How to a Cool Fridge. :-)

[Tiger94]

It takes a long time for the fridge to cool. Do you start cooling prior to traveling? If so, what procedure to you use? How do you have it cool while you are on the road? Any help will be appreciated. I obviously don’t have a good understanding of how this thing works.

Coach is a 2020 27U.

 

[TWP723]

You can run your fridge on propane while underway.

 

[Riich]

It takes a long time for the fridge to cool. Do you start cooling prior to traveling? If so, what procedure to you use? How do you have it cool while you are on the road? Any help will be appreciated. I obviously don’t have a good understanding of how this thing works.

Coach is a 2020 27U.

Yes, at least 24 hours prior to traveling.

 

[SouthCo]

I’d always plug the camper into shore power at home and turn the fridge on a day or two before a trip so the fridge could cool and we could pack it the night before leaving. And we always ran the fridge while driving to our destination. Looks like yours has a gas/electric fridge. If that’s the case you have it run on propane while driving if wanted to keep it on while driving.

 

[Stavman]

Yup....I'm in AZ and take forever to cool..well 10+ hrs anyways

I'll go to storage.. turn on the fridge.
Next morning I'll pick it up, go get groceries, fill the fridge to the brim ( I'm working on my fridge hording now)
Go home
Load the RV
Leave next morning

Easy peasy

Edit:

And yes..always run it on gas while driving. Sometimes strong winds will blow it out, very rarely, but can happen, but totally safe to do so, I e done this for decades in every rig I've owned

 

[201822j]

Run 24+ hours before leaving on high plugged into house power. Fill Ice trays to monitor freezer. Fill with food several hours before leaving. While driving I don't power fridge. Every stop on long drives I run generator for fridge but it may be more efficient to use propane. Need to do the research on that. Overnighting in parking lots I use propane.

 

[Stavman]

I've drove home, 2.75hrs, turned off the fridge..figured...it will be fine till I get home

Fridge was totally warm..like really warm....

Never again. My normal trip stop times are about 3hrs, so my fridge wound be warm in that time

Run it on propane driving...thank me later

 

[Fushux]

Like others have said, start the fridge at least 24 hours or a couple days in advance. I live in So Cal so during the summer, I will plug the motorhome in and start the fridge 3 days in advance. Just did this yesterday and we have Friday morning for 2 weeks. Another method I've found useful is loading the fridge with stuff that is already "pre-chilled". Meaning if you're putting water bottles, soda or beer in the fridge, chill them first in your home fridge or buy from the cooled shelves at the store before putting in. That will help keep the fridge cool.

Always run it on propane while going down the road. Never an issue.

Andrew

 

[16WhiteColly]

I have a residential fridge, and I plug in 24 hours prior to traveling, but I put a 2 liter frozen bottle of water in each at the time I plug in. Leave it in during travel also with the doors bungie corded shut. Carry my cold food items in a freezer bag with frozen water bottle inside while traveling. Ready to put food in as soon as I get to the campsite. I have covered storage with electrical hookup.

 

[TWP723]

I have a residential fridge, and I plug in 24 hours prior to traveling, but I put a 2 liter frozen bottle of water in each at the time I plug in. Leave it in during travel also with the doors bungie corded shut. Carry my cold food items in a freezer bag with frozen water bottle inside while traveling. Ready to put food in as soon as I get to the campsite. I have covered storage with electrical hookup.

One of the downfalls of having a residential reefer. No option for propane.

 

[mini4mw]

electric/propane fridge; 12v computer fans on metal fins running from light inside fridge that is always on and a 120v larger 4" fan blowing over coils accessed from outside cover (put in a outlet expander to plug in fan). Fridge usually cold enough for food in 6hrs, depending how hot it is. I always check it an hour after plugging in to make sure freezer getting cold. Leveling needs to be just right to get it working well. On propane while driving.

Can't pack up the fridge too much or air doesn't circulate well to keep food cold.

Residential or 12v fridge cools fast, i think an hour?, but you better have a good power source, 120v, solar or LiFeP04 batteries.

For fun I measured the power of my Norcold fridge 12v/120v/propane and it pulled a constant 330W at 120v even after it was cold (24hrs later).

 

[Jagiven]

What frig do you have?

We have a 2 way Norcold. Historically we found it best to start it a day before loading.

I have added a couple small (1-0" diameter) PC fans that blow across the coils. This technique drops the cooling time down to a few hours.

 

[hankstone]

I've always kicked it on the night before (not a residential fridge) and it was plenty cold in the morning.

 

[Taftcoach]

I turn it on a day or two before leaving then I keep it on auto until we return.

 

[RPR]

I have always put a couple of the big cool packs in the freezer when turning the frig on. Speeds up the cool down time.

 

[Mr Bee]

My TT is plugged into power at the house. A week before we leave I turn it on with propane for a day, propane cools quicker, then switch to electric. Wife starts filling fridge as needed and I switch to propane just before we pullout so it's on while we drive.

 

[berwin]

Before leaving, I wash and rinse 1/2 gallon milk jugs and then fill with tap water and freeze. The morning we leave, I go to the RV storage yard very early with a couple of the frozen water jugs, turn the 12v and propane on, and stick the jugs in the freezer and fridge compartments. When I return with the family, food, and pets, the fridge is cool and over the next day or so we use the water from the frozen milk jugs for drinking or making coffee.

 

[TGoldsbury]

#2 on the frozen water jugs. I put two 1 gallon frozen jugs in fridge, and i in freezer when I turn the fridge on a day before loading up. Also keep a small thermometer in fridge just to check. Then on the trip, take out the jugs, let them thaw and use for cooking or dog water.

 

[BCx213]

I turn mine on a day or two before the trip

 

[Randy-Deb]

How to Cool Fridge

A few days in advance of our trip I freeze a case of bottled water. Then a day or so before we go I turn the fridge on and load half the frozen water in the freezer and half in the refrigerator. By the time we are loading the refrigerator it is nice and cold. If we need space cleared I remove some of the water bottles. Otherwise, I leave them in there and rotate from the freezer to the refrigerator as we are drinking the water.