Traveling with a refrigerator

Propane almost entirely for us.  Yes we installed bug screens years ago, (wasp nest necessitated that) and with the screen vent being on the drivers side verses our filling point on our Explorer's being on the passenger side, feel quite safe.  Have been doing it this way since we picked up our 177 back in March 2011.  Nearing 30,000 miles to date with no incidents.  As Stephen H noted above, batteries do not last long.  Found that out the first summer as I was pre-cooling the fridge only to find out after 6 hours our battery was dead and the beeper was going on and off.  Once in a while we do use the 110V option when we are not boondocking, but that is not too often.  It has been a great fridge, don't forget to pre-cool your fridge for a day before leaving and put in cold items straight from your homes fridge.  Have  only had one incident where we had to throw food away, and that time we were on 110v.  The fault was not with the electricity but with the muffin fans behind the fridge not going on when the heat built up.  By repositioning the bi-metal switch on the back of the fridge, the fans kicked on immediately and we have never had any problems since. 

As always "Furpod" is right on with his wisdom and analysis.

I run my fridge on propane when on the road.  I tried 12v and managed to barely avoid running my batteries down.  If your vehicle electrical system, which includes having heavy enough wiring to the Bargman, has the amps, there shouldn't be a problem using 12v but not all vehicles have the amps.  Watch what you're doing if you run the fridge on 12v while traveling or you may end up with warm beer, a depleted Pod battery, and, worst case, a drained tow vehicle battery.

As for it being illegal to run propane appliances at gas stations, that seems like a reasonable thing to assume, and there are a million citations on the web that say that's the case.  I certainty haven't searched the whole web yet, but I haven't been able to find anything beyond assumptions and opinions on this -- nothing official.  I'd be interested if someone can find a citation from a state DOT or somethng similar.  Totally irrelevant, but I still see plenty of people smoking while they fill up.

I've seen the signs for the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel, and I'm pretty sure I've seen signs for some ferries, but I don't recall ever seeing a sign at a gas station.  And as far as I know I've never seen or heard of a burned out gas station where the fire was caused by an RV fridge.  Not saying it hasn't happened, but it doesn't seem to happen a lot.

Of course I'm fine with people who are uncomfortable with running appliances on propane not doing so, especially at gas stations.  I'm not advocating those people do anything they're uneasy about.  I think it's worth reiterating though, that one should be careful when first trying the fridge on battery power, to be sure they don't run their batteries down too far.

TT

We cannot tow on 12 volts without killing the battery so its always on propane when traveling.  And the propane lasts forever.  Did not even empty a tank the entire summer.  We also always forgot to turn it off when filling up on gas but we do have the bug screens which did not know also serve as flame arresters.  We will be taking 16 hour ferry to Newfoundland so will have to shut off refrigerator.  We bought a Lifetime ice chest (a poor mans Yeti) to store the food during the crossing.  It can keep ice a week.

When we bought our R-Pod, we took off a week later for a cross-country trip. We stopped to visit some friends in Charlotte, NC. I have dual 6V batteries, so I thought I would just leave it on 12V. We were awakened in the wee hours with the refrigerator beeping at us. The TV (Ford Escape at the time) may have been charging the battery adequately, but even dual 6V batteries can't keep the refrigerator running for extended periods. I tried to switch to propane only to see flames shooting back toward the valve and burning the wires. A hasty switch to 110V and a backtrack to our dealer to find out that wasps had nested in the flue. Parts were ordered and we continued our trip. Since we were only stopping overnight with no utilities, I ended up having to run propane (dealer had removed wasp nest). After we got back from that trip, parts were replaced and we have run on propane since unless we have shore power in which case we run on AC.

I added bug screens to the openings. No more wasps. An added benefit is that screens act as flame arrestors. I don't have an issue pulling into gas stations to refuel. The R-Pod is far enough away from the pumps that I'm not worried about fumes (that with the screens, of course). For tunnels, if there is a sign, I will pull off and shut down gas until we are clear of the tunnel. We have not encountered any on our travels so far that say no propane permitted, but we may someday.

I am describing what I do. If others want to run on 12V while driving, go ahead. It did not seem to work out well for me. I am not sure if our current Frontier would have adequate power to both charge the batteries and run the refrigerator so I stick with propane.

Originally posted by mcarter Travel with frig on 12V with an occasional use of propane to ensure it still works. Furpod's comments are spot on. And I must admit I always have a real good cooler with me, old habits are hard to break.