Well folks here is another rookie question. I've got my generator running so I can turn on the fridge using AC. I don't have propane at the moment. So how long does it take for this beast to cool. Thanks you in advance. By the way the freezer is cooling down nicely. Ambient temp is 70 degrees outside.
I used to leave it on overnite for it to cool down before a trip
JohnH
Thanks John. Diesel at 4.19 a gallon on the genny. :D
I would suggest plugging it in for 120v.
Johnh
Propane would be faster than ac and cheaper than running the generator.
John,
I've got 120 from the garage but on a 50ft extension. Would it be enough by the time it get to the frig?
Tom,
I'm going to pick up propane on this trip.Thanks
120 through the extension cord will be fine if most every other 120 volt device is off.
On my rig, I would throttle the charger way down and have everything else off. Don't forget the water heater and heat pump thermostats, aqua hot too if you have it.
I can throttle back the charger on mine because I swapped out the control panel, but having the batteries already charged and most 12v loads off will also work.
I would also use my kill-a-watt meter to monitor the voltage.
Mine will usually take 24 hours to cool the fridge side down. As others have said turn off all 120V loads and plug in the ext cord. The fridge doesn't draw much.
Oh and don't forget to open the propane tank valve very slowly or you can damage the regulator.
To get to 40 degrees in my refrigerator takes 24 to 36 hours. I also put in two small refer fans I picked up at camping world which run on batteries and then I have fans on the coils inside hooked to the light. Dan
Greg;
You should also have a stay-a-while connector on the propane tank. If you turn off the propane valve to the main tank you can hook up any propane tank to the stay-a-while with the proper hose. This is what we do when boon docking. The easy way so you do not have to break camp to refill the propane.
Jason
Jason,
I thought that was for a grill? Good to know, thanks ^.^d
John;
It can also be used for that by letting the valve open. I have used the stay-a-while valve to operate our grill and it works well.
Jason
Get a little fridge thermometer. When it gets below 40° you are good to go. I allow 2 days before we leave at 4 and try to load most of the fridge and freezer then night before we leave. The doors are open for a while during loading and this allows an overnight on AC for the temps to stabilize before we leave. Temp setting at 3 on the road seems fine unless it is really hot out. Make sure your 50ft cord is rated for 20 amps. That way voltage drop won't be an issue.
Don't forget to shut the refrigerator off when fueling and back on when done. There is a drip collector under the fins in ours that will freeze up after a few days and then drips drip on the next shelf down. Empty any ice every few days as needed.
Roger
Love this thing.
Amazon.com: ACU_RITE Refrigerator/Freezer Wireless Digital Thermometer 00986: (http://www.amazon.com/ACU_RITE-Refrigerator-Wireless-Thermometer-00986/dp/B004QJVU78/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406141429&sr=8-1&keywords=acu-rite+fridge+thermometer)
Lets you know exactly when your fins need to be defrosted as the temp in your fridge will start to rise.
You just cost me thirty dollars
I have three of these and use two in the motorhome for the refrigerator and the also for the unit in the storage bay. Have one at home on my refrigerator and freezer. Be careful if you think the temps are too high or too low install new batteries and push a paper clip into the reset hole. After a while they need to be reset. They are great but if they seem off then double ck. DAN
We keep some small jugs of frozen water (like quart milk jugs) in the freezer at home. When it's time to turn on the rv fridge, put a couple in the freezer and a couple in the fridge part. Speeds up the cool down time by a bunch.
If the fridge air is 75 or 80 it will cool down to 35 or so in 3 or 4 hours !.......~JL~
"I allow 2 days before we leave at 4 and try to load most of the fridge and freezer then night before we leave. The doors are open for a while during loading and this allows an overnight on AC for the temps to stabilize before we leave. "
This is pretty much my procedure ( but I don't leave at anything like 4AM!!! ) and I like to have a fridge thermometer in place all the time. We have extra fans to pull the hot air up towards the roof from behind the fridge, and they help.
Oh Carol, we never leave at 4. I meant to say we leave the refrig at 4 while initially cooling it down and then go to 3. I have a small fan in the fridge and should add one in the vent. Susan is talking Samsung. It looks inviting.
Roger
You'll thank me later for money well spent.
The lithium ion batteries I put in my sensors are approaching one year of continuous use so I would personally use those.
Spot on Johnnie..
Hi Bob,
I have purchased two of  these thermostat systems from Amazon for my refrigerator/freezers. They work quite well - alone. But I found that if you try to use two systems in the same vicinity they will cross communicate. The manufacturer has confirmed that they all work on the same/single pair of frequencies. And battery life is only about 2-3 months unit so you might check them frequently.
I recently replaced my cooling unit in my RM7832 side by side refrigerator. I read this thread back in July but had not timed how long it took too cool down. I recently used the RV and I turned the unit on at 10 am and by 2pm a water bottle had frozen to a slush. Of course I have an ice maker that cools the freezer to 0F. The refrigerator side was starting to cool but took several more hours. A trick I use is to put bottles in the freezer and then move them to the refrigerator to speed the cool down.
Thank you everyone for your replies. I found that it took about 12 hours for it to cool all the way down. The freezer did cool a lot faster. This forum is fantastic!
I know this thread is 7 years old but I just had the same question about cool down time and found this information very helpful.
Wait! Is this a standard thing on U320's. And which valve is it in this photo?
The plug at the top is for high pressure propane if I need to run my generator.
The valve at the bottom is low pressure propane, taken from a 40# DOT cylinder through a BBQ regulator and hose.
See my pretty new POL fill valve and brand new vapor valve?
Art,
Your generator must be SAD. No way for it to play!
Actually the top valve is for vapor withdrawal and the lower valve is for liquid withdrawal.
Correct, BUT many of us with propane generators converted from liquid LP to high pressure vapor-- hence the tap on the vapor line above the house regulator. In the photo, currently no hose connected to the generator from either port. No more clogged on-generator regulators. I converted mine 15 years ago after discussions and in person visits with an engineer at Marshall Gas-- then in San Marcos, TX.
One of the things that gave us some concern was the single source of fuel for the generator. Now I'd rather handle low pressure propane after the regulator, but if necessary I can use a high pressure hose to connect my 40# tank to the system at the high pressure pipe plug and fuel the generator with vapor through the existing plumbing.
The confusion over the supply to the generator comes from the high pressure vapor coming out the back of that high pressure quad fitting, looping over the tank and down to the dedicated regulator to the generator.
See my pretty new POL fill valve and brand new vapor valve?
Had the same problem with my fridge, which really irked me as it is a brand new fridge. Discovered that the more level the coach the quicker the fridge will get cold.
Our Dometic refrig would take 24-48 hrs to get almost cold enough to put food into when we were getting ready to leave and then struggle to keep food cold enough for us. We had both internal and external fans and a fire suppression system. It was another reason we switched to a residential refrigerator with no regrets.
Our Samsung refrigerator goes from a warm start to 38° in the refrigerator section and -2° in the freezer section in about 4 hrs.
Yeah ... when getting ready to leave for a trip, we would bring the coach to the house and plug it in to power. I would put one ice trays in the freezer, and it would take at least overnight for them to freeze. then I would monitor the fridge for the appropriate temps so I could transfer food. We also went to a residential fridge with NO regrets and much celebration ... and ICECREAM!!!
I run an extension cord directly to the fridge the day before we leave, set on #3 of 5 and the freezer is ready by sundown. I'll have a couple of frozen water bottles from the house and put them in the fridge to help the cooling.
I have no idea how old the fridge is, it's a 3 way that I believe was replaced prior to our ownership (10yrs)
The Dometic that was in my rig when I got it was cold in less than 12 hours and
I gave it to my son for a off grid cabin and put in a residential fridge so now I don't
need to worry whether the rig is level.
Dometic RM 1282 cooling issues (https://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=42673.msg427906#msg427906)
So IMO they will work BUT, i live in more of a extreme environment than most. Our new Amish cooling unit was 1700$ as i recall. It does keep food below 40 degrees and freezer in the 0-10 degree range when it hot out. 100+ is common for us. We also have a Serviceable Freon chiller for the freezer that works to minus 27 regularly when we choose to run it. 110ac. During our last trip i shut all the aux fans off once we were below 80 degrees outside. I did start fridge at a inside temperature of 100 and it took two days to cool off. It worked well for us during our trip and we brought fish and ice cream home with us. So i still haven't figured out acceptable out of level operating conditions. I did install a ARPFridge defend can genuinely see how they could be operated out of level on long climbs and descents but have yet to see any faults. I did actively turn it off for my daughters steep climb driveway. I'm sure we will eventually swap to a conventional fridge but like being able to us the gas till i have enough solar and batteries to operate. So it works for us BUT I still find myself checking it all the time. Also i use a external thermometer to check it without opening the doors. Currently operating with the thermistor at the warmer lower range and external setting at 3 from the last trip. I guess I'm getting more comfortable with it but still would prefer a Freon fridge better i think
Scott
Scott, as I recall level of the Dometics is +/-3°. For a 36' coach that is about 11" between the front and rear axle. You can adjust 7-8" with air bags.
Domestic says... "Thank you for contacting Dometic. The refrigerator should not be more than 3 degrees unlevel left to right, or 6 degrees unlevel front to back. We do not recommend having the unit unlevel for more than 1-2 hours as this can increase the chances of a blockage. However, we do recommend if you can, have the unit level at all times."
Older refrigerators had tighter specs.
Living in the real world, and using not only "RV Style" refrigerators but also a Igloo propane fueled portable cooler since 1973:
If the floor is level enough to walk on comfortably, the fridge is level enough to work.
Dometic, Norcold and the Amish make ammonia absorption refrigerators and the world hasn't caught fire.
All of the people using ammonia absoption refrigerators have not filled hospital emergency rooms with cases of food poisoning.
I keep milk, eggs, cheese, vegetables and meat without abnormal spoilage and once again, the one thing we don't present ourselves with to medical professionals is food poisoning. Mayonaisse reaches its expiration date and more.
And again, more level is better, but if the floor is level enough to be comfortable for you, the fridge will be happy.