refrigerators in winter - Montana Owners Club

jpkelpe · 12-27-2007, 09:30 AM

We will be leaving here the end of January and I assume it will be cold--we are in Nebraska. What do you do with things you want in the refrigerator but will freeze because it is less than 30 degrees in the refrigerator just from being cold outside. I was in the 5er the other day and the thermometer in the refrigerator said 23 degrees. How long does it take for the inside to get warmer? Obviously the freeser part is no problem. This is our first time to leave in the winter--are there any other words of wisdom anyone has for this event

mtpocket2 · 12-27-2007, 10:15 AM

You have to be careful the other way also. After a couple of cold nights I guess the refrig got very cold inside. When it warmed up outside the food in the freezer started to defrost. I am assuming this was because the refrig was so cold it was not turning on which let the freezer start to thaw. When we turned the heat on in the trailer the freezer started freezing again. At least I am hoping thats the way it works and not a broken frig.

skypilot · 12-27-2007, 10:36 AM

mtpocket2: I think you got it right -- you have to have the inside of the trailer warmer -- some of the newer ones with the all electric refers have to be at least 50 degrees inside the trailer for the refer to cool properly.

richfaa · 12-27-2007, 10:39 AM

Hummm..We have never even thought about that. We let the fridge run on propane and go. When we head out for the winter we drive dead south as far as we can the first day of travel 300 miles maybe more to get out of the freeze zone then stop for the night and heat the camper up. By the second day we are out of the freeze zone..Never gave the temp in the fridge a thought and never had a issue...

Mrs. CountryGuy · 12-27-2007, 11:32 AM

Pack things that do NOT freeze first. Bout 24 hours before departure, turn on frig, turn on heat, keep heat at 45 until departure.

We have turned off the heat in rig, during the time we are running, leaving the frig on, and never had a problem with frig. And, we have kept heat at 45, while running, and had no trouble with frig.

Like Rich, we usually run hard for 2 to 2.5 days, to get to warmer climes, where we put in water, etc. etc. etc.

Enjoy your trip.

sreigle · 12-27-2007, 01:05 PM

We've never had a problem with the fridge in temperatures to 5 below when parked and in the twenties when running down the road. We leave the fridge on all the time. If we are towing in hard freeze weather we leave the furnace on its lowest setting. We've never noticed any inordinate amount of propane usage and have done this several times.

OntMont · 12-27-2007, 01:34 PM

I believe that in some models, there is a provision to cause the interior light to stay on with the door closed. This puts just a little heat into the fridge to keep it from freezing inside. Perhaps you could figure out a way to by-pass the door switch to make the light stay on.

sgtpp214 · 12-28-2007, 01:22 AM

We will be heading to the RGV on Saturday.

We don't use refrig until we get to warmer land which has been as many as 3 nights last year and 2 nights the year before. We carry no frozen stuff and we put minimal refrig stuff in a cooler with a couple of quart jars of frozen water. Works great and we don't worry about losing any food.
Depending on which TV channel one watches out of Duluth, MN we are supposed to get 3-8 inches of snow today and that could delay our departure.

Mrs. CountryGuy · 12-28-2007, 02:28 AM

Dave & Carla,

Having just done the snow/ice/good driving weather, we can relate, good luck with that.

We left the Irish Hills a couple of years ago, temps were around 0, did as explained in previous post and had no trouble with anything spoiling in frig, the olive oil, in a cupboard, did turn a funky consistency, but when thawed out, it was fine as well.

Course, your method dicates some fine dining out possibilities, smart plan!

old turbo · 12-28-2007, 04:06 AM

Leaveing MI. Jan 1 or 2 or 3. It depends on how many lies the weather person gives us. I filled the freezer with meat from local meat market. It is colder in the 5vr than the temp outside. This is part of the Arctic package in reverse. Will turn the frig. on when we get past IN. The weather in Missouri looks to be a bit warmer next week. Dave have a safe trip from Wisconsin to the RGV, we will be right behind you.

Dustytuu · 12-28-2007, 04:12 AM

I understand your problem with freezing things. I have med's that have to be in the fridge at all times. We also run the furnace low, in very cold temps until we get out of the freeze zones. Works for us.

Before we had a fridge we could count on; I put my insulin in a plastic bag and in a cooler with a frozen plastic quart milk container to keep it cool.

Also wrap a small towel around it inside the bag. I do this in the fridge too and always keep it in the door on the bottom shelf.

jpkelpe · 12-28-2007, 05:43 AM

Thanks. I knew there was experience with this out there--hopefully we will be able to get out of the cold in the first day. we have meat we will be putting into the freezer so it is good to know to watch that too. Of course it may be 60 degrees here when we leave and colder to the south. I love Nebraska winters. Just wait we will have very nice warm weather here as soon a we leave.

capn chris · 12-28-2007, 08:01 AM

Good info here, folks! We, too, are headed south (FL) mid-Jan. A first for us. Appreciate all of the tips posted from our experienced friends!!!

sreigle · 12-28-2007, 04:33 PM

Drive safely, Jan and Paul. Right now, the roads south of you one state are not very good. My brother works for the highway dept and has been on the road a lot. Our daughter drove today from Kansas City to Manhattan and back and experienced some difficulties, including a 4wd vehicle spinning out in front of her on I-70. She's a very good driver and managed to miss him with her 2wd pickup. She scratched the bumper by scraping the guardrail but otherwise no damage. So, be careful out there.

wersqu · 12-28-2007, 04:43 PM

We have been leaving from Wisconsin to Texas for the past 13+ years and how we have beat the cold is simply not to bring much that will freeze. We plan on eating out the first night and dewinterizing (is that a word?) the trailer the first night out. This puts us in/around West Memphis-Little Rock where temperatures are mild enough to run the fridge. We bring a small ice cooler for a few things inside the truck. The big shopping trip happens once settled in Texas. Not for everyone's needs but it works for us.

Dustytuu · 12-29-2007, 04:54 PM

Paul and Jan, have a safe trip. Be careful in this weather.

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