keeping things cold

My fridge is a 3-way in my OFF-ROAD POPUP. I usually do the 5-day ICE CHEST filled up with ICE before the trip and have our items we don't want to get water logged sitting on top of the ice is a plastic snap lid box. Have found large chunks of ice lasts longer than the bagged ice. I'd like to freeze up a few gallon jugs of ice fro the trip but our house freezer is usually too full to do this sometimes.

I will turn on the inside fridge a couple of hours before arriving at our camp site running on 12VDC.

Since it is small it starts cooling down abit before we arrive.

If we are going to stay awhile at the camp site I sometimes bring along a second dorm height fridge and it sits on the front deck. Always park in the shade which helps big time...

Ice seems to be the big attraction for us - Always running out and making trips into town to re-stock. This is a big problem when we are way back in the woods somewhere..

Roy Ken

Our solution to keeping things cold in the frig is to turn the frig on and keep it running...

downtheroad wrote:
Our solution to keeping things cold in the frig is to turn the frig on and keep it running...

I agree. I run mine on gas while on the road. As soon as I install my inverter, I'll run it on 120v. while on the road and save my propane.

Great topic. My fridge stays cold while on. I have a thermometer and it stays around 38. Short trips I cool it down load it with cold stuff than keep all that closed up and running for about 24 hours before we leave. Then shut it down when we leave. Most trips are 1-3 hrs so I keep the gas off. It's a constant battle with myself to run with the fridge on. I'm afraid my tt will explode or if we wreck the tt will have broken open gas line etc.

I really like your idea. We recently drove 8 hours in 100 temps and I simply used two ice chests in the back of the truck.

..

Works for you......

For us, what works is fridge being ON. It hasn't been turned off for 7 yrs except to defrost.

Temp control goes from 1-5. Usually on 2...bumped up to 3 during high temps.

We keep a gallon and a few half gallon jugs in the deep freeze at home. When it is time to go I stop by the trailer, turn on the fridge and put the jugs in it. That allows the interior to cool down enough that by the time we return with the food that it acts like a cooler until the fridge catches up. As they thaw they keep the temperature even and the ice water is refreshing.

We turn ours on the night before we leave to get it cold. We load it with food when we hook up to leave & keep it on while traveling. We try to save the coolers for extra drinks for the long hot trips.

JiminDenver wrote:
We keep a gallon and a few half gallon jugs in the deep freeze at home. When it is time to go I stop by the trailer, turn on the fridge and put the jugs in it. That allows the interior to cool down enough that by the time we return with the food that it acts like a cooler until the fridge catches up. As they thaw they keep the temperature even and the ice water is refreshing.

This is a great idea! Why did I not think of that. :h

I turn the fridge on the night before to but having the frozen block of ice at least overnight is extra cooling to help the fridge catch up faster.

My wife and I get meds in the mail or UPS with ice packs in them package. I have saved them for reuse in my rv frig. I simply place the ice pack behind or between the food, several on each shelf and things stay cold all day. we don't bring ice cream of fudge bars with us so we have lots of room in the freezer to refreeze once we are camping. has worked for us for about 15 or 20 years now. I saw what happens to gas stations when the frig ignites the gas fumes while refueling and I feel my safety and the thought of keeping my RV from burning up is important enough to do what I'm doing. Have seen guys on here say "So what? that is why I have insurance. Just about the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Scenario--your frig is running, several cars around you refueling. several have little kids in car seats. these kids are strapped in tight, like the law requires, and Bang the fumes ignite. the fire ball is large and how do you keep from panicking and get those kids out alive? good question. Maybe you do and maybe you don't. I don't think I could sleep at night if I caused a fire like that. Now many here are saying I'm over reacting, maybe I am. But like I said, I have seen the fire in a local station and it wasn't pretty. Hope you reading this will reconsider and turn off your frig at the stations