How long does it take for your RV freezer/refrigerator to lose its cool?

[SailorDon]

From some of the posts in this refrigerator section, it seems there are many who believe that turning off the refrigerator causes the frig temperature to go up to 100°F with 10 minutes of turning off the electric (or propane).

So I ask those who run their RV refrigerators 100% of the time, why?
When driving to my next destination, my refrigerator is always turned off.
Even on those hot 100°F August days when the cabin temperature gets up to 95°F by the time I pull into the next campground, (or stop for the night in a rest area or whatever), there is still ice in the freezer and my beer is cold in the frig.

First thing to do on arrival is plug in the 120 VAC and turn on the refrigerator and air conditioning. And maybe the water heater.

My refrigerator won't keep its cool forever, but it will last for 8 to 10 hours before turning it back on at the next overnight stop.

To those who run their refrigerators on propane while driving down the highway, do you also have your water heater on while driving?

It has been my experience that both the refrigerator and the water heater have sufficient thermal insulation to keep their cool (or hot for the water heater) for longer than I can keep driving (8 to 10 hours).

If you are team driving, the extended driving hours might require running the refrigerator while on the highway to keep your ice from melting.

Needless to say, the more you open the refrigerator door, the faster it loses its cool (just like an Igloo cooler).

If your travels happen to take you on the Galveston ferry, you have to show the ferry traffic attendant that your propane is shut off at the tanks before they will allow you to drive your rig onto the ferry.
I sincerely hope your food doesn't spoil during that 20 minute ferry ride!

 

[weekender01]

I am not sure how others experience is, nor do I know what kind fridge you have but I have a Norcold 8 cu ft and had food go bad/thaw while traveling when the fridge did not kick over to gas one time. If I am going for a few hours I am not too concerned, but I can tell you that if I cool the fridge off then turn it off and drive for 3+ hours my temp will be above 45 - 50 degrees which is an unsafe temp to hold for food.

Given my experience I keep the fridge running while towing as most RV owners I know do. I do not want spoiled food to throw out or worse make someone sick. Again this is my experience and why we run it while towing.

 

[danemayer]

Gas absorption refrigerators take a very long time to recover once the temp is allowed to climb. If you start at 37 and allow the temp to go up to 45 as you tow for 8 hours, in the afternoon heat, it may continue at an elevated temp for another 6-8 hours.

Maybe ok for you. Not for me.

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[SailorDon]

I am not sure how others experience is, nor do I know what kind fridge you have but I have a Norcold 8 cu ft

I neglected to say that my refrigerator is a Norcold N611 (6.3 cu. ft.) Perhaps it has better insulation (or I am not opening the doors as much).

I agree that 50F is too warm for a refrigerator. (It has lost its cool.)

 

[ksucats]

We have the residential Samsung side by side in our coach. The freezer normally has very little in it - perhaps some frozen juice and ice cream - but the refrigerator side is pretty well stocked with water, milk, eggs, butter, you know the stuff. In any case, if I leave the inverter off the freezer side will be above 45 degrees by the time I make my first fuel / rest stop (1.5 to 2 hours down the road). The refer side stays in the 45 to 50 degree range having started close to 35. One of the 'check items' is to make sure I've turned the inverter on. That said, we suspect that the reason the temperature increases so fast is because the doors don't latch as securely as RV Refers do.

In any case, after all that I guess the short answer is -- we travel with the refrigerator on.

 

[dbbls59]

I leave my fridge on auto so it stays on when traveling. No, I do not travel with the water heater on. to each his own.

 

[CDN]

Fridge on unless prohibited by law. If we are really hot in a park I will move to propane from electric.

 

[mlpeloquin]

Always have the fridge on. Only once I did not and after five hours the fridge was 50 degrees and the freezer was 42 degrees. The desert temps were 110 degrees. Took till the next morning to get back to normal.

 

[SailorDon]

Several RV websites advise to turn off the propane when traveling, like this copy below. (click on image to show full size)

I have not found any RV websites that advise to drive with the propane on.

 

[weekender01]

Several RV websites advise to turn off the propane when traveling, like this copy below. (click on image to show full size)
View attachment 50426
I have not found any RV websites that advise to drive with the propane on.

Yes you will find these articles, but the majority of RV owners will drive with the propane on for the refrigerator (right or wrong). You need to decide if you are comfortable with the risk. At the least put your cold food in coolers on ice to keep it safe.

 

[SailorDon]

Yes you will find these articles, but the majority of RV owners will drive with the propane on for the refrigerator (right or wrong). You need to decide if you are comfortable with the risk. At the least put your cold food in coolers on ice to keep it safe.

I don't think there is a "right or wrong" about traveling with the propane refrigerator on (except where prohibited by law). Your choice will probably be based on how long you are driving and how good is the insulation and how often you open the frig or freezer door and how hot is it in the cabin of your coach.

If you drive with the propane frig on, do you have a remote smoke detector and propane warning alarms at the driver's location so you know if you a towing a flaming inferno?

My Norcold owner's manual states it must be level 3 degrees side to side and 7 degrees front to back when the refrigerator is on. When on the road, how do you insure that you are operating within those limits? The gas absorption unit can overheat and go up in smoke if operated outside of these limits.

 

[avvidclif]

I don't think there is a "right or wrong" about traveling with the propane refrigerator on (except where prohibited by law). Your choice will probably be based on how long you are driving and how good is the insulation and how often you open the frig or freezer door and how hot is it in the cabin of your coach. That is the correct answer

If you drive with the propane frig on, do you have a remote smoke detector and propane warning alarms at the driver's location so you know if you a towing a flaming inferno? Rear view mirrors

My Norcold owner's manual states it must be level 3 degrees side to side and 7 degrees front to back when the refrigerator is on. When on the road, how do you insure that you are operating within those limits? The gas absorption unit can overheat and go up in smoke if operated outside of these limits.

Their leveling limits are for a static situation ie: Parked. When moving it's constantly changing and no problem.

Why the obsession about the fridge????

 

[weekender01]

SailorDon

Not sure what you are trying to get at with your post. I can tell you that we tow with our fridge on gas regardless of how far we need to travel so that the food stays at a safe temp. As I have experienced my fridge will not stay cold very long if off. Also as others have said it takes a while to get it back down to 38 degrees after it has been off. Your food safety is at risk.

Put a thermometer (remote if possible) in your fridge, get the temp to 38F then turn of the fridge. Check the fridge temp at 1 hour intervals and see how long it takes to reach above 45F. In the heat of the summer I would be shocked if you stay below 45F for more than 3 hours with it off.

Good luck in our decision whatever that may be.

 

[SailorDon]

Why the obsession about the fridge????

Only my analyst knows for sure.

And for peace of mind to avoid this:

 

[mlpeloquin]

Several RV websites advise to turn off the propane when traveling, like this copy below. (click on image to show full size)
View attachment 50426
I have not found any RV websites that advise to drive with the propane on.

That is why I will be installing a inverter, transfer switch, fuse, and local circuit breaker later this year. Propane will not be on then. Until then I opt for propane vs food poisoning.

 

[CDN]

I have seen that picture many times. Are we sure this was a Fridge or something else?

 

[Kbvols]

They're probably fortunate the trailer caught fire given how overloaded that truck appears to be.....


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[danemayer]

RV refrigerators can be a fire cause, but this looks like the same picture with cause of fire attributed to brakes.

 

[LBR]

I have seen that picture many times. Are we sure this was a Fridge or something else?

As have I....If it is the same one I'm thinking of, it was on Facebook alot and quite possibly had the flames photoshopped into the picture.....the joke was that it was an "Inferno"... a popular model of older toyhauler.

 

[carl.swoyer]

While dry camping I turn off the fridge at night and for several hours during the day to conserve power. I've never lost any food. However I do travel with the fridge on.

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