getting the fridge ready for a trip

4 hours, no, I don't know

I start it up in the evening, then load it the following morning. Doesn't take much gas at all. If you have shore power hooked up it'll take no gas...

Unless ambient temperatures are below 50 degrees, I would start it 24 hours before you want it cold.

And, if it has been three years since you have used it, you need to do a complete propane system check and a refrigerator "burner area tune-up".

I use shore power to do the initial cool down and leave it on that mode until we are ready to go. I do make it run on propane for an hour or so to make sure that function works! No surprises when you are firing up the truck, ready to go.
I always run the hot water tank and furnace too for a bit just to make sure they operate.

I Keep a gallon ziplock bag full of ice cubes in the house freezer.
I put it in the freezer compartment of the rv's fridge... That helps a lot. Also put 5-6 cans of soda pop or beer in the tray below the cooling fins of the fridge compartment.
This get's the fridge cool quite quick....
I do not know how long it takes. I always start the fridge up on the day before leaving.

As for how long a 40# tank will last.

Our fridges take about 1000btus/hr when cooling..

If the fridge is in the process of cooling down it will use about 24,000 btu's (24 hrs).

There is about 92,000 btu's in a gallon of Propane.

Easy math eh? Rounding you can figure the initial cool down will take about 1/3 gallon.

A 40# tank holds about 4 gallons. Depends on the fella filling...

After the fridge has cooled down the big variable will be the outside temperature.

At around 100deg I think the fridge is in cooling mode almost 100%... So 1 gallon every 3 days...

At around 70 deg maybe it runs a little less than 1/2 of the time... You do the math.



Jim

there is no power where the MH is stored.
thanks all

Hi,

It will burn very little propane but will take six hours before it starts to cycle on and off.

Bring freezer "bricks" with you and place 3 in the freezer and one in the fridge. That tends to "jump start" the cooling process.

Be sure the RV is level.

anon125 wrote:
there is no power where the MH is stored.
thanks all

Your batteries must be in working order.

Yup, the refrigerator PC board, ignitor and propane solenoid are all 12 VDC powered. Should be off the house battery bank.

wolfe10 wrote:
Yup, the refrigerator PC board, ignitor and propane solenoid are all 12 VDC powered. Should be off the house battery bank.

So OP should make sure his battery is in good shape and fully charged..

Make sure all unnecessary 12vdc items are OFF.

Fridge and safety devices, propane, CO etc will pull about .5 amps when the fridge is cooling.
Once the fridge is cooled down figure on .2 amps..

.5 amps an hour = 12ah for a full day of initial cool down.

Jim

on thing they, the pros tell us, is to make sure the food and drinks you put in the frig are cold. this helps the frig maintain it's coolness.