Refrigerator question |
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Pod People
Senior Member Joined: 22 Sep 2011 Location: Chapel Hill,NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 1067 |
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Topic: Refrigerator question Posted: 07 Mar 2022 at 4:17pm |
We have used an Engel cooler for years. We freeze gallon milk jugs and put one at each end. the key for us is the insulated wrap that we amde. We bought Reflectix at Lowe's and built a cover. We spent about $45. We taped the edges with special Rflectix tape. We ahve used this for over 3 seasons and it's still intact after a few repairs with more tape. It will keep ice for 4-5 days easily when exposed too direct un. safe travels Vann
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6288 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 07 Mar 2022 at 9:32am |
+1 on the 3 way and battery operation. We had two 6V GC batteries and in less than 12 hours, the refrigerator was beeping. 12V operation is pure resistance heat and will chew through the battery/batteries in short order. Ice, regular or dry, in the refrigerator or in a good ice chest is your best option.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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lostagain
Senior Member Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2587 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 07 Mar 2022 at 9:20am |
ArenaBlanca, the third option, the battery, would not really work. Your batteries would be dead in a very short time.
When we bought our Lifetime ice chest, it was when had our rPod 172 with it's tiny 3-way refrigerator. We were pleasantly surprised at how cold the stuff we stashed in the ice chest stayed, even when we camped in the AZ desert. The key was to keep it in the shade and open it very rarely. We've also had some cross country trips with our larger trailer and fridge and ran out of gas on one occasion without realizing it. The fridge had nothing to power it for many hours before I realized what had happened. The refrigerator stayed plenty cold. If you plan ahead and freeze some milk cartons filled with water, and put them in the fridge (below and in the freezer) you'll have no problems for the ferryboat time you anticipate. The more you can fill all the empty space in the fridge and freezer with ice in milk cartons, the better. Ice keeps stuff cold while air space quickly warms up. Ice is kind the opposite of thermal mass and is slow to warm up.
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Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost |
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ArenaBlanca
Senior Member Joined: 07 Sep 2016 Location: Alamogordo, NM Online Status: Offline Posts: 158 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 07 Mar 2022 at 9:02am |
I really like this forum. I appreciate all the input. We are planning on trying to take the 195 to Alaska this summer and are probably going to try driving (if we can keep the fuel costs under $5,000 US).
I'm looking ahead to going back to Newfoundland again and know there is a potential 12-16 hour ferry ride. And Daddy always told me, "prior planning prevents poor performance" so I plan way out in the future. I also think Forest River made a poor design decision when they took the 3 way refrigerator out of the R-Pod. Thanks again for the input.
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Enjoy Life!!
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lostagain
Senior Member Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2587 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 07 Mar 2022 at 6:21am |
We have the same refrigerator as the OP. With a little planning, you should be able to last a day or two, maybe three, with no LP or AC to run the refrigerator. Dry ice would probably be the best option, but it's difficult to find in many places.
You can also use regular ice. The best is to use paper milk cartons with the little lid on top. Fill them with water and freeze them, then put them in the fridge to keep it cold. If you have a good quality ice chest, you can freeze the cartons at home and put them in the chest. We have a Lifetime chest and had ice last over a week, with not that much melting. Just try to keep it closed as much as you can and before you reach the point at which you can't run the refrigerator, cycle the cartons through the freezer to refreeze them to have as many frozen solid as possible. Avoid opening the refrigerator during the time you can't run it, except to cycle the cartons through from the ice chest. This method can give you two or 3 days of adequate cold, unless the weather or the place where the trailer is parked in the ferry is hot. I've never taken a ferry from Seattle to Alaska, but I have sailed off the San Francisco coast and can say with some confidence that it's not likely you'll have hot weather along the north east Pacific coast. Best of luck in your travels.
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Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost |
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offgrid
Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 07 Mar 2022 at 4:49am |
2 votes for Dry ice if you can't leave the fridge empty.
It generally comes wrapped in paper which will insulate it so I'd doesn't freeze the food. Some temp monitoring and adjusting the amount of paper coverage would be needed to keep the fridge temps where you want them. I would suggest pre conditioning the fridge contents while you still have power, then put in at least 5 lbs per day of travel, and keep everything closed up. |
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
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Tars Tarkas
Senior Member Joined: 14 Jan 2013 Location: Near Nashville Online Status: Offline Posts: 1446 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 06 Mar 2022 at 2:36pm |
The OP has a propane/AC only fridge. I doubt he'd be able to use a generator on a ferry. If this is indeed a one-off or rare situation a cooler and ice or dry ice is probably best. I really like dry ice. The other thing that might be better than all of this is to have the fridge empty for the start of the ride and stock up on perishables when you disembark. Maybe not a perfect idea either, but being able to go with a smaller Yeti could save hundreds of dollars. TT
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2010 176
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offgrid
Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 06 Mar 2022 at 2:19pm |
I think the battery/inverter package products are fine if you have a low power ac load to run for a limited time. If you have a DC load or any load with high energy demand (low power for a long time or high power for a short time) then not so much. In those cases directly running from DC with our without solar or running a generator is much better. I just use my Honda 2k for that.
If thst can't be done due to unique circumstances then a different method needs to be found. In this case ice is a good suggestion. Dry ice might be better for a one shot deal as it will maintain the fridge longer lb for lb and leaves no residue. |
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
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Tars Tarkas
Senior Member Joined: 14 Jan 2013 Location: Near Nashville Online Status: Offline Posts: 1446 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 06 Mar 2022 at 8:09am |
The EcoFlow power banks don't require solar at all. They can easily be charged by AC when it's available and discharged over time. One or two power banks might not be enough for a multi-day ferry ride, I don't know; you'd have to do the math. I don't recommend this, or not, I'm just saying it's an option. Maybe not so great if its only purpose would be to keep food cold for a while. Of course it's inefficient, but I don't think one cares about that under the circumstances. There is no efficient way to generate or store power when essentially boondocking. It's all relative and almost all that matters is what works for you. As noted, a power bank works in other situations besides ferry rides too. Just an idea, but it might be worth checking with the ferry operators to see if shore power might be available for an extra fee. I've never heard of a ferry offering it, but the bigger boats do have it on board. It would probably involve loading early to get you near an outlet. I can think of various reasons they wouldn't offer it if they could, not the least of which would be the liability of a hot power line running across a metal deck. Just the trip hazard would probably be a deal breaker. I have one of the EcoFlow power banks because our home is subject frequent power outages. My wife can plug in her oxygen concentrator and press 2 buttons and be good for 20 hours. Plenty of time for me to get home from work and crank up the generator outside. No solar. Very inefficient. Easy and it works very well. I'm also thinking about getting a telescope that requires power. These power banks are small, very portable, and silent, so I'd likely use it for that too. Efficiency isn't even part of the equation. TT
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2010 176
FJ Cruiser |
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6288 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 06 Mar 2022 at 6:17am |
As in the original post, gas is not available due to it needing to be locked out while aboard the ship. AC is not available to run the refrigerator and the model in question does not have a DC option. One other possibility is that if you would be in a cabin that has electricity, consider a compressor cooler such as this: https://www.amazon.com/COSTWAY-Refrigerator-53-Quart-Compressor-Operating/dp/B083QYX33N/
It will be much more energy efficient than a thermoelectric cooler and can be a freezer as well. Thermoelectrics are cheaper, but will kill the battery quickly. However, if you can move it to a room and use AC, it would not be an issue.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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