Tenn Stud
Northeast, TN
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I just read on another thread about leaving the refrigator ON while parked several months at home. Which is best ON or OFF. I have had to replace 3 ref's in 40 some years of camping but, I never leave them on. I leave Off with the doors open while parked. What do you do.
I have a friend who taught EE and refrigation with a 93 Land Yacht and the Refrig. Has been ON since new, Which is almost 16 years. How many leave then ON ??????
Roger
* This post was
edited 09/27/08 05:27pm by Tenn Stud *
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Golden_HVAC
Fulltime, CA, USA
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With the refrigerator on, it will burn about 300 watts per hour it is running, or about 30 - 100 hours per week, depending on the outside air temperature. That can add $25 a month to your electric bill.
I leave my refrigerator off when I was not using the RV but have had it on for the past 4 years that I have been living in it. I know another full time Rv'er and he had a refrigerator go bad even though he left is on since his RV was new. It had an ammonia leak. This can happen anytime, not because anything the consumer did to the refrigerator.
So I say save the energy, and leave it off until about 3 days before leaving on a trip. You will have two days to cool off the refrigerator, and another night before you leave to load it up with cold food for the trip.
Fred.
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352
Oxfofd, Fl
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ON.
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jojolou
S. E. Michigan
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Off!
Lou
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gnm
Florida
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campercajun
Central Texas Hill Country
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We leave ours off until a couple of days before we plan to leave on an outing. We use our TT about twice a month from April to October, and about once a month during the other months, except December and January, which depends on the weather conditions, so it doesn't sit for long periods of time without being used.
I see no reason to waste electricity to run the refrigerator when we're not using it, and it has nothing in it. We have a 2nd refrigerator in our utility room, so we don't need the RV fridge for overflow from the kitchen fridge.
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ploiselle
South Shore, MA
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Forum etiquette.
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Jim@HiTek
Gresham, OR, USA
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There is no right or wrong about what to do, and that's because there are other factors that affect the process and change the life of an absorption refer.
Let's say you live in the desert. If you turn off your refer for six months per year, you'll probably get 16 years of life too. But if you live near a coast, or inland with lots of rain, or in a foggy area, or an area with lots of morning dew, you could get 7 years of life.
The reasoning is that turning off the refer allows moisture to accumulate on the outside of the tubing. If it isn't burned off quickly, by warm dry air, then many tiny rust points can develop. Over time, usually years, these rust points grow, eventually causing a leak and a bad refer.
On the other hand, if the refer is left running all the time, the tubing stays warm, which drives off moisture and helps prevent rust from forming to begin with. Giving extra life. If you choose to let it run, the current draw on electric or propane used is low, so the cost is low, and you always have a cold refer to begin a trip with.
After reading what I could find and speaking with RV refrigeration tech types, the conclusion seems to be leaving the refer on full time gives the longest life.
 Jim@HiTek
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John M
Grayslake, Illlinois
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On.
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wolfe10
Texas
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Our Dometic has been on for 14 years except for defrosting-- runs perfectly.
Remember, most refrigerators die from the cooling unit rusting out. Running reduces the likelihood of rusting.
The other thing that puts absorbtion refrigerators out of commission is rust in the burner tube and insects setting up housekeeping. Both are materially reduced with the refrigerator running-- metal stay above the dew point and too hot for insects.
Brett Wolfe
1993 Foretravel 36' U-240
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