Refrig on or off?

Hoglou · 04-14-2013, 01:43 PM

Sorry if this has been discussed... I have my hard wired shore power project done (with a GE 50/30/20 amp box) for the coach, so if you had 24/7 shore power would you leave the refrig on all the time or shut it down between trips? Any reasons not to leave the coach always powered and "hot"?

Thanks....

TURBS · 04-14-2013, 01:46 PM

I leave my camper plugged in 24/7 while at home.
I dont leave my fridge going unless I need it.
Just the way I do it.

TURBS

RenoRock · 04-14-2013, 01:54 PM

Most RV refrigerators do not have self defrost capability, so by keeping it on all the time it may decrease the space avail for those pizza rolls. It may be best to turn the refrig off when not using for some time to let the ice melt, keeping the cooling more efficient as well as helping to keep the odors at bay. A few days before your trip, turn the fridge back on to cool it for your supplies.

TURBS · 04-14-2013, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RenoRock

Most RV refrigerators do not have self defrost capability, so by keeping it on all the time it may decrease the space avail for those pizza rolls. It may be best to turn the refrig off when not using for some time to let the ice melt, keeping the cooling more efficient as well as helping to keep the odors at bay. A few days before your trip, turn the fridge back on to cool it for your supplies.

Lol I was thinking breaded cauliflower !

BigJohnD · 04-14-2013, 04:02 PM

Leave mine on from the day I buy the RV to the day I sell it, whether on shore power, generator power or gas. With the exception of occasional defrosting. Never had a glitch with any of them. We use the MH all the time, so it doesn't pay to turn it off.

littleb · 04-14-2013, 04:35 PM

We keep ours off but will turn it on night b4 a trip or early morning day of trip if we are leaving later. For me the only reason why is why run up the electic bill if we are not using it..

sail2liv · 04-15-2013, 01:55 AM

We leave our unit running all the time.....the important thing is to make sure it is level.....our fridge is on the side....so front to rear never more than 1/2 bubble....also try to keep side to side 1/2 bubble.....but not as critical for me as front to rear....if fridge in front or rear then side to side probably more critical than front to rear....we also seem to always have something in fridge too...with freezer stocked and ready to go....so can just take stuff out of house fridge and go......

PapaSmurf · 04-15-2013, 05:40 AM

I leave the trailer powered up 24/7 (except when towing), and leave the fridge running 24/7. There is numerous discussion on here, and in the RV world in general, about leaving the fridges running. The common theme is the anti-corrosion material in the ammonia will settle and harden if you power down the fridge for long periods. Thus when you power up the fridge it break free plug the pipes and cause a blow-out (much like a blood clot). Having said that, there will be many responses from people who claim they have never had a problem. So it is hard to get a definitive answer one way or the other. The settled anti-corrosive material makes complete sense to me, so I leave mine running to prevent problems... I have close friends on both sides of the debate as well. Some do, some don't, (although the do's outnumber the don'ts) they both report never having a problem.

I store the trailer at home, I have power, I use it to my advantage. I leave the camper fully stocked and ready to roll at a moments notice. Makes for some fun, last minute getaways without having to wait for the fridge to cool down.

4Gcampers · 04-15-2013, 12:49 PM

Never thought about leaving it plugged in all the time with the frig on. I guess you in leave your battery switch on all the time when plugged in?

Len & Cheri · 04-15-2013, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PapaSmurf

I leave the trailer powered up 24/7 (except when towing), and leave the fridge running 24/7. There is numerous discussion on here, and in the RV world in general, about leaving the fridges running. The common theme is the anti-corrosion material in the ammonia will settle and harden if you power down the fridge for long periods. Thus when you power up the fridge it break free plug the pipes and cause a blow-out (much like a blood clot). Having said that, there will be many responses from people who claim they have never had a problem. So it is hard to get a definitive answer one way or the other. The settled anti-corrosive material makes complete sense to me, so I leave mine running to prevent problems... I have close friends on both sides of the debate as well. Some do, some don't, (although the do's outnumber the don'ts) they both report never having a problem.

I store the trailer at home, I have power, I use it to my advantage. I leave the camper fully stocked and ready to roll at a moments notice. Makes for some fun, last minute getaways without having to wait for the fridge to cool down.

Hmmm...I've never heard of that one.

I leave mine off when in storage and even when traveling.

ATVer · 04-15-2013, 08:26 PM

My dealer said leave the refrigerator off when stored. His concern was stress on the electric heating element. He even when to so far as to suggest using propane on startup to initially cool the unit down first to limit stress on the element.

BigJohnD · 04-17-2013, 11:07 AM

I've heard what PapaSmurf mentioned before. Been years ago, but I think that may be one of the reasons we've always left ours on. People seem to have success either way, but I'm sticking with leaving it on. Like PapaSmurf, there are times we just up and say, lets go, and it's ready.

bodzcampers · 04-17-2013, 11:12 AM

We keep ours on 6 mos. a year basically. Seasonal.
Is there anything "technical" I should know?
I almost dread the answer as I just swam upsteam through purchasing a surge protector.

Oakman · 04-17-2013, 11:23 AM

Starting in about '02 or '03 through at least 2010 there have been numerous recalls on various models of Dometic and Norcold refrigerators due to fire hazard. For this reason alone I personally wouldn't leave my fridge on for days at time while I was away. Just my 2 cents.

bodzcampers · 04-17-2013, 11:25 AM

We're only away when we go to work. We commute from our CG. We have pets we dearly love. Well, I love the puppy, not the bird...but that's a different discussion. LOL
What should I do? Good Heavens, a fire could kill people.

Oakman · 04-17-2013, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bodzcampers

We're only away when we go to work. We commute from our CG. We have pets we dearly love. Well, I love the puppy, not the bird...but that's a different discussion. LOL
What should I do?

Leave the fridge on, pet the dog, open a window for the bird.

bodzcampers · 04-17-2013, 11:35 AM

Guess, number one, check into the recall. Thanks. Sometimes I get lazy and don't use my own common sense.

RoadTrip · 04-17-2013, 12:05 PM

When we first started (Aug '12), we turned it off after each trip. We travel at least once per month.

That was ok, but it was a pain to remember to leave the fridge door cracked otherwise you get mildew.

The bigger pain was cleaning the mildew. Twice.

After seeing similar threads, I decided to give the whole "leave it on" thing a try.

Total breeze. I can also stock the fridge as I think of it, and not try to pack/organize/think of meals/get meals/pack in fridge the day before.

I think the best advice is - either way won't damage your stuff, so choose what fits you best. For us and camping so frequently - this just works.

sself1219 · 04-17-2013, 12:35 PM

I've got 30Amp power at my house that I use when we're getting ready to go on a trip and when we get back to run the fridge, lights, and A\C if needed. I usually turn our fridge on a couple days before we go on a trip so it can get cold and we can take food out to the camper as we think about it. I store my camper in my dad's warehouse to keep it out of the weather and I have not installed a 30amp receptacle in there yet to keep it plugged up all the time.

You may also like: