# Refridgerator



## jlukens (Oct 3, 2006)

Have a Dometic fridge in our 23rs -- I know runs on AC & gas and switches between the two automatically, but what about while towing?

If left on AUTO, will the Dometic power off the TV's 12-volt current?

Also, we've been leaving our fridge items stocked inside while towing, but making sure they're secure from rolling around, etc. Are others doing the same as well?

Thanks,


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## Moosegut (Sep 24, 2005)

Must be everyone's packing up and heading out - there have been a number of threads on this lately. The fridge only works on AC or propane. It will work when in tow as long as you have the propane turned on. You will get varied opinions about leaving the fridge running on propane while in transit. Some turn it off before entering a gas station and then turn it back on after leaving. Others do not run the fridge while towing. I for one, do it all the time and I never turn it off at the gas pumps. I drove a gas tanker (10,000 gallons) before during and after college. I figure if I didn't blow up with with an empty 10,000 gallon tanker full of fumes, I aint gonna blow up because of my RV fridge.


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## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

Yes, we leave our fridge stocked while towing. Things really do stay put for the most part. I use a couple of the spring loaded refrigerator bars across the shelves just in case.

Happy Camping!


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## GlenninTexas (Aug 11, 2004)

I agree, Before you leave turn on the propane and then light a stove burner to insure all the air is out of the line. Once its burning steady, turn off the stove. The frig will switch over to 12v/propane when you disconnect from shore power.

Regards, Glenn


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## jlukens (Oct 3, 2006)

Thanks for the info -- I've also noticed that the fridge does an excellent job of keeping the cool in while even shut off towing for an hour or two in transit until you can get back to an AC plug-in.


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

The fridge has no idea if it's being towed or not. So when the 120v power is cut it will go into propane mode so long as the gas is on and there is 12v from the batts to power the circuit board. All this in AUTO mode of course.

We leave ours stocked and on while towing.


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## mollyp (Aug 10, 2005)

We also leave ours on while towing, and have never turned it off at the gas pump. I stock the fridge before we leave. I have never used spring loaded bars, I just position the stuff so it can't move around and I have never had a problem.


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## Scoutr2 (Aug 21, 2006)

California Jim said:


> The fridge has no idea if it's being towed or not. So when the 120v power is cut it will go into propane mode so long as the gas is on and there is 12v from the batts to power the circuit board. All this in AUTO mode of course.
> 
> We leave ours stocked and on while towing.


Ditto here. We run our fridge on propane while towing and it keeps everything at 36 degrees. I do not turn it off when fueling, for the most part. I ususlly wait until I can get an outside island pump so that I'm fueling on the driver's side and the fridge is on the other side and about 30 feet away from the pump. This method also eliminates the risk of someone else pumping gas on the fridge side of my trailer.

I also pay attention to which way the wind is blowing, just to ensure that fumes don't get blown in the direction of the fridge flame. (Which is more than I can say for the idiot that was puffing away on a cigarette while filling his tank, near Clarksville, TN last Saturday!)

But if the situation dictates it, my DW goes into the Outback and turns off the fridge until after we've pulled away from the pumps.

Just my $.02.

Mike


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

SconnieJonny said:


> Have a Dometic fridge in our 23rs -- I know runs on AC & gas and switches between the two automatically, but what about while towing?
> 
> If left on AUTO, will the Dometic power off the TV's 12-volt current?
> 
> ...


Our old Coleman Popup had a 3-way refrig...which would run on 12v/AC/Propane. Not sure why I needed it to run on 12v as I didn't want to drain the battery, when it is easy to just use propane. Guess it would be for towing, but I'm one of those "crazy" ones that tows with my propane on.


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## FraTra (Aug 21, 2006)

I leave it on auto and turn the propane on before pulling out and don't turn it off untill I return. All my RV buddies do the same. When I gas up the flame is not exposed and is 30 ft away from the pump. To be honest I don't even think about it, I'm more concerned about getting in and out without tearing the corner off the OB. Maybe I'm a bad person but....


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## Thor (Apr 7, 2004)

We stock our fridge as well. We turn our fridge on the day before and stock it the day we are leaving. We do not run the fridge while towing. The fridge will keep things cold for a long time as along as you do not keep opening the door all the time. On long trips I turn the fridge on while we are stop. I did this for a 14hours trip and the ice cream was hard

Thor


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## burleson (Jun 14, 2007)

I guess I had never thought of leaving the fridge running with the gas on while towing. I figured it wouldn't be good to have the gas on while travelling (don't exactly know why I thought that). I also figured that the 65MPH winds would blow out the flame.
Goes to show what you can learn on the forum.


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## Acadia Hiker (May 29, 2007)

burleson said:


> Goes to show what you can learn on the forum.


And *that* is why forums like this are of so much value. My wife thinks I'm nuts to 'talk' to people I don't even know. But in all honesty, in the short period of time I have been coming here, I feel like I'm getting to know many of you. You folks are awesome!







I hope to meet up with some of you down the road just so I can thank you in person.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Acadia Hiker said:


> Goes to show what you can learn on the forum.


And *that* is why forums like this are of so much value. My wife thinks I'm nuts to 'talk' to people I don't even know. But in all honesty, in the short period of time I have been coming here, I feel like I'm getting to know many of you. You folks are awesome!







I hope to meet up with some of you down the road just so I can thank you in person.
[/quote]

Exact reason I joined this GREAT site a while back....knowledge is power and this place is a POWER HOUSE!!


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

Let me just put my work hat on here.....









OK, I do tow with the fridge on, and the propane on. I do have the DW jump in the back and turn off the fridge while I'm fueling, if there are gasoline pumps near the diesel pump. The explosive limits of gasoline are 1.3-6%, so it wouldn't take much of a gathering of fumes to cause a problem, on the other hand the vapor density is about 3 times that of air, so those fumes, like propane will be low, but I figure...I take enough educated risks at work, I don't need to take them at play.

Just my two cents. Work hat off now.









Tim

P.S...some tunnels and bridges, that may allow the cylinders will require them to be off. On the east coast, it is the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel, and the Norfolk tunnels. I wasn't checked going through the Bay/Bridge Tunnel, but on the return trip through the Hampton Roads Tunnel, there is an inspection point that all RV's are required to stop at before entering....just some more food for thought.

Tim


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## Thor (Apr 7, 2004)

The main reason I tow with propane off is incase of an accident. My fear is that I gas line may break and ....

Also while travelling rocks, debris bounce along the road may damage to break a gas line. I know tha chances of this happening are very small...but anything I can do to reduce my stress level while towing is a good thing.

Thor


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## ROO-ING (Jun 24, 2006)

We turn on the frid the day before we are intending to leave and load cold items in the Frid. I also found that I use ice packs.. You know the cheap ones that they sell in the store. There is a pocket on freezer door that fits one perfectly. If I am really worry about something staying cold I move it into the freezer for transport and move it back into the frig upon arrival. Never had a issue with stuff not staying cold.

Roo 
aka Donna


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

Another thing to note. When you unplug the 110 line and the fridge switches over, check a few minutes later to make sure it has. If you did not purge the kine enuf or it just fals to catch the propane, the light on the fridge will blink which means it did not change over. After it switches over and there is no light blinking, it will be fine for the trip.

John


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## rms0726ea (Aug 9, 2006)

Hey everyone,

Sorry to hijack the thread but, when the propane is on (running the fridge) is the fridge ignitor supposed to constantly spark? I always here the ignitor ticking every 5-10 seconds when the fridge is running off of the propane.









Is this normal?

I usually leave the fridge on while travelling. Just took a trip from Lawton, Oklahoma to West Whitlock, South Dakota and back, No problems, but now I wonder if I should leave it on or not?


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## bentpixel (Sep 2, 2006)

Once lit the pilot should stay lit. Does the check light come on. If so there might be some air in the line. Can happen when changing tanks. I run the stove burners til I get an even flame. It still might take 2 or 3 starts to purge the line to the fridge. After that it starts first time for the rest of the trip.

Hope this helps.

Scott


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

White Buffalo said:


> Sorry to hijack the thread but, when the propane is on (running the fridge) is the fridge ignitor supposed to constantly spark? I always here the ignitor ticking every 5-10 seconds when the fridge is running off of the propane.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Normal yes but as mentioned always check to make sure the check light does not come on. If it does not then all is well.


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## rms0726ea (Aug 9, 2006)

Thanks Scott & CamperAndy,

The check light does not come on and the refigerator works fine. Just never noticed to constant tick coming from the outside fridge vent cover while running the fridge off of propane. When I pulled the vent cover off and removed the small metal shield over the gas line I noticed that the ignitor/starter would spark every 5-10 seconds or so. Just wanted to make sure this was nornal. I assume it does that so the flame can not blow out while traveling.


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## tomlholmes (Jul 3, 2007)

SconnieJonny said:


> Have a Dometic fridge in our 23rs -- I know runs on AC & gas and switches between the two automatically, but what about while towing?
> 
> If left on AUTO, will the Dometic power off the TV's 12-volt current?
> 
> ...


We leave our's on during towing. No Problem. I put most of the smaller items in the slide out drawers in the bottom of the fridge, and in the shelves in the door. Everything stays put pretty well. Ice stays frozen. We love that feature in the Outback!


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## happycamper (Jul 26, 2005)

[/quote]

And *that* is why forums like this are of so much value. My wife thinks I'm nuts to 'talk' to people I don't even know. But in all honesty, in the short period of time I have been coming here, I feel like I'm getting to know many of you. You folks are awesome!







I hope to meet up with some of you down the road just so I can thank you in person.
[/quote]

The only thing crazier than talking to all of us is camping with any or all of us! Do it once make sure you take the wife I garuntee she will come home with a whole new point of view and probably a screen name of her own too!!!!

On the topic I(the DW) like to keep the fridge on propane all the time. I may be nuts but it seems it stays colder . Has anyone else noticed this? We are about 50/50 on towing with it on. We do not have a real level site for the fridge to lite. If we are going on a short journey we chill it on electric pack it full and turn it on when we get there . Longer trips we'll pull level and lite up the propane.


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## Lady Di (Oct 28, 2005)

We turn ours off. Did that on the wohole trip to Yellowstone and other points. The ice still stayed frozen. Why use the propane when we can use the electric at the CG?


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## srlaws (Mar 14, 2005)

In the 2 Â½ years we have had our Outback weâ€™ve yet to turn the refrigerator off, except for one occasion during a power outage when it failed to switch over to propane. We keep it stocked all year round and leave it on when towing. I might consider cutting it off while refueling the tv if it were gas, but when towing the camper we only stop at truck stops to refuel at the diesel pumps.

Steve


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## BoaterDan (Jul 1, 2005)

Lady Di said:


> We turn ours off. Did that on the wohole trip to Yellowstone and other points. The ice still stayed frozen. Why use the propane when we can use the electric at the CG?


To each his own, but we're talking about 25 cents worth of propane, and not having to worry about turning it off and on is worth WAY more than that to me when I'm on vacation.

I used to be anal about using my hotplate and no gas stove when camping with electric hookups, but I also gave that up realizing I was fretting over 50 cents worth of propane on a $80 weekend.


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## OutbackPM (Sep 14, 2005)

White Buffalo said:


> Thanks Scott & CamperAndy,
> 
> When I pulled the vent cover off and removed the small metal shield over the gas line I noticed that the ignitor/starter would spark every 5-10 seconds or so. Just wanted to make sure this was nornal.


 Once the fridge lites off there should be no more ticking of the liter. If it ticks and is lit then that is not normal. I am not sure why that would be. Usually the thermocouple will turn the gas off if there is no heat but if there is heat then there is no need to spark so maybe there's something with the contol board.

Double check that the pilot lite is on and then see if it tries to lite again even with a flame. On mine I hear it spark but goes off after the second or third spark if I have made sure the line is full of gas first. If I don't do this it will try a series of 5 times or so then give up so you have to turn it off and on again to start over. As mentioned if you run the stove burners for a short time that seems to fill the lines sufficiently.

Good luck


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## rms0726ea (Aug 9, 2006)

OutbackPM said:


> Thanks Scott & CamperAndy,
> 
> When I pulled the vent cover off and removed the small metal shield over the gas line I noticed that the ignitor/starter would spark every 5-10 seconds or so. Just wanted to make sure this was nornal.


 Once the fridge lites off there should be no more ticking of the liter. If it ticks and is lit then that is not normal. I am not sure why that would be. Usually the thermocouple will turn the gas off if there is no heat but if there is heat then there is no need to spark so maybe there's something with the contol board.

Double check that the pilot lite is on and then see if it tries to lite again even with a flame. On mine I hear it spark but goes off after the second or third spark if I have made sure the line is full of gas first. If I don't do this it will try a series of 5 times or so then give up so you have to turn it off and on again to start over. As mentioned if you run the stove burners for a short time that seems to fill the lines sufficiently.

Good luck
[/quote]

Thanks for all the info & help everyone. My refigeratore problem (spark ingnitor not turning off) was do to the red wire leading to the ignitor being loose. Finally after hours of troubleshooting and everything checking out OK at the dealer it was a loose wire.  At least the problem is solved.

Thanks for the tips!


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## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

Hi White Buffalo,

Glad to hear that it was just a pesky wire


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## tomlholmes (Jul 3, 2007)

Glad to hear you finally got the problem figured out! And Thanks for sharing with us all. I know I have learned something from your post, and I am sure others have too. And that is what I love about this forum. Thanks again!

Happy Trails,

*HEIDI*


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## dominer (May 20, 2007)

I disconnetd the power to mine just before leaving out and I could never get the fridge to fire on propane!! Tried several times to get it to run... check light kept coming back on.... ran propane thru stove, air was out.... lit it and let it burn. Still could never get the pilot to light on the fridge... any suggestions?


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## rms0726ea (Aug 9, 2006)

Me too, drove me crazy for most of the summer!


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## BoaterDan (Jul 1, 2005)

dominer said:


> I disconnetd the power to mine just before leaving out and I could never get the fridge to fire on propane!! Tried several times to get it to run... check light kept coming back on.... ran propane thru stove, air was out.... lit it and let it burn. Still could never get the pilot to light on the fridge... any suggestions?


Last week I had the whole system off to refill one of the tanks. When I put it back on I ran the stove like you to make sure I had gas in the line. I then turned on the fridge and noticed that it didn't seem to ignite. I was in a hurry so I left anyway since this has always worked in the past. I came back that night to a warm fridge and the Check light on.

I turned it off and back on and then checked to verify the burner lit.

So, apparently in this case that little bit of extra line between the stove and the fridge was just enough to keep it from trying long enough to get a light.


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## dominer (May 20, 2007)

I did notice that im not hearing all the "ticking" of the ignitor that everyone is talking about....... Mine clicks once, then I hear a high pitch wine sort of out of it for 15-20 seconds or so, then a click again, but no pilot lit..... bad ignitor?


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