Residential fridge stored with no electricity access?

[rsaylor3]

So we are thinking about purchasing a new Montana High Country fifth wheel. It has the residential refrigerator. We store our camper at a storage location that has electric available on some spots, but for a higher price each month. We currently have a gas/electric fridge. When getting ready for a trip I just stop by a day or two before we leave and start the fridge on gas. That way it's fully cooled when we load the fridge the night before we leave.

Will 2 31 series deep cycle batteries be enough to at least start the fridge the residential fridge the night before? Want to make sure it's cold and ready for the food when we leave.

I also usually keep our trailer covered, and a small trickle solar panel over the propane tanks to keep my one current batter topped off. I guess I would have to hang a larger unit off the front of the 5th wheel cover.

What are your thoughts and experience? Will two batteries run the fridge for a couple days?

[Gdetrailer]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Keep in mind Orlando isn't Seattle or Frostbite Falls.

Stuffing a refrigerator full of perishables then plugging it in is not the hot setup.

Why not consider pre-chilling stuff at home then filling the refrigerator at time of departure? Adding three one-gallon milk jugs frozen to minus 5F will suck a lot of heat out of a +75F refrigerator.

With 44 cubic feet of space in Quicksilver I could jam a lot of perishable food then head for the wilderness of a beach camp for two to three weeks. The refrigerator could freeze as long as ambient temperature did not exceed @ 75F

Whatever you decide, accurate thermometers will be a big help/

Mex,

Ice jugs in a residential fridge is overkill and not needed even in extreme hot weather. This IS the voice of experience on this.

My 26ft TT has no trouble reaching 95F inside with outside temps only in the 80's and the sun beating down with no clouds and not running the A/C in the summer.

I have many times started my home fridge in this type of conditions (90F+ inside temps) and come back 30 minutes later and the fridge compressor has shut off and thermometers are reading 34F in the fridge and 0F in the freezer.. That IS with an EMPTY fridge (IE no food, no ice).

Does not take long to pull the heat out of the space inside a residential fridge, especially when you have a compressor powered cooling system that does not solely rely on gravity like an absorbsion fridge.

Don't ever expect a RV absorbsion fridge to perform this good.

[AllegroD]

Prop it open and leave it.

[dapperdan]

rsaylor3 wrote:
I was thinking about the frozen jugs to just make sure!

Appreciate all the advice and responses!

NOT needed, our residential fridge cools down very quickly! We would NEVER go back to a Dometic fridge, cools faster, stays colder and has more storage. Our fridge is powered by a 1,000 watt inverter and two 6 volt golf cart batteries.

Dan

[2oldman]

No answer?

[rsaylor3]

I was thinking about the frozen jugs to just make sure!

Appreciate all the advice and responses!

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Keep in mind Orlando isn't Seattle or Frostbite Falls.

Stuffing a refrigerator full of perishables then plugging it in is not the hot setup.

Why not consider pre-chilling stuff at home then filling the refrigerator at time of departure? Adding three one-gallon milk jugs frozen to minus 5F will suck a lot of heat out of a +75F refrigerator.

With 44 cubic feet of space in Quicksilver I could jam a lot of perishable food then head for the wilderness of a beach camp for two to three weeks. The refrigerator could freeze as long as ambient temperature did not exceed @ 75F

Whatever you decide, accurate thermometers will be a big help/

[ford_truck_guy]

My residential fridge came with - 2 group 31 Deep Cell batteries, and a 1000 watt Pure Sine Wave inverter...

[steved28]

I know on our class A, IF you opt for a residential fridge, they include 4 house Batteries vs. 2 (approx 100AH each). Personally, I ordered ours with the Dometic gas/electric.

[Gdetrailer]

rsaylor3 wrote:
Have not purchased it yet, think it comes with one battery, but thought I might need two to make it through the night. If I can load an go without a pre cool, I might stick to one battery. I'll

You WILL want at least 200 Ahr battery capacity to run the residential fridge overnight and while traveling. Gives you enough battery to handle some lights, heat and perhaps water pump while overnighting with some capacity leftover for the next day.

For my setup, I am using a pair of 6V GC batteries with 210 Ahr capacity. This allows me to drive 8hrs the first day, overnight without power for 8-9hrs then drive another 8hrs while running the furnace overnight and a few lights for a couple of hrs..

Don't depend on the Tow Vehicle charge line to provide much recharge power, that connection might yield 5A-10A of charging unless you majorly beef up the wiring on the tow vehicle..

As far as precooling the fridge, as others mentioned, not needed, residential fridges cool down extremely fast. Mine is at proper cooling temp in 20 minutes which is amazingly about the same as a normal cooling cycle.. Might even be quicker if you have already loaded the fridge/freezer with already cold items.

[Merrykalia]

Our 5'er has an LG residential fridge and the one battery that came in the RV will not run the fridge more than 10-12 hours before dying. We purchased an additional one and with both, we get more than 24 hours and yes, the inverter will also continue to run it while on the road.

It takes about an hour and 20 minutes to cool the fridge down temp when it has been off for a while. If it is really hot temps outside, it might take it a bit longer.

Even with all of this, we would not go back to the absorption fridge, but we don't boondock, but we might overnight "off the grid".

[2oldman]

What kind of inverter (not converter) comes in this Montana?

[rsaylor3]

Have not purchased it yet, think it comes with one battery, but thought I might need two to make it through the night. If I can load an go without a pre cool, I might stick to one battery. I'll

[2oldman]

SoundGuy wrote:
Any 6 cu ft DSI fridge I've owned, whether Norcold or Dometic, have been fine for use in 4 - 5 hrs after starting it.

Mine too.. even down to 2 or 3 hours. I rarely precool my Dometic, just stuff it full of cold food and start it then.

[SoundGuy]

time2roll wrote:
The cool down period is a couple hours vs close to 24 on the absorption fridge.

The only gas absorption fridges I've owned that have taken anywhere near that much time to cool down sufficiently for use have been small manual light 2 cu ft 3-way fridges commonly installed in popups. Any 6 cu ft DSI fridge I've owned, whether Norcold or Dometic, have been fine for use in 4 - 5 hrs after starting it.