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Danattherock · 02-25-2020, 04:57 PM

My wife and I are about to take ownership of our first camper. I've been reading everything I can and watching endless YouTube videos. I'm smart enough to be dangerous now.

Most online stuff I found suggest folks are traveling around with the refrigerators powered by propane to keep their food cold. I assume this to be a common practice. Yet a few YouTube videos highlighted the dangers of such.

So I had decided perhaps it was a bad idea. Went to camping world today to get some accessories, $700 worth, lol. I was told that everybody travels with propane to the fridge. This flies in the face of the recent advice I got from various YouTube videos.

I would appreciate any insights on how common, or safe, this practice may be.

Thanks

Dan

egwilly · 02-25-2020, 05:07 PM

We do it all the time, every trip regardless of length of time on the road.
Never been an issue with us in 30 years.
Food stays cold, wife stays happy.

PS: there are many many threads on this subject. Try a search and you'll be surprised how often this subject comes up.

cataska · 02-25-2020, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by egwilly

We do it all the time, every trip regardless of length of time on the road.
Never been an issue with us in 30 years.
Food stays cold, wife stays happy.

PS: there are many many threads on this subject. Try a search and you'll be surprised how often this subject comes up.

This^

Pillbox · 02-25-2020, 05:13 PM

Never turned my propane off, EXCEPT, to re fill the propane tank.
refridgerator on propane when I drive with food. I have done this since 2000.
Welcome Danattherock, I too know just enough to be dangerous also!

Solo_RV_Guy · 02-25-2020, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danattherock

My wife and I are about to take ownership of our first camper. I've been reading everything I can and watching endless YouTube videos. I'm smart enough to be dangerous now.

Most online stuff I found suggest folks are traveling around with the refrigerators powered by propane to keep their food cold. I assume this to be a common practice. Yet a few YouTube videos highlighted the dangers of such.

So I had decided perhaps it was a bad idea. Went to camping world today to get some accessories, $700 worth, lol. I was told that everybody travels with propane to the fridge. This flies in the face of the recent advice I got from various YouTube videos.

I would appreciate any insights on how common, or safe, this practice may be.

Thanks

Dan

Hi Dan -

Well, what are your options without propane? 120v? Where does that come from while you're towing the TT? 12v? Some older Norcold had a 12vDC heating element but would drain a battery in a few hours. Very few.

I don't know about TTs, but in the Class A diesel pusher motorhomes, engine fires are more common than refrigerator and electrical fires, combined. Absorption refrigerators cause fires for 2 reasons - the first is that eventually the cooling unit tubes start to leak, and one of the gases in the tube is *hydrogen*. If there is something to ignite it, it's a hot fire. If you're under way when the leak happens, and your refrigerator is not cycling, the hydrogen will dissipate and nothing will happen except your refrigerator has failed. If you're not moving and things are hot and not well ventilated, you will have a fire. But the most common cause of RV refrigerator fires are from improper installation (clearances and ventilation) that eventually chars the area behind and above the refrigerator. That could happen any time you're using propane whether stationary or moving. Do a G search for "RV refrigerator installation failures" and don't rely solely on YouTube videos...

450Donn · 02-25-2020, 05:15 PM

Probably 95% of people travel with refer on and running on gas. The rest IMHO simply have not educated themselves.

twinboat · 02-25-2020, 05:26 PM

The danger, as small as it is, is in your rear view mirror.

If you see flames back there, pull over and walk away. You may even have time to unhitch.

U Tube doesn't have videos of the millions of fridges that haven't burnt up. That would be boring to watch.

EdInArk · 02-25-2020, 05:33 PM

Another vote for running the refrigerator on propane while on the road. It even says in my refrigerator owners manual to do it.

Danattherock · 02-25-2020, 05:34 PM

Twinboat, that is a very good point, lol.

I hesitated to post this thread and I apologize. I've been on enough online forums to know how frustrating it is to see newbies ask the same questions over and over. But it seems like everything I read or hear on this subject is contradictory to the last thing I heard or read.

The wife and I are excited about the possibility of stopping at the grocery store and loading up our cold refrigerator with food for the weekend. Coming from a lifetime of tent camping that would be quite a luxury.

Assuming we don't end up on YouTube famous for all the wrong reasons, lol.

Dan

Blastvalve · 02-25-2020, 05:37 PM

We run with the fridge on as well. The only time I’d consider shutting it off en route would be if we were taking an extended pit stop somewhere and the coach was way off level.

A32Deuce · 02-25-2020, 05:59 PM

Some tunnels have to have the propane off. Then the reefer is off and back on on the other side. 2012 unit and 95000 miles with it on.

Yosemite77 · 02-25-2020, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Danattherock

Twinboat, that is a very good point, lol.

I hesitated to post this thread and I apologize. I've been on enough online forums to know how frustrating it is to see newbies ask the same questions over and over…
Dan

No need to apologize. As the saying goes, there’s no such thing as a dumb question. The smart person does what you’re doing. Keep researching and keep asking questions. Take advantage of others experience and learn from the dumb mistakes we all make.

Personally, I wouldn’t worry for a second about the refrigerator. You are much more likely to have an issue such as a flat tire.

SteveJ. · 02-25-2020, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A32Deuce

Some tunnels have to have the propane off. Then the reefer is off and back on on the other side. 2012 unit and 95000 miles with it on.

The same with a lot of ferries.

TXiceman · 02-25-2020, 06:57 PM

Been RVing since 1984 and until this trailer we had an RV gas refrigerator. WE always traveled with gas on and the fridge on gas. We have not blown up any one or ant thing yet.

Ignore the nay-sayers. I would worry more about 30 plus gallons of gasoline in a thin metal or plastic tank.

Ken