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08-30-2014, 08:06 PM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 22
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How do I run the fridge on the road
OK, this is what happens when you buy a new MH and have it delivered by a guy that does not know the rig.
Anyway, I found that the fridge, AC, and microwave only run when the generator is on.
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.
So how do I keep my fridge cold when going does the road?
If I turn off the main power breaker at the entry door does that also turn off the fridge?
Thank guys, my first trip in the RV is tomorrow and we are confused and excited.
__________________
David & Jill Ingram
Sparks, NV
2014 Coachmen Leprechaun 320BH
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08-30-2014, 08:18 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Groves,TX
Posts: 546
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The pilot will usually stay lit unless really strong winds from the side. I think turning off the switch at the door will keep the fridge from operating. Not really sure but the fridge needs 12V to run on propane or shore power. I have run all over the country with propane and never had pilot go out.
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08-30-2014, 08:28 PM
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#3
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Member
Winnebago Owners Club
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Midland,Texas
Posts: 92
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True, just start your fridge with the propane, and I would start it NOW, so it will start getting cold for tomorrow. You should be fine running on propane going down the road till you get to your destination. Once there go ahead and hook up to shore power, then switch to it instead of propane. You can switch back over to propane for the trip home or next destination.It will take several hours for the fridge to get cold for food and drinks. It's best if all this is already cold prior to putting it in the fridge in the coach. Have fun and be safe!
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08-30-2014, 08:32 PM
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#4
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Member
Winnebago Owners Club
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Midland,Texas
Posts: 92
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Just another helpful tip,,,,, run you generator when going down the road and use the AC, instead of the dash AC. You will use less fuel and stay nice and cool.
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08-30-2014, 09:27 PM
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#5
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 22
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Thank you guys so very much.
So when I plug the RV into the shore power everything works and I can just leave the main switch on? Oh, does the shore power also charge the house battery?
__________________
David & Jill Ingram
Sparks, NV
2014 Coachmen Leprechaun 320BH
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08-30-2014, 09:43 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Fleetwood Owners Club Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: SoCal
Posts: 15,749
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For the refrigerator you can run it on propane or inverter if you have one , while trekking down the road.
__________________
Vince and Susan
2011 Tiffin Phaeton 40QTH (Cummins ISC/Freightliner)
Flat towing a modified 2005 Jeep (Rubicon Wrangler)
Previously a 2002 Fleetwood Pace Arrow 37A and a 1995 Safari Trek 2830.
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08-30-2014, 09:47 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 3,059
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When you are on shore power your fridge should automatically turn to the electric mode unless you set it to be on propane only. When you unplug then it switches back to propane. I usually plug mine into electricity to cool it down and it is usually nice and cold in about 12 hours. It cools a little better if you put one of those little fridge fans in, they are less than $10 at Camping World. Yes the shore power should charge the batteries. I have had RV's as old as the mid seventies, and have never had the fridge pilot go out when on propane, so with the newer fridges I wouldn't worry about that. Yes you do need that main breaker switch on as that supplies power to the fridge controls, and it will not even work on propane if it is off. When traveling/using the MH always have that switch in the on position. In my MH if that is off nothing will work.
__________________
Mike & Charlotte
2014 Newmar Canyon Star 3610
Orange County, California
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08-30-2014, 09:49 PM
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#8
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 22
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There is an inverter, are they usually automatically engaged?
__________________
David & Jill Ingram
Sparks, NV
2014 Coachmen Leprechaun 320BH
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08-30-2014, 10:04 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 3,059
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My inverter does not run the fridge (at least I don't think it does), you do have to turn on the inverter if yours will run the fridge. Running the fridge on propane is very economical, safe, and will take several long trips to run down your propane tank, the amount it uses is minimal.
__________________
Mike & Charlotte
2014 Newmar Canyon Star 3610
Orange County, California
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08-30-2014, 10:43 PM
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#10
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 22
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That is good news about the propane usage. Should I worry about leaving the main switch on? All 4 of the TV's have standby lights on them.
__________________
David & Jill Ingram
Sparks, NV
2014 Coachmen Leprechaun 320BH
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08-31-2014, 02:16 AM
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#11
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Member
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 71
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ingram4868
OK, this is what happens when you buy a new MH and have it delivered by a guy that does not know the rig.
Anyway, I found that the fridge, AC, and microwave only run when the generator is on.
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.
So how do I keep my fridge cold when going does the road?
If I turn off the main power breaker at the entry door does that also turn off the fridge?
Thank guys, my first trip in the RV is tomorrow and we are confused and excited.
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Not knowing what you have I cannot give you a definitive answer. Many refrigerators are triple powered. If you run LP, you should be level if at all possible, or else you may damage the unit. My RV runs the refrigerator on 12 Volts when on the road. It runs on 120 volts when on shore power. ONLY if I am dry camping does the refrigerator run on LP. I keep LP turned off when driving. I do NOT turn off the coach electrical power when driving, only when I am storing the RV do I turn off the coach power.
My RV charges the truck and coach batteries while running. It used MOST of the alternator power to charge batteries when I am coasting as well.
Some refrigerators are dual power only. I expect that some may have 1 power source only. What is the make and model?
The cool down time of an RV refrigerator is quite long compared to home units. You can lose some food items due to spoilage during the hours that the interior may be cooling.
I want to be able to use mine immediately. On the last trip I picked up enough dry ice to cool the unit to 40 degrees almost immediately. After that the refrigerator will stay cold as long as you use it. It also helps to put only cooled items in the fridge if you can.
__________________
Phyllis & Stephen - 2014 Itasca
Navion IQ, Bel Air, Maryland.
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08-31-2014, 11:29 AM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 3,059
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Ingram4868, what kind of fridge do you have, if you have a full size Dometic or Norcold, do not worry about using your shore power to cool the fridge prior to leaving, and propane while on the road. Reading you info on the bottom, it looks like you have a new 32' MH, which should have the fridge that runs on either propane or 120 volt.Today's Motorhomes are built to be used that way. I have never shut off my propane tank as there is no need to. We have the 4 door Norcold refridgerator, and like I said on shore power it takes about 12 hours to cool down to freezing in the freezer, and cold in the fridge. We have an ice maker and that is how I know when mine is cold enough to freeze, because I have fresh ice dropped in the freezer. If I turn my fridge on the day before we leave, I can put cold stuff in my fridge the next morning and have never had any food spoil.I would not recommend putting dry ice in your fridge or anywhere in the interior of your MH( having used and been around dry ice for years, it can poison your food as well as delete oxygen in a closed environment).
Yes when you have your inverter on your TV's will have the standby lights on, when you are plugged or on the generator it will recharge your inverter. For the most part the inverter supplies power to the TV's and sound systems/DVD players ect when you are not hooked to a power source. I only turn my inverter on when we are dry camping and we want to watch TV.
__________________
Mike & Charlotte
2014 Newmar Canyon Star 3610
Orange County, California
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08-31-2014, 11:23 PM
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#13
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Member
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 71
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike and Cha
Ingram4868, what kind of fridge do you have, if you have a full size Dometic or Norcold, do not worry about using your shore power to cool the fridge prior to leaving, and propane while on the road. Reading you info on the bottom, it looks like you have a new 32' MH, which should have the fridge that runs on either propane or 120 volt.Today's Motorhomes are built to be used that way. I have never shut off my propane tank as there is no need to.
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If you read your RVs manual it will recommend that the LP be turned off while moving. It can cause a catastrophic fire.
Quote:
We have the 4 door Norcold refrigerator, and like I said on shore power it takes about 12 hours to cool down to freezing in the freezer, and cold in the fridge.
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Mine will cool down over night, in about 5 hours. Yours is probably MUCH larger.
Quote:
We have an ice maker and that is how I know when mine is cold enough to freeze, because I have fresh ice dropped in the freezer. If I turn my fridge on the day before we leave, I can put cold stuff in my fridge the next morning and have never had any food spoil.
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I use a device called a Thermometer to make sure that my food is kept at a SAFE temperature.
Quote:
I would not recommend putting dry ice in your fridge or anywhere in the interior of your MH( having used and been around dry ice for years, it can poison your food as well as delete oxygen in a closed environment).
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I don't give this statement any credit. Dry Ice when solid and cold produces no vapor. Above negative 119 degrees Fahrenheit it sublimates into CO2 gas, which is heavier than oxygen so it could pool in the bottom of a container, but it will NOT destroy oxygen.
I buy my dry ice at the local Supermarket. Obviously it's used to ship food that must be kept either frozen or cold. I can cool my refrigerator down to about 40, suitable for liquids, in a short time. My wife accidentally put a bottle of beer directly in contact with the dry ice container and froze it. She also puts bottle drinks directly against the cold air vent in our home refrigerator and freezes those as well even that ZERO in a refrigerator is a lot warmer than the - 119 F, of dry ice.
I ALSO used compressed gas for cleaning. These air streams cool down to -70 or so. CO2 is used to almost instantly cool wine glasses.
CO2 is an active ingredient in many food products from Soft Drinks, to Bread and Cheese, so I don't credit your statement that it can poison food. Can you support that claim with facts from an authoritative source?
My self and many other people I know have used dry ice since the 60s. Dry Ice sublimates to CO2 which is NOT hazardous. It could be a suffocation hazard if enough were produce in an airtight area, not a poisoning hazard.
If the possibility of asphyxiation was very high, it wouldn't be used in fire extinguishers. I have HALON fire extinguishers at work. When they fire, they can deplete the oxygen in a room very quickly, which is there principle of operation. A large release of Halon should be followed IMMEDIATELY with evacuation... But NOT with CO2 fire extinguishers.
It would take a HUGE amount of sublimating dry ice to suffocate a person in a typical room even if you were lying down. I'm sure someone has done it at some point, but it would be difficult. It would probably be a freezing hazard before it became a suffocating hazard.
RVs are far from being air tight. If they were, you'd still suffocate, from burning all the oxygen which when we breathe it, we turn into - CO2. Ergo CO2 used in an RV to cool things would not be dangerous, other than touching or eating it causes freeze burns.
Local food producers pack their perishable foods in Dry Ice for shipment all over the world, particular Maryland Crabs cooked with the SECRET (OLD BAY seasoning, Salt, and Mustard in a carbonated liquid which is full of CO2 - called beer) Maryland style. They are cooked in another harmless gas that improperly used causes burns and when condensed suffocation - steam.
Eating Dry Ice is dangerous and like drinking liquid Nitrogen could be fatal very quickly. The instructions that come with it make it clear that it's not to be used that way. Eating icecream can be dangerous in the same way. All things considered, it's a lot safer to handle than gasoline.
Here is a copy and paste from the Minnesota Safety Council concerning power outages:
A free-standing freezer will keep food frozen for 1-2 days, depending on how full it is. To keep temperatures below freezing, dry ice can be added; allow 2-3 pounds of ice per cubic foot of freezer space. Keep safety in mind when handling dry ice.
Always wear gloves or use tongs when handling; avoid breathing fumes.
Wrap it in brown paper for longer storage.
Place heavy cardboard directly on packages of frozen food and place dry ice on top of cardboard.
Cover freezer with blankets or quilts, adding crumpled newspaper for added insulation. Make sure air vent openings are clear to allow for gas from dry ice to escape.
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I doubt that they would make this recommendation if, as you say, Dry Ice can poison food.
__________________
Phyllis & Stephen - 2014 Itasca
Navion IQ, Bel Air, Maryland.
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09-01-2014, 07:02 AM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 325
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How do I run the fridge on the road
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!
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