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Old 03-17-2022, 09:52 AM   #21
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We've had a number of rv's, from a small TT to class a and several in between. Never had a problem with running the fridge while traveling. Technology has made it much easier now.
Propane, 12V, inverter, Gen set. It's always nice to have a cold beverage for happy hour when you get there!

Safe Travels!
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Old 03-24-2022, 11:55 AM   #22
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RV fridges are designed to be run on LPG while driving down the road. There is absolutely no danger in doing so.
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Old 05-02-2022, 07:05 PM   #23
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The designers and mfgrs. of all LP appliances in the RV industry approve them for use while driving.
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Old 08-27-2022, 08:47 PM   #24
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I'm one who won't be using the LP while driving.

I have a 1500 watt inverter inside the RV.

Would there be any issue with routing an extension cord to the fridge and running it on AC while driving?

Thanks,
Steve
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Old 08-28-2022, 10:36 AM   #25
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If you run your generator, it will switch the fridge to run off of the generator automatically.

Of course, I assume your generator is LP. In that case you are still burning LP. Personally we jus ran the fridge on LP when traveling for hours. No need to run the fridge for shorter periods
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Old 08-28-2022, 10:38 AM   #26
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Probably won't run on the inverter for too long.
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Old 08-28-2022, 12:30 PM   #27
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Originally Posted by mobileminnie View Post
I'm one who won't be using the LP while driving.

I have a 1500 watt inverter inside the RV.

Would there be any issue with routing an extension cord to the fridge and running it on AC while driving?

Thanks,
Steve
Only issue I can see is the charging wire from your tow vehicle to your trailer, or your solar if applicable, can it keep up? The typical absorption fridge uses between 300 and 575 watts on AC power which means the inverter will be pulling to 25 to 48 amps from your trailer's 12 volt battery bank. If you can't keep the charge level above that it may deplete the trailer battery bank before you arrive at camp.
I don't see an extension cord causing an issue as the 120 volt side will only be 2.5-4.8 amps, as long as it is a decent cord.
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Old 08-28-2022, 12:40 PM   #28
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Thanks for the input all. I should have stated that I have a class C.
I figure since I'll be driving, the house batteries will be charging so they won't deplete too much.
I'm hoping to keep the fridge cold on a 4-6 hour drive.
I normally chill it overnight down to 35/0 (fridge/frzr).
Historically it has warmed up to @ 55/32 after a 2-3 hour drive.
I'll give the extension cord idea a shot when i take it on a 3 day trip after labor day.
I'll let you know.

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Old 08-29-2022, 09:57 AM   #29
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Originally Posted by mobileminnie View Post
Thanks for the input all. I should have stated that I have a class C.
I figure since I'll be driving, the house batteries will be charging so they won't deplete too much.
I'm hoping to keep the fridge cold on a 4-6 hour drive.
I normally chill it overnight down to 35/0 (fridge/frzr).
Historically it has warmed up to @ 55/32 after a 2-3 hour drive.
I'll give the extension cord idea a shot when i take it on a 3 day trip after labor day.
I'll let you know.

Steve
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The refrigerator 120VAC plug is on the back, no access from inside the RV.
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Old 08-29-2022, 04:20 PM   #30
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Ray, my plan is to run a heavy duty extension cord from the outlet on the converter, out the window and into the fridge access outside.
I'll post pics when I do.
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Old 08-29-2022, 04:33 PM   #31
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If it warms that much, I might want to check the frig door for not sealing well as that is not what we have when we drive only using the propane.

Since the elctrical cooling is normally considered much slower than the gas, I have never considered not using it on gas when moving.

However if the door seal is not good, a small loss of cool air is going to kill the temp. My first move would be to make sure there are no gaps in the sealing. Lot of info on line for testing.
Second I would look at the back of the frig to assure it is clean and well maintained to let the system get air and work as designed. If air can't get in and flow up and around the parts and then out the top, things will not work well.
Good system but it does need some attention at times.
One reason to keep it clean is that spider webs and wasp nests do burnand that can lead to the stories about propane catching the RV on fire.
It is often not the propane use but the poor way things are maintained that gets folks in trouble!
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Old 08-29-2022, 05:37 PM   #32
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Ray, my plan is to run a heavy duty extension cord from the outlet on the converter, out the window and into the fridge access outside.
Steve

That seems pretty drastic and unnecessary really. If you really just can't bring yourself to run the fridge on propane, then the next best option would be to buy a case of bottled water and freeze them. you can pack those in the fridge and the small size makes them easier to fit. You can also pack some items like drinks in a cooler with some of the frozen bottles. And when they thaw out you can just drink them.

I get the fridge cold on A/C while it's plugged in before a trip, then open the propane tank valve and unplug the power. Same with the hot water heater. Sometimes if the propane's been off for a while they don't want to light, but lighting a burner on the stove helps with that. After a few minutes they'll both take off and run just fine while we're heading down the road.
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Old 08-29-2022, 07:18 PM   #33
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Ray, my plan is to run a heavy duty extension cord from the outlet on the converter, out the window and into the fridge access outside.
I'll post pics when I do.
Steve
Your rig is absolutely designed to run the fridge on propane while driving. If that isn't a good fit for you perhaps running the generator would be more palatable. After that, it just feels like the workarounds start adding complexity and hassle factor. Which then takes the fun out of it. Which requires more beer. Which requires a bigger and colder fridge. It's a doom loop.
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Old 08-29-2022, 08:25 PM   #34
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So here's my quandary. We like to stock the fridge before trips. Our fridge is either AC or Propane. We don't want to run propane while driving and the fridge isn't connected to Inverter circuit. I don't like to run the Onan generator on the road, but this seems to be the only choice. Are there any mods - short of replacing the fridge with one having 12V capability and running wires? Thoughts?
I concur that it is ok to run fridge on Propane while driving. However, we turned it off at tunnels and when getting gas. Our choice.

With that said and after 2 years; we found an easier way and we no longer ever need propane while driving and we run our Norcold fridge on 4 stars cold all the time. It cost me $20. I may have thread on what I did, but I don't remember if it was this site or another?

Summary of my Mod

I bought a Southwire Heavy Duty appliance cord ( 15ft)
Cut off the male end.
Drilled a hole in the rubber floor behind the fridge
Took apart the never used Bedroom TV plug outlet and hard wired the appliance cord.
Ran the cord through hole behind fridge to and the slide floor and under the cabinets and up through a panel behind the closet to the bedroom TV's 120vac outlet that was already on my OEM 1000 watt Inverter (12 ft)

Works like a champ. I have two 120vac plugs receptacles behind the Fridge now, the OEM that I never use anymore, and the one I ran permanently behind the fridge. I can go 3 hours running the fridge off the batteries if I wanted to, but that was not my goal. On every trip my Inverter is always on and the fridge is on electric setting and batteries are recharged by alternator.

When we stop to do odd stuff I leave it running off inverter because we are never stopped for more than an hour or two. But if we stayed too long and batteries voltage drops below 12.4vdc, the generator will start due to AGS call and we are back in business.

The light brown cord is the Southwire Heavy Duty Appliance Cord. This one of my favorite mods as we use all the time. I do use propane for the fridge but only when boondocking.
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Old 09-01-2022, 11:26 AM   #35
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It never ceases to amaze me the lengths that people will go to in order to bypass well thought out systems that have been in use for decades and millions of miles. But to each his own.
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Old 09-01-2022, 03:37 PM   #36
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X2, Van....
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Old 09-01-2022, 04:07 PM   #37
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It never ceases to amaze me the lengths that people will go to in order to bypass well thought out systems that have been in use for decades and millions of miles. But to each his own.
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X2, Van....
If you guys are referring to my mod, you may wish to know that not only did Winnebago approve of what I did, they advised me that the only reason it was not designed that way originally was due to requirement from RVIA.

Isn't the purpose of modifications so that you can make your coach be and do what you want it to do? When I drive; my inverter is always on. I like maximizing my energy and I would rather have my propane off when driving than on. Not that I have too, but because the batteries are always FULLY charged. I think if you look, you might find 100 to 1 where RV owners are making mod changes to their propane tanks and supply lines to carry more propane to cook and fulfill their propane needs. My $20 modification improved both; reduction of propane usage and use of inverter supplied power to the fridge as all residential fridge coaches are designed.
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Old 09-01-2022, 06:28 PM   #38
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DK, I can only speak for myself but no I wasn't referring to your mod, which I think is great.

What I was saying is that there are lots of people here that for their own reasons don't use the equipment in their rv as was originally designed.

No judgement intended.
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Old 09-01-2022, 09:17 PM   #39
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DK, I can only speak for myself but no I wasn't referring to your mod, which I think is great.

What I was saying is that there are lots of people here that for their own reasons don't use the equipment in their rv as was originally designed.

No judgement intended.
Kool, we good . If the OP was talking about why he does not want to poop in his black tank in favor or putting #2 in plastic bag to take out; I get it.

But I read OP saying.... "We don't want to run propane while driving and the fridge isn't connected to Inverter circuit. I don't like to run the Onan generator on the road, but this seems to be the only choice. Are there any mods - short of replacing the fridge with one having 12V capability and running wires? "

Well OP has my exact same coach and I was just giving him/her another choice as was requested that only cost $20 using the same fridge and setup.

I think the OP asked a very good question and no one should want to run the fridge while driving. I don't want to drive in snow or rain, but I know it can be perfectly safe
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Old 09-06-2022, 12:25 PM   #40
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Kool, we good . If the OP was talking about why he does not want to poop in his black tank in favor or putting #2 in plastic bag to take out; I get it.

But I read OP saying.... "We don't want to run propane while driving and the fridge isn't connected to Inverter circuit. I don't like to run the Onan generator on the road, but this seems to be the only choice. Are there any mods - short of replacing the fridge with one having 12V capability and running wires? "

Well OP has my exact same coach and I was just giving him/her another choice as was requested that only cost $20 using the same fridge and setup.

I think the OP asked a very good question and no one should want to run the fridge while driving. I don't want to drive in snow or rain, but I know it can be perfectly safe
I, too, was not judging you, but simply pointing out a general observation. Your mod is indeed well done, and the outlet in the fridge compartment should be set up like that on all RVs with an inverter to give the owner the choice.

But as for your claim that 100-1 people modding their rigs to carry more propane? Sorry, but in 35 years of RVing, I seen very few, other than carrying an extra (or larger) cylinder or adding a fitting to allow an external tank for a Motorhome for longer boondocking. I would also disagree with your claim that "no one should want to run the fridge while driving". If you mean "no one should want to run the fridge on propane while driving", my original post applies, as it is designed to be used that way (although your mod is a good alternative) and most of us do. If you are instead referring to running it at all while driving, I disagree.
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