Refrigerator

[rlyons]

Is it better for the refrigerator to stay on when the trailer is stored between trips or should it be shut down?

[sundancer 87]

I'd shut it down between trips. They don't last that long so not much use having it heating and boiling chemicals leading to an early demise.

[rlyons]

That's kind of what I was thinking.

[wahoonc]

I have heard both sides of the argument. Some people feel it is better to leave it running all the time to avoid the wear and tear on a full off/on thermal cycle. Others feel it is better to shut it down between trips. FWIW I leave mine on, we have power at home and the RV stays plugged up between trips. It also acts as an overflow fridge. In a weather emergency aka hurricane or ice storm, we use it for automatic backup, power goes out and it switches to LP automatically. We will transfer things ahead of the storm that we plan to need, that way the house units can stay closed.

Aaron

[chily3]

Shut it down and prop open the both doors see image. Keep out the mold etc. I use a small bungee cord to hold the door against it. so it stays in place but ajar.

[dsol]

Originally Posted by chily3

Shut it down and prop open the both doors see image. Keep out the mold etc. I use a small bungee cord to hold the door against it. so it stays in place but ajar.

+1 on that. Aaron keeps his running as a backup. Mine stays on a storage lot. If I need the fridge in an emergency I can get it fired up and cooled down overnight which is probably less time than I need if I keep my home fridge closed if there is an extended outage.

[chily3]

Originally Posted by dsol

+1 on that. Aaron keeps his running as a backup. Mine stays on a storage lot. If I need the fridge in an emergency I can get it fired up and cooled down overnight which is probably less time than I need if I keep my home fridge closed if there is an extended outage.

I keep my small generator, 2500, at home in the garage just in case we have a power outage to use for the refrigerator etc.

[acdii]

I park mine at my house and on shore power, so I keep it running all summer. The electric part uses heating coils and they can rust if not used. We had one a couple decades ago that was rarely used on electric and eventually they rusted out. It doesn't hurt to have it running, it is designed to run, not sit. It is a sealed unit, and the process is simple. It also works great for keeping beer cold all summer long. My new one is 12v, so when power goes out, once the battery is low, no cooling, so can't really use it as a backup.

[Snowman53]

We have our Aerolite parked at home on a dedicated 30 amp circuit near our shop building. I keep the refrigerator running almost all summer for the reasons stated. It is designed to be operated, is a sealed unit, and running it keeps the heating system dry. We have also used it as a backup when my wife is harvesting greens for donation to the local food shelves. It is the 8 cu. ft. unit, so there is quite a bit of space in it (holds a lot more kale than we could eat...). I will suggest that regardless of how you run your refrigerator, it is essential that the unit be level when it is running. An $1,800 bill for a new refrigerator in our old Surveyor taught me that lesson.