Electric Fridge to Solar/Propane

[Pebbles]

Im buying my first motorhome!! Its a used one but it has such great bones, outside is great, inside has everything I want, everything out that I want to modify The only issue is with the fridge. Its a electric dorm fridge. I wasnt too thrilled when I saw it because the person before me "customized" the wall around the fridge and now wall parts are hanging all which way but the fridge is a large one and has a great freezer. The wall isnt the problem though, I need to convert the fridge power to run on solar or propane. I would prefer solar and have read up on things, ordered some books on rv solar mounting/installation but Im still afraid that it may not work the way I want. I have a workamper job lined up for May-September so I will have electricity but its the traveling from where I am now (Wisconsin) to the job (New York) and just the in-between in general. My other option is the generator and since the motorhome is a 1977 the generator is too Knock on wood thats in great condition as well. So after all that information, my question is...Do any of you have your fridge running on something else besides electricity separate from your other electric devices? OR should I go on a diet (save money) and get a three way fridge and sell the one thats in the motorhome?

I am a independent and mechanical person but Ive gotten butterflies lately because Im doing all of this life changing things by myself. Having you guys as my support and as a reference is making my dreams easier to live. Thank you!

http://www.myspace.com/the_world_is_out_there

[retiredhappy]

The refrigerators in RVs that go from electric to propane are made especially to do that. I doubt you can "convert" a regular electric one. Many people don't travel with the frig on propane while driving. Make sure everything inside is cold, maybe add some of those thingies you freeze for coolers and don't open the door any more than you have to while not plugged in. Down the road you are probably going to have to get an RV frig. I go 4 to 6 hours with my frig unplugged while driving and things stay cold. As for the generator, does it start and run smoothly? if so, don't worry about it. Make sure the oil is full and the oil filter is new and you're good to go until it quits.

[Acadianmom]

An RV refrigerator is over $1,000 and they would probably charge a lot to install it if they have to fix the wall to install it. I won't go down the road with propane on so I just take a couple of the blue ice things out of the freezer and put in the ice box part. I have a thermometer in both the freezer and the ice box to make sure it stays cold enough. If you don't open the doors they will stay cold.

I don't know a lot about solar but I think you would have to have a lot of battery power and an inverter to run a refrigerator. I don't know how much a refrigerator draws but you might be able to get an inverter that you plug into a cigarette plug. It might draw too much and overload the circuit, I don't know.

Did you check the age of the tires on a motorhome this old. Even if tires look good they can be too old to be safe. Tires have a date they were made stamped on them. You can do a search and learn how to read the code. If you have to replace 6 tires that could be another $1,000. Don't let anyone sell you less than Load Range E tires if this is a Class C.

[OutandAbout]

I would wait to replace the fridge. If it works well now, just keep it. You have just laid out a lot of money for the MH. The food will keep while you are on the road, with additional freezer things the other gals mentioned until you are done traveling for the day. Plug in at the CG and you will be good to go the next day. Your work camping job has electric, so I would just keep it as is. The fridge can always be replaced at a later date, thus saving that expense. Good luck with your new MH and job. Linda

[carold]

We travel with the propane running the refrig. Never really thought about it. Pebbles, where will you be in NY and what type job do you have? Curious minds want to know and would love to see the before and after pics of your new to you MH. carold

[Bethers]

I travel with the propane on also. Have asked my service people and they say that's what rv's running on propane were meant to do. So I do. And I checked all the horror stories on fires, and couldn't find one caused by that. Yes, I turn it off for ferries and tunnels where required. I asked on one of the ferries from AK last year and they said, we EXPECT you to travel with it on - but in the enclosed spaces (and if you store in a garage) then we don't recommend it. On the road the danger would only be worse if you had an accident and were hit in the tank. But that would be a danger if it was off, also, if there was a fire.

Ok, off my soap box about that. But as to what the others said - if you haven't purchased yet, consider what they did in the price and go down 1-2 THOUSAND dollars. That fridge might hold more, but they switched it out to not have to pay the price for the kind that works properly on propane (and yes, on solar, too when connected properly). And if they changed the connections and wall, etc - you might have to figure another thousand to get it back to use an rv fridge.

[Acadianmom]

Not using propane is a personal choice. I grew up in houses with gas or propane. I won't have it in my house. It's even worse than not traveling with the propane on, I won't sleep with it on. In the first three motorhomes I had the furnaces never worked right if at all. I got tired of trying to get them to work. I won't turn the one I have now on because I have never had it checked. I bought the motorhome used. We have insects that love to build nests in there. An electric powered sofa would have to be removed to get to it.

Martha

[BarbaraRose]

I read that you have to turn off the propane when you are putting gas in your rig. Makes sense, but I would worry that I'd forget to do that whenever I stopped for gas. Propane and gas stuff scares me!

[carold]

We never turn off the propane when getting gas. Never heard about that. Do have to turn off the engine and leave the rig when getting the propane tank filled. carold

[Bethers]

Agree with CarolD - but you do need to turn off the propane when you get propane. The propane place will do that for you. And if you are a person who travels with propane off, don't expect the propane place to leave it off. I've happily discovered that as soon as they fill my propane, they turn it right on. I've never had one leave it off (even if I turned it off before they got there to fill it). So if you're of the school/belief to not travel with your propane on - make sure you turn it off again after you get it filled.