Snowbird Question

We load / run refer as normal except fresh fruits... only takes 1.5 days to get below I 10... no probms so far.

We have traveled many times in cold weather, December, January, and March with our previous travel trailer. The refrigerator was petty much a standard gas-electric RV refrigerator with the freezer compartment on top with it's own separate door.

First, the refrigerator in all our previous campers are never turned off. We leave our campers plugged in 24x7x365 and the refrigerators have always been set on Auto, so if electric power goes out they would run on propane.

We never had problems running the refrigerator while traveling. It would flip over to gas once unplugged from shore power and just keep things nice and cold. I never tried to analyze it, I just did it.

I do know, that if the inside of the trailer gets really cold ... like 20 degrees below zero ... which did happen a few times over the years ... the refrigerator just quits running. Not because there is anything wrong, but because the thermostat in the refrigerator is reading temperatures that have penetrated the inside that colder than the refrigerator settings.

If the ambient temperature is zero degrees and your refrigerator is set for 38 degrees, well, it's just simply not going to run, because it's already cold.

This was fine for the refrigerator section. But for the freezer section, the ambient temperature had to penetrate below the refrigerator setting before it stopped working. In other words, it had to be really, really, really cold a long time for the outside temperature to penetrate to the inside of the camper, and then the temperature of the trailer to penetrate to the inside of the refrigerator before the refrigerator thought it was already cold.

So, basically what I'm saying is, if you are taking any frozen foods or cold foods with you and you are leaving from a snow, very cold location, just turn your refrigerator on a day before heading out. If you have heat on inside the camper, the refrigerator will run as normal.

Load the refrigerator once is good and cold, unplug shore power, let it flip over to gas and hit the road. Things WILL stay cold and frozen. If the ambient temperature inside the camper hovers freezing or below, the refrigerator and freezer simply won't run very much, but it will stay cold and frozen. Once the ambient temperature inside the camper reaches above the temperature settings on the refrigerator, then it will kick on. Either way ... your ice cream will not melt ... been there ... done that.

Now, our current camper has an all electric residential refrigerator in it. The camper is closed up right now, but still plugged in. The outside temperature is 20 degrees or less at night now. The inside of the camper is COLD! I've checked the temperature in the refrigerator, both the freezer and the refrigerator section. It's staying right on 38 degrees and negative 2.

I'm curious what it will do when temps inside the camper get down to zero (which will probably happen soon enough here in Indiana).

Long story short, turn on the refrigerator on an Auto setting (gas-electric), or just electric if it's residential. Let it cool down. Load it, and take off! No worries.

Our front cap was covered in a sheet of ice and icicles were hanging off of our mirrors and our fridge ran as normal. We didn't think to do anything different with it.

Just buy your “frozen and refrigerated food items” upon arrival. The Sunbelt has grocery stores, Walmart’s etc. even restaurants.

We stay in our trailer. Just bring a few gallons of water to drink, wash or pour into the toilet to flush. Put our foods in a cooler until we turn the fridge on. Usually only takes a day or two to get to warmer temps.

B.O.

Dang, after all these years I heard something new about the friges.

i have just loaded the frige at the stick home and hitched up and headed south on the magic day. i remember one faithful day when it was Zero out there and all worked out fine with the frige loaded on departure.

Guess ignorance was bliss for me.

Have fun down there, My favorite site in the FL panhandle has been flattened.

With putting heat in to get cold out it can be so cold that the absorption cycle will not start...never gets hot enough. Once working it stands a better chance of keeping working. I would seal off the vent, put a 100W bulb in the back ithe day before you leave and cool the unit down. Load it up, remove the light bulb, and head south. With no cold air getting in the back it should work fine and once south open the vent up.

sounds to me it takes weeks to where people are going. get on the high way and getter done be there in no time. When I head to florida from Ontario sitting in Daytona in 2 days that's after stopping at friends in moorsville

We have done just as Dutchmen posted above for the past 17 years. We traveled from Michigan to either Florida or Texas most years.

Last year the temp was 14 below zero when we left and was the same for the next day. :E . Those temps were abnormal though - usually just in the teens or single digits.

I would just pack as normal and when you get to warmer temps, de-winterize and enjoy the use of your trailer. Just realize that things are going to freeze inside both the trailer and the fridge unless you have the heat on all the time while traveling. We never ran the heat while moving and didn't have any problems. We stayed in motels until we got to where the temps were more reasonable. Last year was not normal though for temps.
Barney

We've been leaving OH in the winter for 6 years with our travel trailer and always just ran the fridge as we usually do. I turn it on a day ahead of time, and then we load it up before leaving and have never had a problem. Now with a MH, it will be a little different as it will be in a heated area while traveling.