warm fridge, hence why I cool it down for 12 hours prior to putting food in it(if you could read and comprehend). Never said anything about it taking 18 hours to cool down. Also I find it amazing that you know what my manual says and how my fridge operates, which means to me you "assume" alot and you know what that does. If you read this thread as well as a few other threads related to this topic MH owners overwhelmingly run their MH's with the propane fridge operating while driving..BECAUSE THAT'S THE WAY THEY ARE DESIGNED TOO, THEY ARE NOT JUST GETTING AWAY WITH BAD PRACTICES. You also assumed I have an older fridge, it's a 2014 brand new motorhome(you need to read the bottom profile to know this), brand new fridge, brand new technolgy. They stopped putting ice in fridges to keep them cool at least 35 years ago when they developed a propane fridge back then. I would think the engineers through the developement years put alot more research into this topic than have obviously done.

In my career I was a few notches above a safety officer, and found some of them to be a little over the top and somewhat of an alarmist when it came to the issue of any liability. The good ones didn't let it come to the point of either trying to make things so safe they actually became more dangerous, cost prohibative, or trying to stop work altogether. So that explains alot here. And guess what to get to the position I was in I had to be a "Safety Officer" for a period of time in what I would consider a somewhat dangerous occupation. So you are not talkng to someone who casts safety to the wind(which again you assumed).

I have been RVing and Boating since I was about 5 years old, and in the last 55 years I have only seen two boat fires, neither having anything to do with propane or fridges. We traveled at least once a month and at least 6 weeks during the summer, when I was growing up. So we had the opportunity to be out on the road among fellow RV'rs and boaters alot. I find it amazing and somewhat skeptical that in one trip to Florida you saw 4 MH's on fire, and "everytime" you go to south Florida you see "something burning"...Seeing as you like to quote comments and rip them apart so much. If that's not trying to scare people then I don't know what is. Your comment about assisted suicide is way off base (and a little wierd to be used in this forum) and should not have been included as it is way off the topic.

But like I said according to you 99% of us are doing it wrong and are just "getting away with unsafe practices". If you read some of your responses to my qoutes you have taken them out of context or don't comprehend real well and answered them with some off the wall comment that makes no sense. Either way I think the OP got a reasonable amount of response to this topic that they can make an educated decision on how to use their fridge, and MH.Good luck in your travels and with your experiences in Florida (MH fires and always see something burning) I'm not really sure why you go there.

[Mich F]

Perhaps I don't get out much, but I've been living in Florida since 1976 and I've yet to see an RV burning on the side of the road. I've had various RVs since 1989 and the only one that had a 3 way frig. was a slide in truck camper. All the others have had 2 way (gas/electric.) refrigerators. I believe it's safe to say that the vast majority of frigs. in RVs are 2 way, with most of the 3 ways only in smaller frigs. Also, the fact that an RV frig needs 12V to operate, does not mean the frig. will run on 12V.

[Mr_D]

So, if propane is so dangerous how do the propane powered buses and trucks keep going? There used to be lots of generators used in the trucking industry on refer trucks, and I don't remember seeing horror stories about therm either.
The propane system is designed, built and tested to be run while in motion. Have been doing it for 50+ years in every RV I've ever owned.

[MartySQ]

regarding dry ice... I learned the hard way in my cooler, read the instructions... place it on top of things you want frozen solid... place your items on top of dry ice if you just want to keep them cold... I had several brewing bottles of Kombucha break because I put the dry ice on top... waste of good bottles and good Kombucha.....