Do you drive with your refrigerator running on propane?

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Do you drive with your refrigerator running on propane?

Yes

40 (85.1%)
No

4 (8.5%)
Sometimes

3 (6.4%)

Total Members Voted: 47

Voting closed: June 07, 2021, 08:53:25 pm

Topic: Do you drive with your refrigerator running on propane? (Read 498 times) previous topic - next topic

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Do you drive with your refrigerator running on propane?

June 02, 2021, 08:53:25 pm

When traveling, some RVers will drive with their propane on to keep their refrigerator running and cold. Do you think it’s safe? Why or why not?

Re: Do you drive with your refrigerator running on propane?

Reply #1 – June 02, 2021, 09:20:49 pm

This should be fun . . .

Re: Do you drive with your refrigerator running on propane?

Reply #2 – June 02, 2021, 09:33:24 pm

DC doesn't keep the temp so only other option is propane since we don't have an inverter

Re: Do you drive with your refrigerator running on propane?

Reply #3 – June 02, 2021, 09:40:53 pm

This is one of those topics that seems more controversial online than it is in real life. The only time we've ever turned our propane off on a trip is for refilling propane or traveling via the occasional tunnel or ferry that requires propane be turned off at the tank.

Turn off gas appliances (but not at the tank) when fueling.

I think the vast majority of RVers do the same.

Rich

Re: Do you drive with your refrigerator running on propane?

Reply #4 – June 02, 2021, 11:13:03 pm

We furn on the Inverter and run it on A/C always.

Re: Do you drive with your refrigerator running on propane?

Reply #5 – June 02, 2021, 11:18:12 pm

Typically, I travel during day. We have 500 amp hours of lithium batts and 3000 watt inverter/charger. Driving on cloudy days, running the fridge on battery may consume 300 amp hours during an 8 hour drive, less if we get partial sun.

Usually get nearly 800 watts coming in during full sun. The fridge uses about 325 watts an hour when it isn’t in idle mode (between cycling on/off). At this rate we don’t loose battery charge.

It’s nice to be able to access the fridge content while on the road.

Prior to our solar upgrade, we always ran with the propane tank closed and the fridge off. Didn’t use to be concerned with the propane but then we did and now we don’t need to. Works for us.

If you travel with the fridge off, it will keep cold for 6 hours or so. Back then if we drove for longer, we would fire up the genny and turn the fridge back on for a couple of hours.

Always have the propane and the fridge off while fueling up either gasoline or propane. There are times when things can make life hazardous. I spent too much money on the LD to risk loosing it to an unexpected upset.

That’s us.

Kent

Re: Do you drive with your refrigerator running on propane?

Reply #6 – June 03, 2021, 03:15:48 am

Hi Socalgirl; you said " some RVers will drive with their propane on ". I agree with Rich that almost all Rv'ers travel with the propane on, and run the refrigerator on propane. And for MajorTom, a 400W inverter is less than $50 if you wanted to do that. 400 WATT POWER INVERTER 12 VDC TO 120 VAC WITH CABLES – The Inverter Store Doesn't need to be the pure sine wave type, just a resistive load. RonB

Re: Do you drive with your refrigerator running on propane?

Reply #7 – June 03, 2021, 07:57:36 am

Ron, how would you hook up a small inverter to run the fridge?

Re: Do you drive with your refrigerator running on propane?

Reply #8 – June 03, 2021, 09:30:36 am

This seems to be a bigger issue than it should be...i try to keep it simple...
I turn on my fridge 24 to 36 hours before i am ready to hit the road. I make sure EVERYTHING that is going in the rv fridge .....has to be in my home fridge overnight and COLD. Right before leaving i take my 2 frozen solid bottles ocean spray rectangled shaped juice bottles) and put one in the freezer and one on the bottom shelf. I also use one of the half gallon doubled walled stainless steel jugs from walmart or yeti.....which has been in the freezer for 36 hours with lid off.(..i add ice cubes after its 36 hour period) 2 trays of cubes and put this in the rv freezer too. I keep it in the freezer once i am hooked to shore power...i have ice in my yeti large cup for 4 days(0ne person 3 to 4 cubes adding water or coke that had been in the fridge) I travel on average 3 to 5 hours....never opening the door ...air temp outside being 70 to 85....when i arrive the temp is 40° to 45 °....the highest it got was 49° and that's because i stopped and got out lunch items on a 5 1/2 hour trip. Yes it does take up space but i usually get grocery at my destination anyways....so this is just to keep the basics cold..half and half...condiments, cheese..etc. i started out tent camping with a cooler and this is high class compared to an old style cooler.
If i was going on a much longer trip i carry my smaller Whytner ac dc chest frige plugged into my cig lighter plug fridge...uses very little battery power.
To many videos on utube showing burned up rvs and trailers . Not to mention the risk to life and your pets...it is never safe to travel with propane on....leaks can occur from fittings and a slight spark can set it off.....
Be safe...travel wise ....dont ruin your vacation and risk it all...

Re: Do you drive with your refrigerator running on propane?

Reply #9 – June 03, 2021, 10:27:15 am

Jeeze! I don't understand why people make a simple situation so darned complicated.

I NEVER turn my fridge OFF unless I'm about to defrost it!

Re: Do you drive with your refrigerator running on propane?

Reply #10 – June 03, 2021, 10:33:40 am

With so many newbies on the forum..and buying older units....with aging sytems...it is best to advise the safest.way to travel....old timers.do as you want.....
Those who do not do your research will fall in line behind those who wished they had....imo

Re: Do you drive with your refrigerator running on propane?

Reply #11 – June 03, 2021, 11:18:45 am

Hi Greg. A MidBath is easy, your refrigerator is just above your battery box. Don't you have a standard inverter? Or was that to run the old tube type TV. I would intercept the 110VAC wire (romex) running to the refrigerator and put in an inverter that would switch the refrigerator to itself when it had power. Otherwise the inverter would remain feeding the standard 110V to the 'fridge.
Then I would have a heavy duty relay that would connect +12vdc (just the hot lead, ground always connected) to the inverter, activated by the accessory key, engine on position. With the engine running, the alternator would switch the inverter on, and provide power to the refrigerator via inverter 110V.

To be more automated I would use one half of that same relay and interrupt 12V going to the refrigerator. Off, it would feed 12vdc to the 'fridge logic, through the normal fused route. When the relay was on it would also feed 12v to the 'fridge. A travel switch with light on the dash could interrupt the normal 12vdc feed to the 'fridge so it would just go off when the engine wasn't running. It wouldn't switch to gas and try to relight just when you entered a gas station. When you restarted the engine after fueling, the 'fridge would go directly to 110Vac operation. RonB

Re: Do you drive with your refrigerator running on propane?

Reply #12 – June 03, 2021, 12:27:17 pm

May I point out you also have 55 gallons of gasoline. Propane is a very small concern.

Never turn off propane unless re-fueling or required by law.

glen

Re: Do you drive with your refrigerator running on propane?

Reply #13 – June 03, 2021, 03:44:19 pm

Quote from: Franram - June 03, 2021, 10:33:40 am

With so many newbies on the forum..and buying older units....with aging sytems...it is best to advise the safest.way to travel....old timers.do as you want.....
Those who do not do your research will fall in line behind those who wished they had....imo

Aging systems should be maintained properly, including periodic testing for leaks.
Your LD's Owners Manual indicates the refrigerator can be run while driving, it is the most dependable way of doing so.
Inverters draw a lot of power and can drain the battery if not immediately turned off when the engine is not running. This requires strict observance to manually turning the inverter on and off or installing a complicated ignition-triggered transfer switch for the inverter. Inverter systems are more complicated and more prone to failures

You can drive with the refrigerator off but risk food poisoning, a more real threat to most of us.
While many are afraid of using propane, there are not a lot of RV fires caused by driving while using propane to operate the refrigerator. In 20 years of being on the forum, I can't remember any examples of this happening to an LD.
Some folks run their refrigerators on inverters to save propane but unless you are driving cross country, the savings will be minimal. The refrigerator's propane usage is low.

And as Colddog pointed out, there's the gasoline tank and all the associated plumbing that could go bad.
To be the safest, it would be best to leave your LD empty of all flammable liquids and gases at all times.

Larry

Re: Do you drive with your refrigerator running on propane?

Reply #14 – June 03, 2021, 04:11:20 pm

Re: The refrigerator's propane usage: Several years ago, I asked for corroboration from Al Cohoe, who at the time was the chair of the RV Tech program at Okanagan College in Kelowna, BC, of a statement I had read online, purportedly from an RV tech, saying that if the burner was running full time, the refrigerator would burn about a pound of LPG per 14.5 hours.

Al's response was this: “His answer is close - it will actually use considerably less than he is mentioning. That is based on use while the actual burner is fired up. The burner will only be on when it is asking for more cold. The higher the setting the more hours per day it would run, as well as the more warm food placed inside, etc.”

Re: Do you drive with your refrigerator running on propane?

Reply #15 – June 03, 2021, 05:23:24 pm

Quote from: HiLola - June 03, 2021, 07:57:36 am

Ron, how would you hook up a small inverter to run the fridge?

That's easy! The two AC power wires (ignore the ground) coming from the fridge will be disconnected and attached to the two center connectors of a "double pole double throw" toggle switch. This leave two connectors on each side of the switch. Two will go to the original AC wires (you disconnected earlier), the other two will be attached to the AC output of your inverter.

Now you have an AC power selector for the fridge, flip the switch one way and it's on the shore power or generator side, the other way will be powered with the inverter.

I have a 2000 watt inverter charger, 400 watts of solar, and 460 amp hours of battery, so run the fridge on AC while driving. There's a small solar panel on the roof dedicated to powering a couple of muffin fans on the bottom air vent of the fridge. This greatly improves cooling efficiency, typically maintaining proper temps at the medium (3 of 5 lights on) position, even parked with fridge side in direct sun.

Re: Do you drive with your refrigerator running on propane?

Reply #16 – June 06, 2021, 09:27:13 am

Quote from: HiLola - June 03, 2021, 07:57:36 am

Ron, how would you hook up a small inverter to run the fridge?

As an aside, the inverter can't be too small. The fridge draws 30 amps when the AC heating element is on, that comes to 390 watts without considering power losses due to efficiency. 500 watts continuous would be the minimum size I'd consider.

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