Fridge use with no elec during emergency?
I understand that my 2 way Fridge will run on Propane, but does it require any electricity at all? Will it work if I am not plugged in and my batteries are completely dead? What about water heater? ...
Forum Discussion
When I was looking at truck campers, there appears to be a few modern fridge models which, if they don't have battery, will still cool using propane, but just won't have manual thermostat function, nor will they be able to automatically ignite or put out the pilot light. Not sure which they are, though.
Another idea is to get a Dometic "ice chest" fridge. Not a "thermal electric" cooler -- those are worthless. Buy a true refrigerator with a Danfoss compressor. This can be run off the cig lighter/power port on a vehicle, but it can around three amp/hours so it would be wise to run the vehicle at least daily to counteract this draw. However, this will keep one's stuff cold. Another idea is to set it to 0 degrees F, and use it as a freezer to freeze hard sided gel freezer packs, then rotate those out with coolers. That will help provide more cubic feet for cooling, but will demand more amperage.
I know the OP doesn't want a generator, but I would seriously consider -some- model, even if it is the el cheapo $100 ET-800 knock-off from Harbor Freight. $200 gets you a four stroke Champion 1500 watt model that is relatively easily maintained by oil changes and can be turned off at the petcock so fresh gas can be kept in the engine, while the carb bowl remain dry (to prevent varnish buildup.) The advantage is that it takes a lot less gas to run a small generator than it is to keep a vehicle's engine running, and making fuel go longer is key in a disaster.
You could run jumper cables from your vehicle as well, perhaps even attach an inverter to it for some 120 volt usage. However there is one caveat to this:
I may sound like a doomsayer, but from my experience, come a disaster scenario, stores will be completely cleaned out. There will be no water, gasoline, propane, or other items available. Even if there is a chance of a hurricane going in an area, there will be a run on all stores. By the time there is news of an evacuation, it will be way too late. Stuff will be gone days beforehand.
Generator? If you find one, it will likely be the most expensive models sold, but most likely there won't be anything around.
Gas and diesel? Same thing. Pumps will be empty, and if not, be turned off because the shop owners have locked down everything, and gotten out.
If a hurricane is bearing down, one pretty much either has what they need already stashed well before the weatherman predicts the path coming in, or they are going to be joining the other refugees packed to the rafters in the high school gymnasiums.
Trick is to do a little bit of planning. I personally keep a few 5 gallon gas cans, each with Star-Tron fuel preservative, and rotate those out every 3-6 weeks. I also keep 2-3 extra 20 pound propane bottles as well. In my TT, I tend to keep the FW tank full, as well as keep a few gallon jugs of drinking water.
Food-wise, I keep a 72 hour MRE kit in my TT, as well as some other long shelf life items. The goal is to be able to keep going comfortably for about 3-7 days. That should be rotated out every so often as well.
Another idea is to get a Dometic "ice chest" fridge. Not a "thermal electric" cooler -- those are worthless. Buy a true refrigerator with a Danfoss compressor. This can be run off the cig lighter/power port on a vehicle, but it can around three amp/hours so it would be wise to run the vehicle at least daily to counteract this draw. However, this will keep one's stuff cold. Another idea is to set it to 0 degrees F, and use it as a freezer to freeze hard sided gel freezer packs, then rotate those out with coolers. That will help provide more cubic feet for cooling, but will demand more amperage.
I know the OP doesn't want a generator, but I would seriously consider -some- model, even if it is the el cheapo $100 ET-800 knock-off from Harbor Freight. $200 gets you a four stroke Champion 1500 watt model that is relatively easily maintained by oil changes and can be turned off at the petcock so fresh gas can be kept in the engine, while the carb bowl remain dry (to prevent varnish buildup.) The advantage is that it takes a lot less gas to run a small generator than it is to keep a vehicle's engine running, and making fuel go longer is key in a disaster.
You could run jumper cables from your vehicle as well, perhaps even attach an inverter to it for some 120 volt usage. However there is one caveat to this:
I may sound like a doomsayer, but from my experience, come a disaster scenario, stores will be completely cleaned out. There will be no water, gasoline, propane, or other items available. Even if there is a chance of a hurricane going in an area, there will be a run on all stores. By the time there is news of an evacuation, it will be way too late. Stuff will be gone days beforehand.
Generator? If you find one, it will likely be the most expensive models sold, but most likely there won't be anything around.
Gas and diesel? Same thing. Pumps will be empty, and if not, be turned off because the shop owners have locked down everything, and gotten out.
If a hurricane is bearing down, one pretty much either has what they need already stashed well before the weatherman predicts the path coming in, or they are going to be joining the other refugees packed to the rafters in the high school gymnasiums.
Trick is to do a little bit of planning. I personally keep a few 5 gallon gas cans, each with Star-Tron fuel preservative, and rotate those out every 3-6 weeks. I also keep 2-3 extra 20 pound propane bottles as well. In my TT, I tend to keep the FW tank full, as well as keep a few gallon jugs of drinking water.
Food-wise, I keep a 72 hour MRE kit in my TT, as well as some other long shelf life items. The goal is to be able to keep going comfortably for about 3-7 days. That should be rotated out every so often as well.
