Newbie here question about Refrigerator

[ronthet]

I have a forest river surveyor 266 RLDS. the Refrigerator is Residential style. Its in a slide that when closed is up against the island when not in use and he advised leave the door open. Kinda of hard to do with slide in. I only bought the trailer home and parked it on the pad and hooked up power. frig been on all that time. any thought on what i can/should do when not in use.

[Hugeez]

Can the fridge doors be opened all the way and then slide in?

[ronthet]

That's why I'm a newbie. I just open the door with the slide out a little and looks like that may work. I was checking to see if frig was still on and it was not. I have to find out if it only works on power plugged in. I thought it ran on propane when no shoreline power. Guess I was wrong

[Capt. Mike]

Originally Posted by ronthet

That's why I'm a newbie. I just open the door with the slide out a little and looks like that may work. I was checking to see if frig was still on and it was not. I have to find out if it only works on power plugged in. I thought it ran on propane when no shoreline power. Guess I was wrong

Residential refrigerators do not run on propane. Strictly electric, so if you want it to run while you are home, you need to plug it in. If you don't have a 50 or 30 amp plug, get an adapter to step in dow to 15 amp ("regular") plug and plug it in. If you are only running the fridge, that's enough power to keep it running.

Congrats on the new Surveyor.

[Kimber45]

A "residential' fridge only runs off electric. when not plugged in it would run off batteries and an invertor. a standard rv fridge will run off propane or electric.

The only thing cracking the doors does is keeps it from getting stale and nasty in the fridge.

[Havasu Bill]

I have the residential fridge and leave it on/plugged in, stocked with some beer, soda, ice and generally ready to go.
I "think" they last longer this way. My experience is with residential fridges in a park model I own. I leave mine on with stuff in it and the ice maker running. It's lasted 13 years with one service call. I have friends that are more energy conscious than me that turn theirs off when they are not around. Almost all of them have had to replace their fridges. Not sure it's apples to apples but good enough for me to just leave it on.

[ckabrahamson]

If you choose to shut down your refrigerator for any length of time, you should prop the doors open. This is done to get airflow into the refrigerator and allow it to dry out inside. If you don't, within a few days it will become a vast petri dish growing all kinds of foul things requiring hours of cleaning.

Personally, I leave my fridge running and stocked all year. But even then, when the RV goes in to service, it has to be emptied and turned off. Ensuring that the refrigerator doors are open has proven to be a pesky problem. I came up with a device that will not allow the doors to close, while not requiring a lot of room for the doors to be fully open. It may work real well if there's a little space between your fridge and counter when the slides are in...

(I made the one I photographed in multiple colors to show the individual parts better - I intend to make them all black)

This device is also used to ensure that the Refrigerator does not open while the RV is moving (another perpetual problem). It installs in a couple of minutes, and doesn't require any modifications to the refrigerator. It also allows easy access while in motion (if you have a coach). It works on both French Door and Up/Down refrigerators. (It does not work on side-by-side refrigerators).

If you're interested in getting one, let me know!

[Mahlstedtd]

How much and where can I buy one? We have a 3 door fridge.

[ckabrahamson]

Mahlstedtd:

If you're interested in the Fridge Fixer, or have any questions, please send an email to ReCubed.Orders@gmail.com

Right now, they are going for $29.50 + $4.50 Shipping - It's a $10 discount off the retail price!

[Mdaniels4]

One thing I'm not overly impressed with the whirlpool residential refrigerator we have, 2 door, is there are only 3 cold settings. Even at coldest it's only cool. Certainly not cold. Why the didn't have a normal numbered dial derating is beyond me. We're seasonal weekenders so it's nor a huge deal, but still. The freezer seems fine.

[Coolharts]

I keep my fridge on from the start of camping season to the end. Over the winter I propped the door open using a paper towel roll on the hinged side.