Hmmm.. Dont know if I should ask this....

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rvriggs

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Jun 8, 2006
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But I guess the only dumb question is an unasked one.

The "sales guy" at the RV store said to run the refrigerator 24hrs before taking a trip, curiously I don't have electrical hookups at my house.....and my neighbors might become disturbed at a generator running all night. 

So the question is .... how is the refrigerator supposed to run for 24hrs??  If I turn off the generator then the light on the refrigerator says ON.. and GAS ...

Thanks in advance.

RVRiggs
 
Why not just run the refridgerator on LPG? That's what it's designed to do. If you're boondocking, that's how you'll be running it anyway.

24 hours might be overkill, but running it overnight will allow it to cool sufficiently.
 
rvriggs said:
So the question is .... how is the refrigerator supposed to run for 24hrs??? If I turn off the generator then the light on the refrigerator says ON.. and GAS
Hi Riggs,

Since you have a house just make sure everything you put in the refrig is already cold.  I doubt it would take 24 hours to cool down.  We run our refrig on gas (LPG)  most of the time.  It works as well on  one as the other but if you try to cool down warm sodas or warm beer it will take forever.

Betty
 
rvriggs said:
I am assuming that the GAS light means LPG then?

Yes. LPG = liquified petroleum gas, also known as propane.
 
Also, should you not want to run the propane, you can always run a 12gauge extension fromt the house to the electric cord of the camper/MH and use an adaptor to the power cord.  That way you can run it off your house power.  Good luck
 
We are just preparing for a trip this coming Wednesday.  We plug in the RV and turn on the frig for no less than 24 hours.  I have put frozen goods in and had them not quite frozen with less than 24 hours.  Needless to say all rigs are different but either propane or electricity will do the trick.  The extension cord is the best bet, just make sure it is heavy enough.
 
You might also check out the pre-cooling the fridge thread.  Pre cooling with Ice or Dry Ice works well and cools it off fast.  Once cold in a few hours then toss out the ice and put in the pre-cooled supplies and you are off.  Probably cheaper to just use up some of your propane though as it seems to be pretty efficient.  I don't know how much we paid for Dry ice but it did not matter for me as time was more of a factor for my last trip and frankly, I just wanted to try it and it worked great.

Jeff
 
We run the refrigerator in our motor home 365/24/7, ie, it never is shut off, except when it is defrosted. When we are not plugged in, it runs on LP gas.  A lot of the failures of the ammonia adsorption refrigerators can be traced to condensation and rust on the steel tubing from being turned on and off. When we got our MH it was 3 years old and the refrigerator failed during our 2nd trip. After replacing the cooling unit, we started leaving it on and are now in the 11th year with no problems.  Also the full timers who use their refrigerators all the time, tend to have very few problems.

Chet 18013
 
Good info here gents! I have a question - I have heard that on a standard two-tank 14gal total LPG trailer, you can run your fridge for about a month straight, is that true? on top of that, because it is using your 12V power somewhat as well, how long can my trailer just sit, not plugged in to shore power, running on LPG and battery, before i either run out of gas or drain my single 12v deep cycle battery? I would like to leave mine running all the time as well, the trailer normally sits for no longer than 2-3 weeks at a time between weekend trips to the river, should I just leave it running (and keep my beer nice and frosty all the time)?

mmm... a frosty beer sounds good right now huh boys?!
cheers
 
The fridge uses very little propane - it should run at least a month on a pair of 20 lb tanks (14 gals) and probably more like 3-4 months.  As for how long the battery will last, that is less predictable.  The circuit board for the fridge does not use much power, but how good is your battery?  How many amp-hours capacity? Is it new? Has it been badly discharged (to less than 50% of capacity). Are the cells topped up with distiled water?  Etc. etc. etc.

A Group 24 12V is reasonable condition should power the fridge circuit board alone for a month OK, but what else is drawing power from the battery?  There is most likely a LPG leak detector and probably a CO (carbon monoxide) detector as well.  And maybe some electronic device, like a 12v radio or even a TV? Many modern appliances keep a slight bit of power on because their on/off switch itself is electronic and/or they have a memory to keep alive. All these thigs can sap additional battery power.
 
Good to know, thanks as always Gary! As far as battery life, I'll just try it and see! I did not realize the LPG was so efficient.

My root question still remains: It is in fact better for the fridge's components and lifetime to be running constantly? and is there a breaking point on that - meaning, if it is only going to sit for X-number of weeks, it should be left running, but if it is being stored for X-number of months, it's better to turn it off and air it out?

I'm going to make a new posting as well, regarding "how does the fridge actually work running on gas?"
 
There are no moving parts in an absorption refrigerator, so there is essentially no wear from leaving it running. Some experts recommend leaving it on for extended periods (weeks) rather than shutting it off, thus avoiding off/on cycles. However, there isn't much that goes off and on either, just power to a csimple ircuit board and either an electric heating element or a gas flame, depending on the mode you are using.

Frankly, I don't think the question is a significant one.  You can leave it on or not, as suits your convenience.
 
All this made me think of something else..... do I need to do anything to the refrigerator after I shut it off before I put it in storage?  I mean is it going to leak do I need to drain it somehow?

Thanks in advance

RVRiggs
 
Nothing beyond clean and dry, prop open the doors so it can fully dry out,  Same as with any 'fridge, Exactly the same in fact.... If it has an ice maker you need to disconnect it and blow out the lines if storage temps will drop below freezing... Likely should in any case
 
I have seen others wad up a ton of old news paper and filled it up completly to absorb any excess moisture.  Not sure how effective it is.  I just leave mine empty and that works for me.  I use mine about once a month.

FWIW.

Jeff
 

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