Fridge On or Off?

[chrisandoctavia]

OK - here's a question for those of you who have been RV'ing a while (we are still newbies)

When driving to your RV campground do you have your onboard fridge ON and powered by propane, or do you turn it off while driving?

I have seen a recent blog post that said it might be dangerous to have it on - but wanted to hear what the rest of you think and do

Thanks for any replies you can give

Chris

[pnichols]

rockhillmanor wrote:
Yup. If you have the propane turned on for the fridge it's going to the stove also. And those knobs can be bumped on VERY easily.

What kind of stovetop knobs do some of you folks have, anyway?: The knobs on our stovetop (2005 Itasca RV) must be pushed in, and held in ... as they are then turned .... in order to cause propane to flow.

That seems very safe to me. It must be that older stovetop designs did not have this type of dual-action knobs on them. :h

[tenbear]

Many years ago, when I had a TT, I tried running the refrig off an inverter. I found that the TT battery would be discharged to the point that the inverter stopped working in 3-4 hours. I never did try to install bigger wire between the tow vehicle and the trailer.

I just ran the fridge on propane and have been doing that ever since.

[Old-Biscuit]

Islandman wrote:
Guess I'm one of the minority who runs the fridge on DC when travelling, and then switch it to propane or AC when getting to the campsite. I always turn off the propane near the tank when we travel, don't have to worry about turning it off when fueling up or when on ferry travel.

Minority because most RV fridges now a days don't have DC heat element....just 120V AC or propane hence the use of propane while in transit

[Islandman]

Guess I'm one of the minority who runs the fridge on DC when travelling, and then switch it to propane or AC when getting to the campsite. I always turn off the propane near the tank when we travel, don't have to worry about turning it off when fueling up or when on ferry travel.

[hhornig]

I run mine on propane, but turn it off when parked in a filling station or on a slope. The life of a propane fridge will be significantly shorten if run off-level when not moving.

[tenbear]

Dusty R wrote:
Several years ago, there was a story about an RV, 5th wheel I think, that pulled in to get gas. There was a guy changing the filter on one of the pumps. The furnace and/or refrigerator must have been on because when that RV pulled up there was an explosion and fire. The guy changing the filter died.

A good reason for turning the refrig off when stopping for gas. I have a wireless switch for turning the refrig off from the driver's/passenger's seat. The hard part is remembering to turn the refrig back on.:h

Edit: Here is a link to my post about the above wireless switch.

[Dusty_R]

Several years ago, there was a story about an RV, 5th wheel I think, that pulled in to get gas. There was a guy changing the filter on one of the pumps. The furnace and/or refrigerator must have been on because when that RV pulled up there was an explosion and fire. The guy changing the filter died.

[John_Betty]

KristinU wrote:
Another ON vote here.

and another ON vote

[PghBob]

Travel with fridge on except when getting gas.

[fortytwo]

On - for 50 years. No problems. Propane tanks have a safety valve that shuts if a gas line should break and allow full flow. Whether you travel on or off you have to monitor for small leaks.

[rockhillmanor]

russkerri wrote:
We ran ours while driving with bicycles in the trailer, and one fell over, turned the propane range on, and fill the trailer with propane. Luckily, our carbon monoxide detector went off, and we aired out the trailer and had no damage.

So, if you do travel with yours on, be sure to make sure nothing can get to the knobs that would turn on the propane.

Yup. If you have the propane turned on for the fridge it's going to the stove also. And those knobs can be bumped on VERY easily.

All I know is the SAME thing happened to me. Stacked storage tubs up against the stove to move to new venue just down the road and it unknowingly to us bumped the knob to the on position.

Only my detector did NOT go off because the propane was finding the sink as the low point instead of the floor to make it to the detector in the back of a 31 ft MH. I damned near died in that little accident.

[DrewE]

russkerri wrote:
We ran ours while driving with bicycles in the trailer, and one fell over, turned the propane range on, and fill the trailer with propane. Luckily, our carbon monoxide detector went off, and we aired out the trailer and had no damage.

So, if you do travel with yours on, be sure to make sure nothing can get to the knobs that would turn on the propane.

I guess you're assuming that people who don't run the fridge also turn off the propane via the main valve at the tank. That may be true for many, but I doubt it's at all universal. Obviously merely having the fridge switched off (or off of propane) won't affect the range being turned on one way or the other.

[KristinU]

Another ON vote here.

[chrisandoctavia]

All good points - thanks!

Chris