Hi we have a Thetford fridge (174l n3185) in our new Jayco Starcraft and we're off on a big trip soon. We'll be putting a lot of meat in the fridge, but the only problem is, because of the steep angle of the drive, we can't switch the fridge on until we're driving and it's flat. Does anyone have a rough idea of how long it would take for the fridge/freezer to get to the point food is being chilled? Thanks :)
My experience with smaller 3 way fridges, and especially when they are on 12V, is... a few hours.
Consider making some simple wooden ramps to use to level your caravan on the driveway - I'm sure having it level will make all aspects of packing/unpacking much easier.
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Hi Jamie, I also have a very sloping driveway so my frig will not work. My solution is to freeze all the meat, bread etc that we intend to store in the freezer priorto departing. In addition. I usually pop a freezer brick in if any room is left. Jamming the freezer with frozen goods works fine until the frig catches up. We generally travel a minimum three hours before we stop. Cheers,
Hi Jamie, I also have a very sloping driveway so my frig will not work. My solution is to freeze all the meat, bread etc that we intend to store in the freezer priorto departing. In addition. I usually pop a freezer brick in if any room is left. Jamming the freezer with frozen goods works fine until the frig catches up. We generally travel a minimum three hours before we stop. Cheers,
OK cool thanks. What do you do with stuff like milk, yoghurt, cheese, meat and salad in the fridge?
Hi Jamie, I also have a very sloping driveway so my frig will not work. My solution is to freeze all the meat, bread etc that we intend to store in the freezer priorto departing. In addition. I usually pop a freezer brick in if any room is left. Jamming the freezer with frozen goods works fine until the frig catches up. We generally travel a minimum three hours before we stop. Cheers,
Hi Geeko, we use the same method, as well as cooling everything that wont be frozen in our house fridge and transferring it to the MH fridge just prior to departure.
Once we turn the fridge on it's cooling nicely within an hour.
One point to note ours is a 12 volt compressor fridge not a three way, regardless I'd be surprised if you have any problems using the methods suggested.
My 3 way fridge suggests that the fridge needs to be on gas or 240v for several hours before stacking for best results. However it also says if that cannot be done, make sure everything you load in is already at fridge temp. 12v won't actually cool down things. Just keeps stuff at the temp of the stuff loaded in.
Running Fridge on 12v when moving is the only option BUT in my experience it wont bring fridge down to low temperature.
In my experience it only maintains the temperature.
The best option is to park your rig out on level road and put fridge on gas for a few hours ( assuming you dont have a 240v lead long enough.
My van is on level land next door so I am able to put fridge on 240v day before we leave which means we can load up a bit at a time.
Running Fridge on 12v when moving is the only option BUT in my experience it wont bring fridge down to low temperature.
In my experience it only maintains the temperature.
The best option is to park your rig out on level road and put fridge on gas for a few hours ( assuming you dont have a 240v lead long enough.
My van is on level land next door so I am able to put fridge on 240v day before we leave which means we can load up a bit at a time.
