Traveling with refrigerator on gas???

[Griz14]

I've traveled with the refrigerator running on gas for years but recently heard it is against the law to do that. I was just wondering how many do it.

Thanks,

[toedtoes]

I agree with both of you. And that includes the folks who say that not using the fridge while driving is going to kill you from food gone bad.

Both are extremes - the reality is somewhere in between. Hearing both sides is helpful to newbies so they can make their own informed decisions, but the "you're gonna die" histrionics are not helpful.

[korbe]

aftermath wrote:
........ If you choose to never use the bathroom in your camper then that is up to you. If you don't use your oven then that is OK too. Just don't post that using your oven is dangerous because you know that trailers have blown up because some campers use them.

I prefer to hear why someone decides to do or no to do something. It is at that point I consider the rationale and then possibly form my own conclusions.

[aftermath]

toedtoes wrote:
Really folks, it's a personal choice. ...

Seriously both sides of this argument seem to be making it a much bigger deal than it is.

I totally agree, it is a personal choice and we should all respect everyone's right to camp as they choose.

My issue with this ever ongoing debate is when people post that using a fridge as designed is somehow one of the most dangerous things you can do. When I read this forum I realize that there are many new owners checking in for information. Give them the options but don't taint your statements with unfounded fears. I suppose those who speak of food poisoning might fit into that same category.

People who say it is dangerous (their opinion), against the law (at best a stretch) and the cause of many fires at gas stations (an unfounded claim) can and do influence trailer owners.

It is this idea that makes it a big thing in my book. If you choose to never use the bathroom in your camper then that is up to you. If you don't use your oven then that is OK too. Just don't post that using your oven is dangerous because you know that trailers have blown up because some campers use them.

[JIMNLIN]

I don't know of any ice chests that keeps frozen food frozen for 1 or 2 weeks.
Now throw in traveling all day 8-14 hrs in 100-110 degree heat at 55-65 mph.

Ice chests/ice boxes ??
Ice box is what we had in campers before elect/lp fridge hit the market. Buying block ice was the norm for keeping things cool but not frozen.

Folks up north or in the high country may get by without a freezer but down here the lp fridge/freezer is the only way to keep foods frozen in the summer time on long trips.

Our 1st LP/elect fridge came in a '84 Aljo and the Fridge makers advertised using it on LP to keep thing frozen. Several rv's and many years later we still travel with the LP on.

This topic always brings out funny excuses. Everyone has their own reasons for doing it their way.

[toedtoes]

And campers keep their food in ice chests for up to a couple weeks without issue. Do what you prefer but it doesn't invalidate another's choice to do it differently.

[GordonThree]

A driving day for me is 10-12 hours, and usually more than one day on longer trips, no hookups for overnight parking. If I didn't travel with the fridge on, it could be 26-30 hours before it's plugged in.

Just finished a short 1500 mile trip, filled up 8 times with the trailer in tow, fridge on, no explosions or raging infernos left in my wake.

[toedtoes]

Really folks, it's a personal choice. The risk of food poisoning because you drove with your fridge off for 3-6 hours is no greater than your risk of a fire from running the propane. Do what you're comfortable with and let others do what they are comfortable with.

Seriously both sides of this argument seem to be making it a much bigger deal than it is.

[GordonThree]

aftermath wrote:
firsttime rver, "What the big problem is" is that when you are on the road for a long period of time, filling your freezer and refrigerator space with frozen bottles of water just does not work for us. We will fill the fridge with food and frozen goods.

If I were just to take short trips this would be an option. We spent a goodly sum of money for our trailer and enjoy all the benefits of our coach. I use the shower, the toilet, the furnace, the AC, the television, the stove, the oven, and yes even the refrigerator as it was designed to use.

Some folks don't run their fridge while on the road. They wait until they get to their destination and go to a grocery store and stock up. That is a solution but not one I am going to use. Again, to each his own.

x2 well said.

I use my fridge and freezer to carry food, not frozen bottles of water or other keep-cool type things.

Many of the places I'm camping are a long ways from any reasonable grocery store (I don't count the one right outside almost every camp that charges 3x the normal price.)

edit: regarding using bottled ice to keep freezer cool, sorry, it does not work that way. Ice can only cool things to 32F, which is well above the FDA recommended safe zone for frozen food. You want frozen food at 0 to 5F... foods with a high fat or salt content will not be frozen at 32F. That's meats, ice cream, any kind processed food. Why risk food poisoning to save a few bucks on propane?

[aftermath]

firsttime rver, "What the big problem is" is that when you are on the road for a long period of time, filling your freezer and refrigerator space with frozen bottles of water just does not work for us. We will fill the fridge with food and frozen goods.

If I were just to take short trips this would be an option. We spent a goodly sum of money for our trailer and enjoy all the benefits of our coach. I use the shower, the toilet, the furnace, the AC, the television, the stove, the oven, and yes even the refrigerator as it was designed to use.

Some folks don't run their fridge while on the road. They wait until they get to their destination and go to a grocery store and stock up. That is a solution but not one I am going to use. Again, to each his own.

[DinTulsa]

I always travel with my Fridge on Gas. I fill up at the diesel pumps, so I don't worry about igniting fumes. Even if I didn't fuel at the diesel pumps, my pilot light is 20+ ft behind my tank fill.

[rbpru]

My 2010 dual source frig. uses electricity and propane. When the electricity goes off it switches to propane. It has an electric igniter. If the pilot does not light, it shuts the gas off.

[firstime_rver]

We have a 2016 aspen trail and I'm Sorry I'm not sure what the big deal is.. We plug in the electric power and We put about 10 water bottles in the freezer about 24 hours before we leave.. They freeze overnight and we leave 6 in the freezer and put 4 in the fridge..
It normally takes 2 days for the ones in the fridge to thaw out. keeping the food in the freezer frozen and the stuff in the fridge cold.
Why burn the propane unnecessarily. I also feel safer when the propane bottles are turned off while driving down the road. I saw an RV fire on the side of the road about 6 years ago, with the TT completely engulfed in flames.. That's just my 2 cents..

[myredracer]

In BC and Washington state, you must turn off propane tanks and must be tagged with the tags issued to you at the booths. The problem with that is remembering to turn them on at the other end. 😞 On BC ferries, you can only have max. two 25 KG tanks and one 15 KG portable tank.

[toedtoes]

Old-Biscuit wrote:

toedtoes wrote:
I'm going to throw this out there as I'm the owner of an older RV that doesn't have electronic ignition, auto shut-off, etc.

I don't like running my fridge on propane while driving because the pilot light could easily be extinguished from the road movement and winds. If that happens, I risk the chance of propane gas getting into the RV. Which could become enough to possibly ignite or more likely will be deadly to the parrot and possibly dogs riding with me.

That's why I say do what you're comfortable with and if you run across a prohibition (tunnel, ferry, etc.), turn it off.

Pilot flame heats thermocouple which generates milivolt signal which is used to hold magnet open in gas controller.
W/O pilot flame...no signal...magnet drops closed shutting down propane flow thru gas controller.

Once again....RV propane systems have built in safety features----more then the fuel system of vehicle

But once again it does come down to 'comfort level' that should be based on real information and not on myths/stories/hear say or misinformation

Thanks. That eases my mind. With a '75 rig, I am hesitant to assume safety standards apply to it - i'd rather play it safe than sorry. I am due for a propane system check - it's been just over 3 years. Fuel lines were completely replaced at that time also. I just don't take chances.

I don't normally drive long enough for the fridge to warm up, but if I do, I won't worry as much about the critters if I run the propane.