quick refridgerator question

[john warren]

planning on going out next weekend. since i was plugging things in, testing and such i left my fridge running so it will be cold.
my question is, do you usually turn it on the day before you leave to get cold? or when?
or like my brother,,,utilise it as his beer cabinet all the time,,,,

[Tim Wood]

John, I do run my fridge on 120v the day before our trip, I also load the fridge with food and usually a couple of bags of something frozen. Then when we leave in the morning and if we have 4-5 hours on the road, things will still stay pretty cold. I try not to use lp while going down the road unless I really have to.

[Bob Miller]

I turn my refrigerator ON for about 4-6 hours before I leave. But I also load it up with frozen 1 liter bottles of water. Keeps everything cold and you will have ice water to drink for several days.

[Terry G]

I have a bunch of blue ice that I leave in my home freezer before the trip and put in the Casita refrigerator few hours before adding the food. Not only does this cool down the refrigerator, but it acts as backup in case the pilot blows out and I don't catch it.

[john warren]

figure i'll run 12 volt on the road, and 120 at camp sites

[Kenny Strong]

John I gave up using 12 volt while on the road, because the refer used so much power, the battery had limited charge. It was cold, and in the morning there was not enough power to run the heater.

Later Kenny

[rgrugg]

When we had trailers with 12v, we always used that while on the road. Never ran down the battery unless I forgot to change it over when we got to where we were going. Haven't had a 12v-120-propane fridge for some time now. In our Egg Camper we have a 12v only fridge and it will run for 2-3 days before discharging the battery too much. It's a compressor fridge so doesn't actually run all the time.

[james kent]

We plug the trailer into the house current for about 2-3 days before a trip to cool the fridge down and then use 12v while on the road and later use the propane while in camp. I carry a 30 watt solar panel but only use it to keep the battery topped up for lighting in the evening.

[Gene Masse]

I am wondering how many hours a 12V battery will run the fridge before running out of power? What type and grade of battery is the best in anyone's opinion. I assume at least a deep cycle marine. Any more details/brand one should best go with. I will be getting a new one this month so want the best bang for the buck.

[john warren]

Originally Posted by Gene Masse

I am wondering how many hours a 12V battery will run the fridge before running out of power? What type and grade of battery is the best in anyone's opinion. I assume at least a deep cycle marine. Any more details/brand one should best go with. I will be getting a new one this month so want the best bang for the buck.

a long,,,,,long time. it doesn't get it as cold as 120.. more for just keeping it cool while on the road is my understanding,,,,of the dometic anyway. 120 or gas is much better.

[David Tilston]

Originally Posted by Gene Masse

I am wondering how many hours a 12V battery will run the fridge before running out of power? What type and grade of battery is the best in anyone's opinion. I assume at least a deep cycle marine. Any more details/brand one should best go with. I will be getting a new one this month so want the best bang for the buck.

Two 6V golf cart batteries seems to be what most people consider the best. On a three way fridge, the 12 VDC power should only be used if the tow vehicle is running and supplying power to the fridge.
My RM36E is rated at 120W. At 12V, that is a 10A continuous draw. Even a couple of good golf cart batterys, which should never be discharged more then 50%, would be completely dead after a day of that kind of load.

That level of continuous load may even shorten the life of the alternator in your tow vehicle.
(OK, I have to admit that my experience with this is from a 1991 Pontiac Firefly. After the second new alternator, I concluded that my 150W stereo was wearing out my alternator. It is possible that a real alternator may not be affected.)

[fusedlight]

This is in line with something I was wondering. How would a nice hunk of dry ice work? I'm just wondering, in terms of cost (as in BTU of cooling per dollar), would it be cheaper than propane. Of course, running on 110VAC or 12VDC is cheaper...but other than those, how about dry ice?

[john warren]

dry ice doesn't cost too much i don't think,if i recall the last time i got some it was $7 for a nice sized chunk. but it can be hard to find.
and if your staying on a state park with electricity, its the same cost if you use the electricity or don't.

[Terry G]

Originally Posted by fusedlight

This is in line with something I was wondering. How would a nice hunk of dry ice work? I'm just wondering, in terms of cost (as in BTU of cooling per dollar), would it be cheaper than propane. Of course, running on 110VAC or 12VDC is cheaper...but other than those, how about dry ice?

Actually, I've found that running the refrigerator on propane is pretty efficient and by far the best choice. I was out for a month one time and didn't even use a full bottle. Most RV refrigerators are pretty well insulated and as long as you don't open them all the time, they will not need much fuel.

One hint: Get one of those fans that sit inside your refrigerator. Mine takes two D cells and will run for a month. Without some air circulation in there, things get frozen in the wrong places.

[Kenny Strong]

Originally Posted by Terry G

Actually, I've found that running the refrigerator on propane is pretty efficient and by far the best choice. I was out for a month one time and didn't even use a full bottle. Most RV refrigerators are pretty well insulated and as long as you don't open them all the time, they will not need much fuel.

One hint: Get one of those fans that sit inside your refrigerator. Mine takes two D cells and will run for a month. Without some air circulation in there, things get frozen in the wrong places.

where did you buy your fan, I have found frozen things,,, the air circulation sounds smart!

Later Kenny

[mcbrew]

Originally Posted by Kenny Strong

where did you buy your fan, I have found frozen things,,, the air circulation sounds smart!

Later Kenny

Pretty much any RV supply store will have them.

http://www.rvpartscenter.com/Product...DID=13&CID=151

[Jon Vermilye]

Here is another reason for firing up the refrigerator a day or two before your trip - make sure it works! Mine didn't - Discovered I need a replacement cooling unit on a 1 year old Dometic. It's now going to be awhile before I can leave, but I'm glad I found the problem at home rather than on the road.

[Raz]

We use a frozen water jug instead of using the 12v. It works well for a couple of days. Bring a cooler for the beer. Look for block ice. It lasts longer. Don't drain the cooler until all the ice is gone or you need the room. Raz