Essential Guide to Motorhome Refrigerators: Key Facts and Insights
When embarking on a touring adventure, ensuring your motorhome fridge is properly prepared and maintained is essential for keeping your perishables fresh and safe. Here are some tips to help you get the most out of your motorhome fridge.
Leveling Your Motorhome
First, leveling your motorhome is crucial, especially for gas-electric absorption fridges. These fridges have cooling coils slanted at a specific angle, and leveling the RV is necessary for proper operation and to avoid damage. Even slight tilting can hurt cooling performance and shorten the fridge’s lifespan. Use leveling blocks, Anderson levelers, or built-in leveling systems to achieve a stable, level position before running the fridge.
Power Source Considerations
Many motorhome fridges are three-way absorption types that operate on 12V DC power, 120V AC shore power, or propane gas. Gas fridges can take 6 to 24 hours to fully cool down and benefit from being turned on well before loading perishables. If starting on propane, ensure the propane lines are purged of air (which can be done by briefly lighting other propane burners on the stove). 12V fridges cool faster, typically within 2–3 hours.
Efficient Storage Practices
For efficient storage inside the fridge, avoid overloading and allow sufficient airflow since RV fridges lack internal fans to circulate cold air evenly. Do not put warm leftovers directly inside; let them cool first to prevent temperature spikes. Use a food thermometer to check if the fridge has reached the correct internal temperature before loading. Adjust the temperature sensor or thermostat as needed (often done by moving a small plastic thermistor clip inside the fridge) to maintain your desired coldness.
Additional Tips
- Protect your electrical system with a 30A surge protector when plugging into shore power to safeguard against voltage spikes.
- Remember to roll up and secure external awnings in windy conditions to prevent damage.
- If you have water or waste tanks, keep some water in them before switching on 12V tank heaters to avoid damage.
Key Takeaways
- Level the motorhome fully before operating the fridge, especially gas-based ones, to prevent damage and ensure cooling.
- Start the fridge several hours (up to 24 for propane fridges) before loading food.
- Use the proper power source available—12V DC, 120V AC, or propane—and follow start-up procedures like purging air for propane.
- Organize and load the fridge to allow airflow and avoid warm items inside.
- Adjust temperature settings via the thermistor or thermostat if cooling is insufficient.
- Use enhanced electrical protection for shore power connections.
By following these steps, you'll be well on your way to maintaining your motorhome fridge efficiently during touring.
Additional Information
- Motorhome fridges commonly operate on absorption technology, which provides reliable cooling and has no moving parts.
- Certain grains, such as quinoa or lentils, store well if kept in the freezer compartment of a motorhome fridge.
- The freezer box in a motorhome fridge freezes most efficiently when it's full.
- The bottom shelves in a motorhome fridge are the coldest, while the top shelves maintain the most stable temperature.
- Leaving the door of a motorhome fridge slightly open when not in use allows airflow and is recommended by most models.
- To ensure proper operation and prevent damage, level your motorhome, especially for gas-electric absorption fridges.
- Start the motorhome fridge several hours before loading food, with up to 24 hours for propane fridges.
- Use the available power sources correctly – 12V DC, 120V AC, or propane – following start-up procedures like purging air for propane.
- Organize and load the fridge efficiently to allow airflow and avoid warm items inside, employing methods like letting warm leftovers cool first.
- Adjust temperature settings via the thermistor or thermostat if cooling is insufficient, maintaining your desired coldness.
- Protect your electrical system with a surge protector for shore power connections, ensuring enhanced protection against voltage spikes.
