cooling the refrigerator

[HappyTravelerCoachmen]

I have a 28 foot 2014 Coachmen Catalina 50th Aniversary (CAT243RBS) Travel Trailer. Have a question about the Refrigerator. It is a Dometic model DM2652.

My question is, can you turn the refrigerator on before you head out so that when you get to your destination, your refrigerator will be ice cold. It runs on either electricity or propane gas. I would rather run it on just electricity from the battery instead of gas. How will this effect my battery on the RV and/or car battery as well.
THANKS!

Happy Traveler Coachmen

[donanddona]

I know I shouldn't but I do run on gas. My has the auto feature. Plugged in it defaults to electricity and unplugged it will search/light for propane usage. Most say never fuel the truck while on propane. So I ensure it is full of gas, oil checked, tires pumped the day before. Dometic states the contents (all ready chilled/frozen) will be safe for 12hrs if unopened.

[Ford Idaho]

Welcome from SW Idaho.

Do you have a three way fridge?
Pre cool it before you load it, cool off every you put in it.
Milk jug of frozen water to keep it cool?

[dan-nickie]

Assuming you do not have electric to plug in your RV, the only way to run the frig is on propane.
It does not use much propane, but it does use some battery power for the control circuits.
Should run a few days no problem.
That is what many people do, turn on the frig on propane the day before leaving.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by HappyTravelerCoachmen

I have a 28 foot 2014 Coachmen Catalina 50th Aniversary (CAT243RBS) Travel Trailer. Have a question about the Refrigerator. It is a Dometic model DM2652.

My question is, can you turn the refrigerator on before you head out so that when you get to your destination, your refrigerator will be ice cold. It runs on either electricity or propane gas. I would rather run it on just electricity from the battery instead of gas. How will this effect my battery on the RV and/or car battery as well.
THANKS!

Happy Traveler Coachmen

that fridge appears to be a 2-way fridge, NOT a 3-way fridge.
therefore, it doesn't cool on 12vDC battery power.
it only uses 12vDC power to run the electronics.

your only option, while traveling, is to run on propane. the majority of RV'ers do it this way, based on what they've posted on the 6 different RV forums i belong to.

3-way fridges are usually only in truck campers, popups and other small trailers and are not much bigger than a dorm fridge. that's why they can use 12vDC battery power, because they are so much smaller.

to try and use battery power for your size of fridge, would require a big inverter and a battery bank of at least 4 batteries.

[gregtx]

my fridge runs 36 to 40 on shorepower, right now it's 56 on gas, it does light, I can hear the clicking stop after a few secs., just doesn't cool...... any ideas ? 2011 crossroads fifthwheel..... on my second a/c and second fridge...... thank god for extended warrenty

[grb2980]

I always light my fridge up a day before heading out. I pull it out from the side yard to the front yard a couple of days before the trip so I can wash it, load it, and hook up right after work and pull away. Since I have no source of 30 Amp power to run the fridge on electric, I'm relying on the propane.

I have access to the disposable blue ice packs that Humera is shipped with and I keep them in my house freezer (8 degrees F). When I load up my fridge the day before pulling out, I slip about 20 of these frozen packs into every nook and cranny in the fridge. They keep the food cold while the fridge comes down to temp. The fridge doesn't have to work as hard and I don't die of botulism. Once the fridge is at temp, I'll either move them up to the freezer to refreeze them, assuming I have the space or I'll stow them away for reuse. In the hot months when everybody is in and out of the fridge too often, I'll pull the frozen ones back down to the fridge to help keep it cool. Basically I'm using them as a heat sink.

[Poper]

You should not need 30 amp supply to run just the fridge. I do the same, pull the TT near house the day before, wash, load pack etc, but the fridge gets plenty ready and cold just using the shore power cord with 15amp connector plugged into any nearby outlet. Garage or outside receptacle.
Works for me, unless you have something different. The 30 really is required amperage for eventual full load. AC Microwave TV and all lights on. But should be a no load for the fridge alone. Give it a try.


Sent from my iPad using Forest River Forum
Poper

[grb2980]

Poper,
Sorry I wasn't clear in my post. I have no access to shore power at all in my driveway. So when I pull the TT to the driveway, I'm relying on the propane and battery to cool the fridge.

[Poper]

Gotcha now, makes sense.
If you can, get a 100' 10/3 yellow power cord from Harbor Freight. ($100.) I've done that, works great, and handy to have anyway.
Good luck


Sent from my iPad using Forest River Forum
Poper

[prof_fate]

I have a few 1/2 gal milk jugs of ice in my chest freezer and put them in the camper fridge the night before we go. If I put the TT in the driveway for loading I'll hook to shore power (110v/15amp) and let the fridge cool on that (with the milk jugs too).

If we don't have such time, as we won't this month when we go to gettysburg and I work the night before and have to unload the truck and need the driveway, then we'll just pack w/ ice and then fire up the propane and let it run on that. I try to never put anything warm in there and often will travel with a milk just of ice in the freezer - easy enough to drain or pitch it if I don't need it for the trip home.

If the TT is left at the CG we leave the fridge off and bring a cooler with the milk jugs of ice to cool the food. It takes a good 4 -6 hours for the fridge to get back to 'cold enough' when stocked up 'warm' with cold food/ice packs and turned on to elec.