Running frig when closed

I know that when the TM is closed and in tow, that you need to have the fan on while running the frig on DC to dissipate the heat.

I am one of the fortunate ones who is able to leave the power cord out with the TM closed, it clears without a problem.

What I am wondering is, if I decide to plug in to cool down the frig before leaving on a trip, is it OK to run the frig on AC while closed up without having the fan on?

Thanks in advance,

Dave

[Denny_A]

Originally Posted by dbnoll

I know that when the TM is closed and in tow, that you need to have the fan on while running the frig on DC to dissipate the heat.

I am one of the fortunate ones who is able to leave the power cord out with the TM closed, it clears without a problem.

What I am wondering is, if I decide to plug in to cool down the frig before leaving on a trip, is it OK to run the frig on AC while closed up without having the fan on?

Thanks in advance,

Dave

Dave,

The fan needs to be on to remove heat which collects at the top of the reefer compartment. I.e., where the heat transfer radiator grid is located. The fan pulls draws air into a common 3" dryer duct and exhausts it through a vent on the underside of the frame. The opening of the duct is next to the heat exchanger. Another vent next to the exhaust allows outside air to be pulled into the compartment to replace warm air which is being vented by the fan. [You indicated understanding the reason - I'm just revisiting the reasoning for other readers]

If the fan is off, with the trailer closed, the hot air has nowhere to go; resulting in poor reefer performance. I don't recall reading about more than 1 case of fan failure. It's very reliable.

I think it would be self-defeating, and not necessary, to have the fan off with the trailer closed and the either AC or DC powering the reefer.


Denny_A

Originally Posted by dbnoll

What I am wondering is, if I decide to plug in to cool down the frig before leaving on a trip, is it OK to run the frig on AC while closed up without having the fan on?

What I have been doing is setting the fridge to 12 volt and turning on the fridge exhaust fan the weekend before a trip. I load the fridge with canned and bottled drinks. After I park the TM in the garage I disconnect the battery, which kills power to both the fridge and fridge fan. Wednesday evening I reconenct the battery and plug into shore power. Friday evening I disconnect from shore power and hit the road. I don't want to the take the time Friday evening to open the TM up.

We use a Coleman 12 volt fridge to transport perishible food. We can load that Thursday night at home and plug it into shore power. Friday evening I just grab the 12 volt fridge and put it in the back seat of the TV and plug it into the cigarette lighter. Somewhere along the way we get ice for the drinks. When we set up camp we move the (now) very cold drinks to an ice chest and then stock the fridge from the 12 volt traveling fridge. I can't use the 12 volt Coleman in camp unless I have shore power, so it just sits under the TM out of the way.

From the time I arrive home after work on Friday until we hit the road is down to one hour by myself. That is to pull the TM out of the garage and load a few last minute items into the TV (like the Coleman 12 volt fridge and the empty ice chest) . I'd like to get that down to 30 minutes, but that may be too optimistic.

One of these days I will install an external switch so I don't have to disconnect the battery. I tried disconnecting the fuse but the fuse holder is very difficult to open. That is another project on the list.