First time out

[Maxcustody]

I am leaving in a couple of day's for Sturgis South Dakota. I will be driving approximately 1100 miles each way, now here is one of my questions. Can I load up the fridge with food and have it powered up traveling out there, or keep it off and fire it up when I get there and buy food there? The reason I am asking is I believe I saw a post that says it wasn't a good idea to have your fridge running while traveling. If that is the case why do we have one? Food will definitely be cheaper here than out there. What do you suggest.

Next I am camping out there with no hook up, so we are bringing a 5000 watt generator, anything I should know before hooking up to this. I plan on running air conditioner and maybe micr and stereo.

Oh yeah another thing, sorry. When I looked at drinking water hoses I saw they are different sizes(diameter of opening 5/8 ,etc. not length) how do I know which one to purchase?  Thank you for your help.

 

[Steve CDN]

Many people prefer to travel with the fridge turned off after initially cooling it and filling it with cold food.  By adding a small battery operated fan, the cold air is circulated and the fridge is turned back on when you stop overnight.

There is a risk of fire if the coach is in a collision and the flame is on.

However there are also many people who travel with the fridge running on propane while traveling.  If you choose to do so, the fridge will stay on and your food will be be cold.  Some, coaches...very few have three way fridges that run on 110 VAC, propane and 12VDC.  In that case you can run the fridge on 12 VDC while travelling...but those are rare installations.

IAC consider getting one of those little battery operated fans for the fridge at an RV supply store for use when traveling, regardless of which option you choose.

 

[Ned]

Your refrigerator should run on propane when not connected to shore power or generator.  We travel with ours on all the time, and since you'll be boondocking, you should leave it on propane.  If it has an automatic setting, then it will switch to 110VAC when you run the generator, otherwise it will cool with gas.  It uses very little propane so you don't have to worry about running out.  I would load up on food before leaving as long as it's cheaper, and I'm sure it is compared to Sturgis

 

[Ned]

As for the generator, when your plugged into it, you can run everything that doesn't exceed the 5000W rating.  That's about 45A at 110VAC so you can run your A/C (one unit), your MW, and several small applicances without a problem.

As for the water hose, I prefer the larger size but they all have the same fittings.

 

[Maxcustody]

My refrigerator has an auto setting and it says it will run the most efficient source available. Is this what you are talking about?

 

[Ned]

Yes, if you have 110VAC available, it will use that, otherwise it will use propane.  It may or may not have a 12V setting, but that would be my last choice.

 

[Maxcustody]

So what will it run with the generator?

 

[Ned]

On 110VAC if you're connected to the generator.

 

[Maxcustody]

Thanks.

 

[Betty Brewer]

Buy your food at "home" where it is cheaper and run your refrig.
Betty

 

[Jeff]

We have run our refrig for 30 years without problems.

 

[Karl]

Steve,

IAC consider getting one of those little battery operated fans for the fridge at an RV supply store for use when traveling, regardless of which option you choose.

Everybody knows someone who has an old, junk computer (not a laptop). Take one of the fans out of it and wire it directly across the interior light of the fridge. They're 12 volt, and will come on when the door is closed, and stop when opened. No batteries to replace. Just make sure you hook the red wire to the positive (hot) side of the switch as they are polarity sensitive. Check with a meter to see which is which.

 

[Jeff]

Karl:

Don't the lights come on when the door is open and go out when closed? ???

 

[Ned]

Not in Karl's fridge

 

[Karl]

Jeff,

Don't the lights come on when the door is open and go out when closed?

Yes and Yes. By wiring across the switch, current flows through the fan when the light is out (door closed) (it also flows through the light but the current draw is too little to light the light). When the door is open, the switch shorts out the fan and lights the light. That way you're not blowing cool air out of the fridge. Sure, it sinks to the bottom and dribbles out, but your not helping it with the fan!

Oops! Made a mistake in my original post. It should have said "wire across the switch"; not the lamp.

 

[Jeff]

 

[John From Detroit]

I wired my computer fan in the fridge across the 12vdc leads to the light (Before the switch) works great, for the record, wiring across the switch would work much the same way. so long as the bulb is good

As to running it or just cooling it down and letting it ride...  Today, i'd run it, Tomorrow it's supposed to be cooler out so I might let it ride, but today I'd run it.

As to what can you run with a 5KW generator... If you have one rooftop AC on your trailer, the entire trailer, and a good part of your next door neighbor's as well.  If you have 2 roof top AC's you may have to run the hot water on propane not electric

NOTE: most places and most campers observe quite hours, this means don't run the Generator between 10pm and something like 8 am (Actuall hour varies from place to place)

 

[Guillermo]

We travel with ours on all the time...

I'd been wondering if the preferred method of running the frig while on the road was to run it on AC using the generator or to run it on propane. My sense is that propane would be more effiicent, unless you had some other reason for needing the generator. My question then, Ned and others, is, do you shut down the frig when pulling in to fuel up?

Thanks and Happy Camping.

 

[Karl]

Bill,
Most of us, if not all, run the fridge on gas when traveling. Gas is more efficient if you're just running the generator for it's use, and you don't run the risk of forgetting to switch back from electric to gas when you stop. That will run your batteries down in a hurry (running on bat. power). Typically when refueling with propane, the operator will shut off your main valve as a matter of course. I also shut off my propane detector, which also shuts off an electric solenoid gas valve from the propane tank. Better safe than sorry. The few minutes the fridge is off will make no difference in the temperature inside it.

 

[Ned]

Our refrigerator is automatic, switching from gas to electric if shore power is available, propane if not.  We try to remember to shut it off when refueling but sometimes forget, but since we almost always use the truck diesel pumps, there is less risk of fire leaving it on propane than if we were at a gasoline pump.  We would never run the generator just to power the refrigerator.  However, it's good policy to turn it off when refueling.