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Old 10-06-2019, 07:59 AM   #1
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Gas or Battery

While towing R-Pod on a trip. Do you use gas or battery to keep fridge cold until you get to where your going?
I also have a 36 foot 5th wheel and I run it on gas while towing with no problem. New to the R-Pod and was just wondering is it as safe as the bigger campers going down the road. I'm a proud owner of a 2019 180 Pod and will use it when its not conv., to pull the big 5th wheel.
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Old 10-06-2019, 08:26 AM   #2
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I have always used gas since I cant use battery power to run ours. I use shore power to get it cold before trips then put it on gas right before we leave. Never have had any problems.
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Old 10-06-2019, 08:36 AM   #3
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Used to do Gas all the time in my old PUP.
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Old 10-06-2019, 01:29 PM   #4
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I've never quite understood the concern about running a 2-way refrigerator on gas while driving down the road. The engineers that designed these units have made them about as safe as any gas powered device and the flame involved is enclosed in a way that it's isolated from the surrounding structure.

Changes have been made over the decades that make them even more safe.

I've never turned off my refrigerator unless I am fueling (my TV is gas) but back on as soon as I'm ready to hit the road. Over 40 years and no problems yet, or even foreseen.


For those who are so worried about running their refrigerators while driving down the road, how do you sleep at night with the refrigerator running on gas (dry camping or boondocking).

The internet is a great place to share information but unfortunately it's also a source of bad, inaccurate, information as well.

Here's one bit of information on Dometic RV Refrigerators that run on Electricity or Propane from the Internet. They have "CSA certificates" which is the Canadian equivalent to UL and it means the units (design) has been tested for safety. Unlike UL, CSA is recognized worldwide.

People are certainly free to do what they want but fear of running a refrigerator while driving is unwarranted.
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Old 10-06-2019, 03:17 PM   #5
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While towing R-Pod on a trip. Do you use gas or battery to keep fridge cold until you get to where your going?
I also have a 36 foot 5th wheel and I run it on gas while towing with no problem. New to the R-Pod and was just wondering is it as safe as the bigger campers going down the road. I'm a proud owner of a 2019 180 Pod and will use it when its not conv., to pull the big 5th wheel.
I'm not aware that the Rpod has a fridge that runs on battery power. I thought they had 2-way fridges, NOT 3-way fridges or 12v only fridges.
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Old 10-06-2019, 05:24 PM   #6
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I'm not aware that the Rpod has a fridge that runs on battery power. I thought they had 2-way fridges, NOT 3-way fridges or 12v only fridges.
if one wanted, they could run the 2-way refrigerator from an inverter. The load would be the heater only which is pure resistive. No huge inrush like a compressor would draw.

How much current that would be available from the tow vehicle's charging system would be questionable though so the batteries might be a lot lower than when starting the drive.
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Old 10-06-2019, 06:01 PM   #7
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if one wanted, they could run the 2-way refrigerator from an inverter. The load would be the heater only which is pure resistive. No huge inrush like a compressor would draw.

How much current that would be available from the tow vehicle's charging system would be questionable though so the batteries might be a lot lower than when starting the drive.
True, but Rpods don't come with an factory inverter. The OP would have to install one.
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Old 10-06-2019, 07:11 PM   #8
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I'm not aware that the Rpod has a fridge that runs on battery power. I thought they had 2-way fridges, NOT 3-way fridges or 12v only fridges.


Our rPod 180's Dometic fridge has a battery option on the panel, but it apparently is not hooked up for battery operation. We use shore power for pre-trip loading, gas on the road and while camped, if shore power is not available. If 120vAC is available, we use it.
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Old 10-06-2019, 07:26 PM   #9
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Run on gas when under way - electric when plugged in.
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Old 10-06-2019, 09:44 PM   #10
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Our rPod 180's Dometic fridge has a battery option on the panel, but it apparently is not hooked up for battery operation. We use shore power for pre-trip loading, gas on the road and while camped, if shore power is not available. If 120vAC is available, we use it.
Pete, do you have a model number for your fridge?
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Old 11-04-2019, 09:39 AM   #11
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Gas or Battery

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Pete, do you have a model number for your fridge?


RM8501. Sorry for the long delay, the trailer is in storage and I haven't been out there for a while.
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Old 11-04-2019, 02:14 PM   #12
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RM8501. Sorry for the long delay, the trailer is in storage and I haven't been out there for a while.
Thanx, didn't know how much 3-way fridges have progressed. I owned two Popups with 3-way fridges and all the controls were accessed from an outside hatch.
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Old 11-26-2019, 08:54 PM   #13
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I have a 2018 R pod 189 and use the battery option on the road then I switch to shore power at the campground.
Save my propane for cooking and heat
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Old 11-27-2019, 03:03 PM   #14
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My experience is with a pop-up and 2 A-frames, all with 3-way fridges.

On the pop-up, accessing the fridge before a trip just wasn't going to happen, so we used coolers to transport food to site, and then ran it on gas at the campsite (we always dry camped). This was reinforced by a friend running his PUP battery to nothing in the 1st couple of hours on a week-long trip by forgetting to shift from DC to propane when he arrived at the site.

The first A-frame was standard height with a 3 way continuous run fridge (no thermostat, no auto-ignition, no DC control board). I had wildly inconsistent performance - and some spoiled food - until I made a few mods. I started the mods with a battery-powered, wireless outdoor thermometer ($10 at Walmart) to see what was going on. Kept the read head in the car or camper, and the sensor in the fridge. Quickly determined that the flame would be blown out when on propane while towing, so had to use DC while towing (no autoignition for propane). I had to turn off fridge during stops if we were dry camping and I needed a full battery at the campground. But fridge would pull down into the high 20s when towing for a few hours on DC if outside temp was below 85.

When we got the high wall A-frame, it came with a more conventional RV fridge. It will stay lit/relight on propane while towing, so I use propane instead of DC. That way, I always arrive at the site with a full battery. It's not as good at maintaining temp on propane as on AC, but I still have to bring the baffle up to Dometic installation standards.

hope this helps with your decision
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Old 11-27-2019, 03:10 PM   #15
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I have always used gas since I cant use battery power to run ours. I use shore power to get it cold before trips then put it on gas right before we leave. Never have had any problems.
I do the same. Although we don't have this issue out west I have read on this Forum that you must turn off the fridge in some tunnels and ferries.
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