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Topic ClosedBaffling Fridge Problem Baffled!
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Baffling Fridge Problem Baffled!
    Posted: 17 Sep 2020 at 9:54am
To clarify, there are multiple tunnels and bridges in NYC, Boston, and Baltimore, maybe some other places that ban propane tanks completely, you can't use those while towing a travel trailer regardless of whether the tank is on or off. You'll would need to find other routes bypassing those.

There are a handful of bridges/tunnels in the country that allow propane tanks through but they must be shut off first. Those would be the only ones that could effect fridge operation using propane. IIRC, they are all on the east coast with the exception of the Houston Ship Channel tunnel.  
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Posts: 6289 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Sep 2020 at 9:39am
I avoided the Baltimore tunnels. The key is whether a tunnel is high in the middle or low in the middle. The ones under a river/bay are lower in the middle so propane, being heavier than air, would tend to accumulate in the middle of the tunnel. Thus, no propane there. Ones through mountains are generally higher in the middle or sloped from one end to another, not providing a place for propane to accumulate. Thus, no restriction. I don't know of any bridges that are enclosed and provide a place for propane to accumulate. Restrictions there don't make sense, but since they exist, need to be obeyed.
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Sep 2020 at 9:35am
The Norfolk VA area bridge tunnels I used to go through often when we lived in NC require a stop for inspection to show that the propane tank valve is really shut off. So I just left the fridge in whatever mode (12V or propane) it was in, and shut off the propane then if it was on. Not a big deal.  So only one additional stop was required to turn it back on (or just leave it off when heading home).  

Not sure whether other tunnels/bridges banning propane use require inspection, but it probably wouldn't take much to find out, there aren't very many of them.
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Posts: 2587 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Sep 2020 at 9:16am
There has been plenty of debate in other threads about whether it is really necessary to turn off the refrigerator or the gas at the tank when refueling the tow vehicle.  Opinions vary.  But that being said, turning the fridge off when you pull into the gas station and turning it back on when you leave, would seem to solve the problem.  An ordinary thermometer would not be able to register the temperature rise in that brief time.  It's simply a matter of pushing the on/off button.

The more complicated situation is crossing bridges or going through tunnels that prohibit a propane tank valves to be turned on.  There isn't always space to stop before and after.  It's a hassle to make the two stops, but again the amount of temperature rise would be relatively minima if one pays attention to turning the tank valve off/on as quickly as possible.  The refrigerators are pretty well insulated.
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Posts: 170 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Sep 2020 at 10:11pm
Good job on the baffle for the fridge! And yup, when we moved from the 179 to the 195 we didn't miss the 12v option. We were used to using the propane on our larger, longer 'family' travel trailers and just kept doing it on the Rpods. We would turn it off after about 3  hrs into our trip when we stopped to gas up, then turn it on following the last fuel stop (usually the next one) before stopping for the night. Nothing seemed affected by the 3 hrs. without constant cooling in a cold fridge.
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Posts: 6128 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Sep 2020 at 1:10pm
Originally posted by ArenaBlanca

And, for those of us who "upgraded" to the 195 because of the bed orientation, the fridge only runs on propane or shore power. A bit of an oversight for a travel trailer IMHO.


Because after about 6cuft, 12v amperage gets to high to be manageable. That's why only small campers, and truck campers, generally, have a 12v option. They are 2-6cuft.

So when you see all those "bigger rigs" out there on the road, and as you know, that's just about "everybody else".. well.. if you don't see a really long extension cord out the back, you know they are running on propane. Or, everything in their fridge is warming up.
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Posts: 3419 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Sep 2020 at 5:04pm
Colt,

I have done that for years. Honestly my TV handles the load and I'm not one of the cross country campers. Most of my trips are less than 200 miles and primarily to fish. I have owned my 178 for 5 years, and all my systems function. On occasion I have run fridge on propane but not often. I don't boondock, my fridge is cold enough, for my purposes and I pre cool before the trip begins on shore power. When I chose a TV I made sure it could handle a 12V load. Lot of TVs have issues with that and I chose not to do that. It is an owner choice based upon your capabilities.
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Posts: 6289 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Sep 2020 at 4:31pm
Until recently, running on 12V was not an option. The Frontier (and the Escape before that) simply could not provide enough power through the connector to both charge the dual 6V batteries I had previously, and was unsuitable for the LiFePO4 battery I have now. I added a battery isolator and ran a separate 121V circuit to power a DC to DC charger for the LiFePO4 battery. That circuit, coupled with the stronger DC to DC charger now means that I can both charge the battery and run the refrigerator on 12V simultaneously. However, when stopped, the refrigerator still needs to be on either AC power or on LP.

Before making the changes, I towed for thousands of miles while running on LP gas with no problems. I added screens to the refrigerator vents. These were to keep the wasps and other insects out. An added advantage is that screens act as a flame arrestor. I learned about that in science class many years ago. Place a screen above a Bunsen burner and the flame halts at the screen. I have felt safe while towing and even when stopping to fill the gas tank.
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Sep 2020 at 4:09pm
Its not really practical to try to run the larger fridge on 12V, it would put too much current demand on the TV alternator. As it is the 10A requirement for the smaller 3 way fridge provides only marginal cooling and is still too much for many alternators while also running everything else. 

I'm staying out of the debate about the pros and cons of running the fridge on propane while driving, just saying that with the bigger fridge you don't really have the option of running on 12V. 
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Posts: 158 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Sep 2020 at 3:45pm
And, for those of us who "upgraded" to the 195 because of the bed orientation, the fridge only runs on propane or shore power. A bit of an oversight for a travel trailer IMHO.
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