Help with keeping Refrigerator running

[SharynB]

I will be traveling from TX. to CA. in my Pleasureway motorhome. It will take 3.5 days, as I am traveling with senior pets. One of whom is on insulin and it has to be refrigerated. My question is how do I set my Dometic refrigerator to keep going all night when I am in the motel (not camping this trip). Does the DC battery have to be left on all night to keep it going, as I will not be hooked up to electricity? I can use my propane, but will the tank last that many days? Can I drive with the propane turned on, or just turn it on a night after I have stopped for the day? Does the DC have to be turned on if I am using propane?
Thanks for any advice!

[jjson775]

If you run the refrigerator on DC while you are traveling, the safest option (especially when pumping gasoline), make sure to switch it back to gas at night. Otherwise you will quickly discharge the house battery. If everything is in good working order, the house battery, the refrigerator, and you have a full tank of propane, you won't have a problem. Done it myself many times. Good luck on your trip.

[Lwiddis]

“It will take 3.5 days, as I am traveling with senior pets. One of whom is on insulin and it has to be refrigerated.“

Being senior pets, they may wish to stop and sightsee more than junior pets. Or 3.75 days IMO.

[Lwiddis]

With an “airhead” battery, it’s doable! Let me know if you want their website.

[2oldman]

She said she runs DC while driving, but here it is anyway because I can see where we're going:

Propane on while driving Feb 2016
Propane when driving-refer blow up? Oct 2015

Fridge on at gas stations May 2015
Fridge while driving Apr 2015
Fridge while driving Oct 2014

Fridge on, gas on, fires june 2011
Fridge while driving August 2010

Fridge on fueling shootout 2011
Fridge on driving July 2011
Appliances/fridge on 2011
RVIA response to gas on query
LP on when travel 5th wheel 2007
Gas on refer driving Class a 2010
Fridge on fueling 2009
Fridge on while driving 2007

[GordonThree]

For proponents of turning off the propane fridge while fueling, how far out from the station do you turn off?

My point, how do you know there isn't a fuel spill already present when you pull up at the pump. What about the other guy dispensing fuel on the other side of the pump?

[AsheGuy]

PSW wrote:
SharynB, one note of caution. When going down the road running the refrig with the propane, you need to turn to refrig completely off just before you fill up with gasoline. Just a standard procedure for safety. Just pull into the gas station parking lot, turn it off and then pull to the pumps to fill. Then, reverse the procedure when you are ready to leave.

I am sure everyone does that but it can be easy to forget on a long trip.

The risk involved with refrigerator running on gas at a fuel stop probably differs for gas vs diesel so that is probably why I am still alive. We have 140K+ miles on our Sprinter diesel LTV and always have our refrigerator on gas when on the road because gas (for our refrigerator) is much more effective than DC mode. And we have never turned off the refrigerator when refueling.

I know a sample of one (and with diesel) is irrelevant but your statement that this is just a "standard procedure for safety" is a little overstated. In all our travels and association with others doing the same in Class Bs, I have never heard of this as a standard procedure, nor heard of any gas station being blown up due to this infraction.

Now, when we get our propane tank refilled the propane valve is turned off while refilling. Propane is a different beast entirely.

Fire away with comments. No pun intended.

[2oldman]

SharynB wrote:
If I do this will I still have to turn off refrigerator when I gas up?

I've never heard anyone claim the DC heating element is going to blow up a gas station.

[SharynB]

My Dometic is one year old and is a 3-way. So, I believe I can turn off the propane in the morning, to let it run on D/C while driving all day, and turn propane on when I stop for the night. If I do this will I still have to turn off refrigerator when I gas up?

[TinyoneRV]

What is the make and model of your refrigerator? Older Dometic models did not require electrical power to run on propane. Newer models require power to run the controls. You might look up your model on the manufacturers web site.

[PSW]

SharynB, one note of caution. When going down the road running the refrig with the propane, you need to turn to refrig completely off just before you fill up with gasoline. Just a standard procedure for safety. Just pull into the gas station parking lot, turn it off and then pull to the pumps to fill. Then, reverse the procedure when you are ready to leave.

I am sure everyone does that but it can be easy to forget on a long trip.

[SharynB]

Thank you all for your help! Solved my doubts!!!:)

[Tiger4x4RV]

Don't overlook the option of just using the refrigerator as an icebox. Buy ice or get a bunch of refreezable blue ice blocks and refreeze half of them in the hotel refrigerator while the other half keep your RV refrigerator cold overnight. No more worries about propane or batteries or keeping the unit level.

[GordonThree]

gbopp wrote:

GordonThree wrote:
One of the pets needs to be refrigerated?

Penguin? 🙂

Very cool! 😉

[gbopp]

GordonThree wrote:
One of the pets needs to be refrigerated?

Penguin? 🙂