Refridgerator

[Steve]

Ok this may sound a bit naive, but I will ask reguardless.
Does the refridge operate on gas( propane ) or electric. I would think while driving down the road that it would operate off the battery power so things would keep, but what do you do once you are parked in either an RV park space that has hook ups or parked on such as BLM land where you use your generator.
Steve

 

[Ned]

When shore or generator power is available, the refrigerator will use 110VAC if it's set to do so or has an automatic power setting.  When no 110VAC is available, it will normally run on propane and use some 12VDC for the control board and igniter.  Some will also run on 12VDC but they will use a lot of battery power so such a mode is only advisable when travelling and the alternator can keep the batteries charged.  Same applies if it's connected to the inverter.

The propane usage is so minimal that I can't see any reason to ever run a fridge on 12VDC only.

 

[Jeff]

Ok this may sound a bit naive, but I will ask reguardless.
Does the refridge operate on gas( propane ) or electric. I would think while driving down the road that it would operate off the battery power so things would keep, but what do you do once you are parked in either an RV park space that has hook ups or parked on such as BLM land where you use your generator.
Steve

Steve:

Back in the 70's the manufacturers produced 3-way refrigerators that used 12v on the road. They were maintenance nightmares that seldom worked as advertised so they switched back to 2-way and most of us use propane under way.

 

[Karl]

Like Ned said, if you've got shore power, use it. Otherwise use propane. Many people, myself included, have run down the house batteries to nothing (and it doesn't take long) by forgetting to switch back to propane when leaving a 110V site. You're o.k. as long as you're driving (batteries charging) but once you stop and shut down.....

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Most models of newer rv fridges wil automatically switch from shore power (120 VAC) to propane when shore power is disconnected (or the voltage drops to zero).  Propane cools the fridge nicely and is very economical, so there is no reason not to use it.  Propane mode still needs a battery hook-up to power te circuit board that controls everything, but the amount of 12 VDC used for that is infinitesimal.

A few smaller fridges have a third operating mode that uses 12 VDC power instead of 120 VAC or propane to operate the coolong cycle.  It is definitely a major power draw from the batteries and so useful mostly only when driving. Your fridge won't have this mode unless there is a manual switch on the front that lets you force it into 12V mode.

If you could tell us the make and model of your fridge, we could be a bit more specific.

 

[Steve]

Come June this year we will have our RV, so as of now we do not have a make or model refridge. But believe me I will be on here picking all your brains for info.
From what you all just told me, it is safe to run the refer on propane while in traveling mode?

 

[Woody]

Come June this year we will have our RV, so as of now we do not have a make or model refridge. But believe me I will be on here picking all your brains for info.
From what you all just told me, it is safe to run the refer on propane while in traveling mode?

Yes, the only exception is when I am running the roof AC and have the genset running. Then the reefer runs on the AC provided by it.

Woody

 

[John From Detroit]

Some folks will caution about running down the road with the propane turned on... However a well designed system has at least one device in it that will stop, or very nearly stop, the flow of propane if something happens.

(Some have 2 or more)  If your motor home does not have a safety cutoff then the fix is not only simple, but advantagous.  Marshall Brass makes a bunch of adapters all called "Extend-a-Stay"  One model has a POL fitting to go into your existing tank, a 2nd POL fitting for your existing regulator to connect to, a smaller fitting (comes with hose) to connect an external tank to for the extended stay feature, and a 4th fitting to hook an extension host to to fire up the grill instead of paying too much for Propane by the pound.

This unit has a flow restrictor.. If you bust a gas line, it cuts off the gas flow

 

[Karl]

The Extend-A-Stay does nothing for a moderately slow leak and provides no protection at all for a potentially explosive situation inside the MH. The only good solution for that is a propane detector hooked up to an electric valve that positively shuts off the flow of gas at the source.

 

[John From Detroit]

The Extend-A-Stay does nothing for a moderately slow leak and provides no protection at all for a potentially explosive situation inside the MH. The only good solution for that is a propane detector hooked up to an electric valve that positively shuts off the flow of gas at the source.

Absolutly correct.  I should have been more specific.

The danger in leaving Propane on when driving is some idiot running a red light (happened to a roommate of my sisters by the way) and broadsiding your Motor Home.  Thus busting a gas line (No fire in the RM's case) and causing a fire.  The safety valve in the Extend-a-stay is specific to this type of failure (I did mention a busted gas line)

A slow leak it won't detect... that is what the noise maker is for,  And they too can (and should) be connected to a safety shut off valve of a different sort.

They, (The propane detectors) will be of no use in the type of accident I describe above.

True story:
Hospital Chaplin came into my sister's room and spoke with her roomate, who was in a full body cast having broken most of he major bones.  He ask her what she was doing to wind up in that condition.

She did not want to tell him... So I told him he'd never guess.

Well Guess, and guess and guess he did.  And some of the guesses were rather interesting (in addition to the standards like skiing)  However I was right, he never guessed.

She was sleeping

In the bunk in a Winnabago when a semi ran the red light and climbed in bed with her