Keeping things cold in the RV refrigerator while traveling?

[Amos59]

I know that if the refrigerator is pre-cooled and loaded prior to departure and frozen ice blocks we should be good for a while. However we are planning a trip this summer from Oregon to Kanab UT. We will probably stay in Salt Lake City the first night. I am concerned about the temp rising to high before we get to Salt Lake. What we have done in the past is stop half way turn on the fridge using the propane stetting and then turning the fridge and propane off before we head out again. I haven't been able and not sure if the fridge will operate off of battery power when plugged into the tow vehicle?
Is there an easier way, have I missed something?

[Ron3rd]

We never turn ours off when traveling or re-fueling. It's so far away from the pump I don't see a problem. Our fridge is on the opposite side of the pumps. Plus, I would never remember to turn it off anyway. Leave it on IMO.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

Having JUST had an accident where a skidding semi trailer side-swiped our truck (thank God, it ONLY took out the left rear-view mirror) - Ed and I both agreed we are more comfortable with the thought that the gas is shut off. If the truck that lost control had hit the brakes 2 seconds sooner, he could have wiped out the entire side of the 5er and truck, including the poorly-protected propane storage bay.

And quite frankly, since our 5er and Class C are both the same age, I don't have a secure feeling about Dometic's slap-dash recall "fix" to prevent refrigerator fires....

[Smoke90]

prolandsurveyor wrote:
I ran mine on propane for years going down the road, until it caught my camper on fire last Easter.

are you kidding?
are you sure this is what causes the fire?

[prolandsurveyor]

I ran mine on propane for years going down the road, until it caught my camper on fire last Easter.

[tenbear]

Use it the way it is designed to be used, leave it on.

[stickdog]

srx-6 wrote:

2012Coleman wrote:

Campinghoss@51 wrote:
Leave it on. As far as cutting it off when refueling that is up to you. Personally I can't see the difference in someone leaving it on while refueling and the guy next to you smoking.

Have to agree. Besides, the gas gets put in on the opposite of where the fridge is and is at least 20 feet away.

But what about the fella in the lane next to you that is 2 feet away from your fridge vent and on his phone not paying attention and over fills his tank? Just saying could happen.

The guy is toast and insurance buys me a new rig.

[dcason]

We turn it on a couple days before to chill up, fill it and then leave it on to chill while we travel.

When travelling in our 25 foot class c, we do turn off the refrig
while we are at the gas pumps....
with our travel trail we don't bother as it is further away from pumps.

[Amos59]

Thank you all very much for the advice, we also have put the blue ice pouches in the freezer and refrigerator to prolong the cooling effect. Happy Trails to you all.

[Us_out_West]

We have the refer in 'auto' and when we travel it's running on propane.

Don't have the room to do all the tricks with bowls and things trying to keep it cold.

Whatever works for though for you....

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

dave54 wrote:
If fully cold in the morning it should keep the food cool all day in hottest of days, even if turned off. You can freeze a couple of milk cartons before leaving if you want.

We turn ours off while driving (propane off at the tanks). We have never had any problems with frozen food thawing in one day in mid summer.

Same for us. I have a big Tupperware container filled with water that I put in the freezer at night, then I set it on the highest shelf in the fridge as we go to leave.

[JBinOR]

I've worked in a number of manufacturing environments where we deal with thousands of gallons of flammable materials. The general rule of thumb is that in open areas, ignition will only occur within 3' of the ground as the vapors of flammable liquids will very rarely be able to reach explosive levels above that height. They are heavier than air, and stay low and dissipate.

[empty_nest]

Set ours on "Auto" and forget it. Works great while traveling long hauls and reverts back to electric when plugged into shore power. Never a problem!

[mlts22]

If worried about food, and have room, toss some solid gel packs in the freezer. Then before leaving, remove one of them and place in the fridge. That way, if you have to turn off your refer while on the road, things will still stay at a safe temperature.

[GaryWT]

We turn the fridge on auto in May and turn it off in Nov. when winterizing. We leave it on so we do not have to empty, store and refill it. We never travel to far but we just let it run on gas. Since it takes 6 plus hours to cool down I can't imagine turning it on for 30 minutes mid day does much.