shutting down the Refrig or keep it On between trips

LIGirlatheart wrote:
We usually use our 5th wheel every other week for the summer July & Aug. my question is should I keep refrig running or should I shut it down. Shutting it down each time is a pain to restock it. Just wondering what other camperheads do.

My only suggestion is to make sure the trailer is level. No use letting it run and destroying itself in the process by being off kilter.

Keep ours on when we know it will be 2 weeks back to camping or sooner. Love the fact it will be stocked and ready to go for the most part.

Personal preference really.. I shut mine down between trips, but that is usually anywhere from 2-4 weeks inbetween trips. I'd turn it off even it was a week I suppose..

I turn it on a day before it needs to get loaded on gas. I stopped using electric for the fridge for my own reasons.. No need to judge.. :)

Same fridge from day one and I've been doing the same thing with it since 2002.

I pull my battery between trips too.. It's grown legs before, and I just don't need that to happen again. (even parked at home!)

Good luck!

Mitch

It depends on how long it will be between trips. If it's only 2-3 days I leave it on but if it will be a week or more it goes off. It's not that much effort to restock it.

A shop that rebuilds them told me it's the people who turn them off and on that have the most problems with cracked/leaking units. I think they mentioned "weekend warriors". They believe the thermal stress of heating and cooling hurts them.
So I leave ours on all season. It's great to keep stuff in there and sometimes we have surprise trip and with the fridge ready to go we only have to load stuff we're going to consume.

I wonder if the longevity of the frig is affected by leaving it running 24/7. Seeing as the cost of one of these can be $1,000.00+, if I'm cutting the life in half by running it 24/7 vs. every other weekend, that would be something to consider. I don't know the answer but something I wonder about.

If its at home and running on AC power, it should be fine. If its stored elsewhere and running on propane, I wouldn't trust it.

On. It's a great second refrigerator and always stocked ready to go. We parks ours at home and use the trailer 24x7, except when actually traveling (about every week-end and 4 weeks a year), and when the outside temps reach 10 degrees above zero or less. Then we move back in the house.

An absorption fridge running on AC power uses somewhere around 4 to 6 kWh per day, considerably more than a compressor fridge (which these days may average around 1 kWh per day or so). You know your electric rates better than I do, of course, and so can better figure the actual cost.

I personally would turn it off rather than spending maybe $10 for each two-week period; the money (and general energy) savings would outweigh the annoyance.

Plug the trailer in when you get home. Leave the refrigerator on. Keep the batteries happy with your on-board charger.