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Snowbird Question

stus__family
Explorer
Explorer
I will be heading south in January traveling at very low outdoor temperature's. I do not plan on staying in the trailer until far enough south to de- winterize. However I would like to take some frozen and refrigerated food items to have when we arrive. My Norcold owner's manual states the use of a low temperature heating unit installation which seems like a lot of work that I do not want to do at this time. What do you regular snowbirds and full timers do regarding the use of your refrigerators while traveling in cold weather. My Norcold owner's manual states the use of a low temperature heating unit installation which seems like a lot of work that I do not want to do at this time.
14 REPLIES 14

RVman3252
Explorer
Explorer
We go to Florida every February and use the 5th Wheel on our way down. Depending on the weather, we spend 2 or 3 days to make the trip, and like mentioned above, we carry water with us to drink, clean-up and flush the toilet... We use the Norcold Refrigerator as we always do... and have never had a problem.

Once we get out of the freezing weather, we un-winterize the water system, put some water in the freshwater tank... Has worked fine for us for 10 to 12 years!

Enjoy your trip!
RVman / John
RVman3252
3252Px3 KZ Sportsmen Limited Triple Slide Fifth Wheel
Dodge Ram HD3500 CrewCab, Longbed 4x4 Cummins w/ PullRite Super 5th

Good Sam Life Member

stus__family
Explorer
Explorer
Thanks for the reply's. I may be overthinking but at $3400 for a replacement 12 cubic foot 2 way fridge I don't want to take any chances. For the last ten years in our travel trailers I did like most folks just turned it on and hit the road.
Now with being retired and no second income I tend to be more careful. Also now that google probably reports my movements to the manufactures I don't want to give them more excuses to deny any claims.

Super_Dave
Explorer
Explorer
The easy answer sounds like to leave the frig door open and not turn it on. Lol!
Truck: 2006 Dodge 3500 Dually
Rig: 2018 Big Country 3155 RLK
Boat: 21' North River Seahawk

DutchmenSport
Explorer
Explorer
Just checked mine again, parked at home.

Heat has been off in my 5er for a couple weeks now. Temps got down to high teens last night. Currently the outside temperature is 32 (at 12:00 noon). Inside temperature of the trailer is 30 degrees. Refrigerator is 34 and freezer is -2.

scbwr
Explorer II
Explorer II
We've been leaving OH in the winter for 6 years with our travel trailer and always just ran the fridge as we usually do. I turn it on a day ahead of time, and then we load it up before leaving and have never had a problem. Now with a MH, it will be a little different as it will be in a heated area while traveling.
2012 Newmar Bay Star 3302
Blue Ox Avail
BrakeBuddy Advantage
2015 Malibu

"Get busy living, or get busy dying."
Andy Dufresne, The Shawshank Redemption

BarneyS
Explorer III
Explorer III
We have done just as Dutchmen posted above for the past 17 years. We traveled from Michigan to either Florida or Texas most years.

Last year the temp was 14 below zero when we left and was the same for the next day. :E . Those temps were abnormal though - usually just in the teens or single digits.

I would just pack as normal and when you get to warmer temps, de-winterize and enjoy the use of your trailer. Just realize that things are going to freeze inside both the trailer and the fridge unless you have the heat on all the time while traveling. We never ran the heat while moving and didn't have any problems. We stayed in motels until we got to where the temps were more reasonable. Last year was not normal though for temps.
Barney
2004 Sunnybrook Titan 30FKS TT
Hensley "Arrow" 1400# hitch (Sold)
Not towing now.
Former tow vehicles were 2016 Ram 2500 CTD, 2002 Ford F250, 7.3 PSD, 1997 Ram 2500 5.9 gas engine

lee_worsdell
Explorer
Explorer
sounds to me it takes weeks to where people are going. get on the high way and getter done be there in no time. When I head to florida from Ontario sitting in Daytona in 2 days that's after stopping at friends in moorsville

Ivylog
Explorer III
Explorer III
With putting heat in to get cold out it can be so cold that the absorption cycle will not start...never gets hot enough. Once working it stands a better chance of keeping working. I would seal off the vent, put a 100W bulb in the back ithe day before you leave and cool the unit down. Load it up, remove the light bulb, and head south. With no cold air getting in the back it should work fine and once south open the vent up.
This post is my opinion (free advice). It is not intended to influence anyone's judgment nor do I advocate anyone do what I propose.
Sold 04 Dynasty to our son after 14 great years.
Upgraded with a 08 HR Navigator 45โ€™...

Dave_H_M
Explorer
Explorer
Dang, after all these years I heard something new about the friges.

i have just loaded the frige at the stick home and hitched up and headed south on the magic day. i remember one faithful day when it was Zero out there and all worked out fine with the frige loaded on departure.

Guess ignorance was bliss for me.

Have fun down there, My favorite site in the FL panhandle has been flattened.

B_O__Plenty
Explorer II
Explorer II
We stay in our trailer. Just bring a few gallons of water to drink, wash or pour into the toilet to flush. Put our foods in a cooler until we turn the fridge on. Usually only takes a day or two to get to warmer temps.

B.O.
Former Ram/Cummins owner
2015 Silverado 3500 D/A DRW
Yup I'm a fanboy!
2016 Cedar Creek 36CKTS

Lwiddis
Explorer
Explorer
Just buy your โ€œfrozen and refrigerated food itemsโ€ upon arrival. The Sunbelt has grocery stores, Walmartโ€™s etc. even restaurants.
Winnebago 2101DS TT & 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71, WindyNation 300 watt solar-Lossigy 200 AH Lithium battery. Prefer boondocking, USFS, COE, BLM, NPS, TVA, state camps. Bicyclist. 14 yr. Army -11B40 then 11A - (MOS 1542 & 1560) IOBC & IOAC grad

azdryheat
Explorer
Explorer
Our front cap was covered in a sheet of ice and icicles were hanging off of our mirrors and our fridge ran as normal. We didn't think to do anything different with it.
2013 Chevy 3500HD CC dually
2014 Voltage 3600 toy hauler
2019 RZR 1000XP TRE

DutchmenSport
Explorer
Explorer
We have traveled many times in cold weather, December, January, and March with our previous travel trailer. The refrigerator was petty much a standard gas-electric RV refrigerator with the freezer compartment on top with it's own separate door.

First, the refrigerator in all our previous campers are never turned off. We leave our campers plugged in 24x7x365 and the refrigerators have always been set on Auto, so if electric power goes out they would run on propane.

We never had problems running the refrigerator while traveling. It would flip over to gas once unplugged from shore power and just keep things nice and cold. I never tried to analyze it, I just did it.

I do know, that if the inside of the trailer gets really cold ... like 20 degrees below zero ... which did happen a few times over the years ... the refrigerator just quits running. Not because there is anything wrong, but because the thermostat in the refrigerator is reading temperatures that have penetrated the inside that colder than the refrigerator settings.

If the ambient temperature is zero degrees and your refrigerator is set for 38 degrees, well, it's just simply not going to run, because it's already cold.

This was fine for the refrigerator section. But for the freezer section, the ambient temperature had to penetrate below the refrigerator setting before it stopped working. In other words, it had to be really, really, really cold a long time for the outside temperature to penetrate to the inside of the camper, and then the temperature of the trailer to penetrate to the inside of the refrigerator before the refrigerator thought it was already cold.

So, basically what I'm saying is, if you are taking any frozen foods or cold foods with you and you are leaving from a snow, very cold location, just turn your refrigerator on a day before heading out. If you have heat on inside the camper, the refrigerator will run as normal.

Load the refrigerator once is good and cold, unplug shore power, let it flip over to gas and hit the road. Things WILL stay cold and frozen. If the ambient temperature inside the camper hovers freezing or below, the refrigerator and freezer simply won't run very much, but it will stay cold and frozen. Once the ambient temperature inside the camper reaches above the temperature settings on the refrigerator, then it will kick on. Either way ... your ice cream will not melt ... been there ... done that.

Now, our current camper has an all electric residential refrigerator in it. The camper is closed up right now, but still plugged in. The outside temperature is 20 degrees or less at night now. The inside of the camper is COLD! I've checked the temperature in the refrigerator, both the freezer and the refrigerator section. It's staying right on 38 degrees and negative 2.

I'm curious what it will do when temps inside the camper get down to zero (which will probably happen soon enough here in Indiana).

Long story short, turn on the refrigerator on an Auto setting (gas-electric), or just electric if it's residential. Let it cool down. Load it, and take off! No worries.

Puddles
Explorer
Explorer
We load / run refer as normal except fresh fruits... only takes 1.5 days to get below I 10... no probms so far.
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