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Old 05-21-2018, 12:03 PM   #1
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Dry Ice

Has anyone used dry ice to cool down their refrigerator before a trip?


We are getting ready for a 2 week trip and cannot hookup the trailer before the trip to cool down the refrigerator so we are considering putting dry ice into the fridge and freezer to start cooling it down before we get to the first campground where we will have power.


Our concern is build-up of carbon monoxide within the refrigerator.


Any suggestions/recommendations?
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Old 05-21-2018, 01:04 PM   #2
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What I used to do was let the refrigerator run on gas until we were ready to head out. It takes very little LP to operate it.
If you must use dry ice it's very very cold and can freeze any plastics its placed upon so be careful there.
As far as the gas it gives off it's not carbon monoxide its carbon dioxide. Monoxide is from combustion and dioxide is a harmless gas unless there is no oxygen in it. It is what we exhale from a breath. Also if you put your food in the refrigerator with the dry ice you probably will find everything hard frozen within hours. Just run the refrigerator on gas starting a day early.
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Old 05-21-2018, 01:39 PM   #3
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I agree with Tanman concerning the damage dry ice could cause to your freezer. I would probably take a cooler instead. You can also run the fridge on propane but there are concerns about that too.
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Old 05-21-2018, 01:42 PM   #4
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I guess I should have done some more research as I found on several forums that it is NOT a good idea to use dry ice to cool down the fridge/freezer as it can damage the thermostats and plastics.


I like the idea of running the fridge on propane but the problem with that is that I store the TT in a storage lot and don't want to leave it running on propane while I am not there.


I guess I will just put frozen milk jugs into the refrigerator and hope for the best.
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Old 05-21-2018, 01:54 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mjcarte View Post
I guess I should have done some more research as I found on several forums that it is NOT a good idea to use dry ice to cool down the fridge/freezer as it can damage the thermostats and plastics.


I like the idea of running the fridge on propane but the problem with that is that I store the TT in a storage lot and don't want to leave it running on propane while I am not there.


I guess I will just put frozen milk jugs into the refrigerator and hope for the best.
I put a bunch of frozen containers in the fridge and freezer when we left North Carolina driving to South Georgia. just let it be known that EVERYTHING gets thrown around when you are driving (and I mean THROWN). Did it keep things cold, no cool, yes.
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Old 05-21-2018, 01:55 PM   #6
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Hmm. Never thought about it, but I've done it a couple times without any problems. Lucky I guess. I suppose you could throw a couple of frozen milk jugs in to help, but Tanman is right. Fire up the propane a day or two ahead. Probably cost less to refill the propane than the cost of dry ice.
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Old 05-21-2018, 07:46 PM   #7
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We cool ours with the propane overnight while the trailer sits out front to be loaded. Overnight in outside storage should be OK.
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Old 05-22-2018, 12:30 AM   #8
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You could use dry ice I suppose, if you have easy access to it, or lots of money.

If you want to use dry ice wrap it in several layers of newspaper to insulate it from the plastics. If you don't have the ability to use LP or electric to precool, just put some frozen jugs of water in along with a few blue ice blocks and it will cool down pretty well, that will help speed the cooling process when you do get plugged up.

Ours stays plugged up 24/7 at home, power goes out the LP kicks in and keeps it cold anyway. We quite often use the RV fridge as an overflow.

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Old 05-22-2018, 03:52 AM   #9
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Dry Ice

LP the night before with an empty fridge should cool it down fine and use very little propane as others have suggested.

I don’t know why you are concerned about using propane while you are not there. Same risk of venturing out during the day when you are out dry camping. If the flame goes out the system is designed to shut down and then the light flashes to let you know.

We also use one of those fans in the bottom of the fridge to help the air circulation. Not sure if it really helps but we do it anyway.

We do this almost every time we go camping. We used to plug in the night before but realized that was overkill and just turn on the LP.


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Old 05-22-2018, 04:56 AM   #10
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We're plugged into 30 amp at home. We turn on the fridge a day or two prior to a trip. No need for dry ice other than it's fun to play with.
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Old 05-22-2018, 09:15 AM   #11
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Thanks ALL!
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Old 05-22-2018, 03:18 PM   #12
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I typically turn mine on gas. leave it on while towing never had it shut down, haven't had any issues. My father's been doing that for the last 45 years of his camping experiences with no issues either.
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Old 05-31-2018, 03:09 AM   #13
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dry ice / propane

Interesting to hear so many people run the fridge on propane when they are not there or going down the road. I've wanted to do this but been afraid to, not sure why. Maybe I've heard too many stories about propane explosions.
Anyway we had our home refrigerator die recently. Took a couple days to decide exactly what to do, and we were about to go out for a 5-day camping trip so we couldn't take delivery until we got back. Dry ice in the dead fridge saved a lot of food! We did wrap it in newspaper. Cost less than $2/lb, bought 25 lbs first time, 10 lbs second time, about 10 days total. Saved more than $70 in food I'm sure. For camping fridge I'd get less than 5 lbs.
I would think it's a viable option.
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Old 05-31-2018, 05:21 AM   #14
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I use dry ice and I recommend it but not to use inside the rig's fridge. I have an igloo. I put some butcher's paper on the bottom first to protect the plastic. Then put the ice on top of the paper. I put in any foods that must remain frozen until it is used on top of the ice. Then I put a sheet of butcher's paper on that. I fill the remaining area with food that has to be kept chilled but not necessarily frozen.
In the meantime, turning the fridge on via propane is spot on but not necessary until you
are heading out on the road. Bringing the igloo is good too. When we shop it usually turns out to be an adventure and the igloo goes with us in case we need extra time between the store and the rig.
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