fridge cool down time

[Charles Firth]

My TT is in storage and not very level, so it is wise not to turn the fridge on using propane or shore power. Question is, what to do when there is no time to pre-cool the fridge. Put your food on ice and when you get to the campground turn it on. Then load it up later. I would need to go through several tunnels which prohibit gas being on while going through them. So I can't travel with the fridge on. How long does it take to get to a reasonable temp ? I am planning a couple of short trips,( gettaways if you will). My time on the road to the campground would only be a few hours, so I don't think it would be beneficial to find a place to pull over and fire up the propane. What do the pros do ?

Chuck " still trying to get out of Va "

[BombDoc]

Originally Posted by Charles Firth

My TT is in storage and not very level, so it is wise not to turn the fridge on using propane or shore power. Question is, what to do when there is no time to pre-cool the fridge. Put your food on ice and when you get to the campground turn it on. Then load it up later. I would need to go through several tunnels which prohibit gas being on while going through them. So I can't travel with the fridge on. How long does it take to get to a reasonable temp ? I am planning a couple of short trips,( gettaways if you will). My time on the road to the campground would only be a few hours, so I don't think it would be beneficial to find a place to pull over and fire up the propane. What do the pros do ?

Chuck " still trying to get out of Va "

I'm not a pro by any means, but here is my routine:
I turn mine on the day before I leave and give it 24 hours to cool down. If it is really hot outside, like here in SC during the summer, it needs at least 5 hours to get cool. I have before, done as you suggested, placed everything in a cooler and then loaded the fridge when I got to my destination. I prefer to let it cool down and then put everything in it when it is cold. 6 of one half dozen of another. Do what works best for you. I don't live in an area that has propane restrictions so I leave it on all the time while on the road.

[shahlaie]

I have several of the blue ice chest freezer packs that I stick in the freezer and fridge. I bet you could freeze a couple of milk jug gallons of water and use them to help cool the fridge and freezer down faster. And when they melt you have extra water to drink.

[Evereddie]

Speaking of this, does anyone know if gas or electric is faster for cooling the fridge? For hot water heater the gas is faster but what about the fridge?

[Big Paul]

Probably best way is to use the gallon jugs of ice as already posted here then it should not take so long to cool down. To bad you can't keep on that is best in my opinion I just leave mine on all the time Only shut off to defrost freezer.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by Evereddie

Speaking of this, does anyone know if gas or electric is faster for cooling the fridge? For hot water heater the gas is faster but what about the fridge?

Gas is faster, same as for the water heater.

[vstrom]

I always use frozen 2 liter bottles filled with water to help cool the frige, even at home before beginning a trip. I keep the bottles in the garage freezer at home, a full freezer is more efficient to run than any empty one. Plus if the power goes out at home, the frozen bottles help keep everything cool.

[Sharon455]

I agree about the blue gel packs. We have a few big ones we load into the freezer while cooling and if we haven't overpacked fridge, we use them while traveling also, just in case the fridge shuts down. I also freeze some of our 16 oz. water bottles and spread them throughout the food.
We often use a cooler to cool drinks and large fruit like watermelon, so packing your cold food in a cooler might work while traveling, but depending on weather and length of trip not sure that would work for frozen foods. I'd probably run the fridge while traveling and pull over before/after tunnels to turn the propane on/off.


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[YoungKopernik]

I have often filled my fridge and freezer last minute, maybe an hour before we leave. So I will be sure everything that’s going in the camper fridge is already cold and everything that’s going in the freezer is well frozen. Then it all goes in the camper fridge, I do pack ice knowing the ice trays won’t be ready for several hours. Start the fridge and off we go. I keep a thermometer in the fridge and it is always good and cold(36-44deg). I think the biggest things you can do to keep a cold fridge/freezer, other than turning it on, is fill it full and keep the door closed as much as possible.
Well, it works for us when we’re short on time.
Happy Camping
John