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Old 11-04-2016, 06:31 AM   #1
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Fridge on propane

I've had my a frame for about a year now, but before that I had a traditional
travel trailer. All with a three way fridge. I'm not trying to stir up anything , but I've noticed some people run there fridge on 12volt while towing and switch to whatever when the destination is reached. My question is why? I have never ran my fridge on 12 volt. I've always used propane while towing, then it switches automatically to shore when and ,if it's available. I've pulled from Georgia to South Dakota twice, and I've never had any problems with it blowing out. So am I just really lucky, or am I missing something? I can't see why anyone would use 12volt, unless there is no other option. Yes I know that my fridges board does require a 12volt connection, even while on propane , but the draw is very little. I'm just a curious person, and I've found that this forum can explain things very well. So by all means explain.


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Old 11-04-2016, 07:16 AM   #2
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I run my 3 way on dc while traveling for a couple of reasons. It works, maintains the cold. Uses no lp while traveling and in my opinion is safer. Not so much from a standpoint of the flame being extinguished as much as pulling a bomb with an open valve and an ignition source down an interstate with a propensity for major accidents. Let the battle begin !
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Old 11-04-2016, 07:23 AM   #3
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The 12-volt manual setting will draw approximately eleven amps of current, so while you would not want this running off battery, if you have the TV or Coach (as applicable) engine running and a sufficient 12-volt connection, you could run the fridge on that 12-volts DC instead of Propane.

You would want to switch it to Auto or Gas if the alternator is not supplying 12-volts.

The "Benefit" would be conserving Propane while in motion. As Propane is valuable when remote / dry camping / boondocking, this would be a way to conserve some.

But you have to manually manage the 12-volt "DC MODE" setting, or it can eat your battery in short order (that 11-amp draw.)

ALSO ... as an argument for full safety compliance, the "DC Mode" would stop Propane operation but keep the fridge operating, when at a propane / gasoline / diesel fueling point. "Just sayin' ...."

This is detailed on pages 12 and 13 of the Dometic manual you can download from the FR documentation site.


Our present and previous units did NOT offer this mode, just Propane or AC/Auto, but we have never had problems with the fridge running on gas while driving. We boondocked on the older RV (TC) for over a month at a time, and at that point Propane was most precious. It had side-mount 20# cylinders which were a royal pain to get refilled.
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Old 11-04-2016, 08:15 AM   #4
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I let it choose what it wants to run on. Far as going out on the road, all modern 3 way fridges have auto ignition so if the flame goes out, it relights.

No brainer IMO.
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Old 11-04-2016, 08:31 AM   #5
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What you'll find is that, on most of the older popups and trailers with small refrigerators, there was no auto. All three sources were manual select and there was no auto ignition. I tried propane on my popup and couldn't get it to stay lit. I just ran in DC for that reason. I don't have that problem on my current or last trailer and I assume it's because it relights if it goes out.

I haven't dealt with the newer 3 ways, but I do believe most are auto now.
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Old 11-04-2016, 10:37 AM   #6
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Originally Posted by SidecarFlip View Post
all modern 3 way fridges have auto ignition so if the flame goes out, it relights.

No brainer IMO.

Modern low wall aframes (and popups) have manual 3 way fridges. No auto-ignition.

I run on propane on the road. The fridge uses so little that the time it takes to switch back and forth isn't worth the effort to me. At camp I may or may not switch. Certainly during the height of the long Gulf Coast summer, I use propane at camp because it chills the best. In the winter, I may not even plug into the mains for a weekend so the propane stays on.
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Old 11-04-2016, 10:50 AM   #7
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Modern low wall aframes (and popups) have manual 3 way fridges. No auto-ignition.

I run on propane on the road. The fridge uses so little that the time it takes to switch back and forth isn't worth the effort to me. At camp I may or may not switch. Certainly during the height of the long Gulf Coast summer, I use propane at camp because it chills the best. In the winter, I may not even plug into the mains for a weekend so the propane stays on.
I believe you are mistaken....

RV fridge manufacturers have not built a manual light unit for at least a decade. That all have electronic spark ignition now..

I know you don't manually light yours with a match... but then, maybe you do...lol
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Old 11-04-2016, 12:06 PM   #8
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So from what I'm reading, to each is own. I think I'll just stick to running on propane while on the road, because as mentioned it does cool better and faster. And remember safety third


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Old 11-04-2016, 01:58 PM   #9
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I believe you are mistaken....

RV fridge manufacturers have not built a manual light unit for at least a decade. That all have electronic spark ignition now..

I know you don't manually light yours with a match... but then, maybe you do...lol
The Dometic RM 4233 fridges in low wall aframes are not auto ignition and will not relight themselves if they go out.

They do have a push button piezo striker but that is not auto ignition.

Here is the manual if you want to check it out

http://www.dometic.com/QBankFiles3/E...ions_17594.pdf
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Old 11-04-2016, 02:02 PM   #10
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And remember safety third
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Old 11-04-2016, 02:22 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by Pooneil View Post
The Dometic RM 4233 fridges in low wall aframes are not auto ignition and will not relight themselves if they go out.

They do have a push button piezo striker but that is not auto ignition.

Here is the manual if you want to check it out

http://www.dometic.com/QBankFiles3/E...ions_17594.pdf
Pooniel is correct.
We recently looked at several of these units at the Hershey show just about a month ago with some friends who were interested in buying and they all had piezo light for the propane side of the refer.
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Old 11-04-2016, 06:16 PM   #12
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I tried towing with the fridge on propane in my A122. The flame blew out twice in 4 hours so I gave up. I may have caused that with the insulation and sealing of the fridge vent compartment I did.

Running on DC, the fridge normally pulls down below freezing after about 5 hours driving. I turn the fridge off during pit stops on long drive days to stop it from freezing contents. This also saves the battery charge.

I use a wireless thermometer with the read unit in the tow vehicle to monitor fridge performance while towing, move the read unit into the camper while at the campsite to adjust propane or AC.

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Old 11-05-2016, 03:38 AM   #13
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Tom is correct.

Please remember we are talking about A-Frame models (which come in classic or high wall), not larger trailers or coaches.

I bought my 2012 classic A-Frame brand new. It has a three way fridge that is definitely NOT a self ignite/auto system. I sure wish it was like my previous Jayco fridge but it's a completely different brand and model altogether (Dometic versus Norcold) definitely comparing apples to oranges here.

I usually tow with the Fridge on DC and switch to AC once we get to the campground. I have only used propane a few times with the fridge. I get too frustrated trying to light it and because of that, typically just bring along a cooler when I know I won't have power. Spouse feels I am too impatient but since I am primary user of the A-Frame, I opt to deal with my impatience by carrying along the cooler when I'm solo with no power but If we are traveling together in a dry camp situation, he can light the darn thing and deal with it. He doesn't seem to mind at all.
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Old 11-05-2016, 04:40 AM   #14
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Tom is correct.

Please remember we are talking about A-Frame models (which come in classic or high wall), not larger trailers or coaches.
i concur. too many people post without checking which Forum section the thread is.

too many answer don't pertain to A-frame campers.
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Old 11-05-2016, 07:33 AM   #15
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Pooniel is correct.
We recently looked at several of these units at the Hershey show just about a month ago with some friends who were interested in buying and they all had piezo light for the propane side of the refer.
Our 2016 A213HW has a Dometic RM2354. It is totally automatic. Switching from DC, to gas, to AC as power sources come and go. It works great and we love it.
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Old 11-16-2016, 01:27 PM   #16
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The nice thing about the manual 3-way fridge is that it doesn't have a control board to draw current. However, this also means it does not have a thermostat (at least that is my understanding), which can be tricky.
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Old 11-16-2016, 04:28 PM   #17
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I usually tow with the Fridge on DC and switch to AC once we get to the campground. I have only used propane a few times with the fridge. I get too frustrated trying to light it and because of that, typically just bring along a cooler when I know I won't have power....
I struggled to light our A-frame fridge on propane, too. I thought it was an altitude thing since we live and usually camp at 6,000+ ft. It does light a lot easier down near sea level in Nebraska and Texas.

Since I turn the propane off at the tanks while towing, I learned I had to light the stove burners first and keep them on for a few seconds until they had a nice even flame. Then, when trying to light the fridge, I would typically get the "poof" sound as the burner lit and immediately blew itself out. Somebody on this forum told me to hit the igniter again as soon as it "poofs" and that seemed to do the trick. I also had to watch that I didn't turn the gas valve off while pressing it and hitting the igniter.

Since I installed the computer cooling fan on the fridge exhaust, I think it has become easier to light on propane. Or maybe, once I learned to hit the igniter again right away after the "poof", I've gotten better at it. In any case, I highly recommend insulating off the top of the fridge compartment above the vent, and installing the fan on the exhaust (upper) grill. It makes a world of difference in fridge performance.

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Old 11-16-2016, 06:20 PM   #18
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Somebody on this forum told me to hit the igniter again as soon as it "poofs" and that seemed to do the trick.
I have actually found that simply holding in the igniter button for a few seconds after the successful ignition tends to keep the flame going. I don't know why - maybe the button is somehow connected to the gas flow? Or maybe it's just coincidence.
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Old 11-16-2016, 06:27 PM   #19
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Ok, so after reading this, and not having my trailer yet until December, does my new Rockwood Ultra Lite have a 3 way or a 2 way fridge? Would love to run it on DC if i can while driving. Propane is not cheap out in SO Cal.
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Old 11-16-2016, 06:34 PM   #20
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Ok, so after reading this, and not having my trailer yet until December, does my new Rockwood Ultra Lite have a 3 way or a 2 way fridge? Would love to run it on DC if i can while driving. Propane is not cheap out in SO Cal.
Don't run it on DC - it uses a lot of current. Mine uses 11 Amperes nominal.
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