# New Beginner Question



## cgawley (Jun 9, 2009)

Hello all.

Quick question from someone very new to everything. I have a 2008 RSDS. We are taking the OB out this weekend (as probably many of you are as well) and the dealer said that we could start getting the fridge cold by plugging the shore chord in and running it until we are ready to leave -- and then switch over to LP.

The manual says clearly and expressly that you should not use shore chord + adapter + extension chord. Here is my question: as I do not have an available 30 AMP outlet (just a normal household one available next to the RV in an outbuilding), how can I get power to the OB? Wouldn't I need to use the shore chord + extension + adapter? I plan on using the power line only to run the fridge. Can I do this safely?

If not, is the answer to simply cool the fridge via LP? Also, how long in your experience is necessary to get the fridge ready? Should I run it a day or four hours.

Thanks in advance.


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## Livin4weekenz (Aug 26, 2007)

Welcome







We have in the past used a standard household outlet with an adapter to power the frig and lights. No harm in that just not the AC


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## bill_pfaff (Mar 11, 2005)

shore chord + extension + adapter is fine for everything except the air conditioner.

As far as the fridge, we plug in at least 3-4 days before we are going to use it for the first time and then it stays on (shore chord + extension + adapter) the rest of the season.

Welcome aboard and hope you have a great firt trip.

Bill


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## Livin4weekenz (Aug 26, 2007)

BTW we Turn our frig on 1-2 days before departure. Leave in on auto that way when you unplug the TT the gas takes over and vise versa. make shure the tank is open before pulling out.


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## cgawley (Jun 9, 2009)

Livin4weekenz said:


> BTW we Turn our frig on 1-2 days before departure. Leave in on auto that way when you unplug the TT the gas takes over and vise versa. make shure the tank is open before pulling out.


Thank you much!


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## ROB & JUDY OUTBACKERS (Mar 9, 2007)

X2 on the way Livin4weekenz does it.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

The fridge can be used with just a regular extension cord to the 30 plug (with adapter). The warning is valid for running the AC or the water heater. We leave our fridge plugged in 24/7 during camping season as it is fully stocked with food and adult refreshments.


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## Justman (Jul 22, 2006)

I agree, you should be able to use the shore cord, plus the adaptor, plus an extension cord. The fridge doesn't consume a lot of electricty, so you should be fine.

Now if you plan on running the AC, that's a different story. Most extension cords these days are 14 gauge and are built to be flexible and cheap. You start passing 12-14 amps through one of those puppies, and they're going to either flip the circuit breaker or catch on fire.







If you plan on running the AC, I'd recommend you either run a seperate 30 amp circuit with a 3 prong RV plug, or go get a shore power extension cable that's made of the same material as the regular shore power cable. I personally ran a new 30 amp circuit and plug the shore power cable directly into it. Works great! No more flipped breakers.


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## jozway (Jan 28, 2008)

I would use the shortest extension cord you have and you will be just fine. Dont run your air, waterheater or micro though.
Joe


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## rdvholtwood (Sep 18, 2008)

We usually plug ours in using an extension cord a couple days in advance (if we remember







) - if not the night before and then we leave the LP on while we travel.


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## W4DRR (May 17, 2005)

A couple days before a trip, we plug in the Outback through 200' of light duty extension cord, and turn on the fridge. It is either 14 or 16 gauge. As others have said, as long as you don't run the AC, microwave, or water heater, you'll be fine. The fridge uses a resistive heating element when running on shore power (no compressor), so if the voltage sags a little, there's no problem.

Bob


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## SmkSignals (May 2, 2005)

CamperAndy said:


> We leave our fridge plugged in 24/7 during camping season as it is fully stocked with food and adult refreshments.


Sounds like you got yourself a man cave there Andy !!

Same here. Shore-Adaptor-Ext cord. Run the fridge only.


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## ALASKA PFLOCK (Jun 24, 2007)

I agree, you should be able to use the shore cord, plus the adaptor, plus an extension cord. The fridge doesn't consume a lot of electricity, so you should be ok. I am still leary about running the LP while going down the road. We have done an 8 hour trip with a prior over night plug-in and everthing stayed cold/frozen.


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## mmblantz (Jul 1, 2007)

Ya we use the adapter with a thick heavy duty extention cord to power the fridge. No problems here. --Mike


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