RV Refrigerators- Residential VS Propane
An RV Refrigerator is a must for anyone thinking of going full time. In this article we are going to discuss the pros and cons of traditional propane RV refrigerators and the residential refrigerators. RVs usually come equipped with refrigerators that can run on both propane and electricity. This makes a lot of sense for a few different reasons. Often, RV owners choose to replace their propane refrigerators with electric-only model but the change definitely comes along with a few cons.
Propane Fridge in Your RV
As mentioned before, this is what you’ll find in most RVs. This is the ideal type of fridge for certain kinds of RV campers. However, there are both pros and cons to this type of appliance.
Pros of a Propane Fridge
The biggest pro of a propane RV fridge is the fact that it is very versatile. Almost all stock RV refrigerators can run on both propane and electricity. This means you can take full advantage of the electric hookups when they’re included in your site fee, but are also able to use your fridge when camping off-grid. This is huge for those who are in their rigs full-time or those who boondock on a regular basis.
Cons of a Propane Fridge
Of course, there are some drawbacks to having a propane refrigerator. Traditional RV refrigerators simply don’t get as cold as household refrigerators. They might have a hard time keeping up in super hot weather, meaning summer camping may be a bit more difficult. They also cannot be filled too full or the cool air can’t circulate resulting in spoiled food. Besides not cooling as well as we might like, propane refrigerators also have more bulk in the back of them. Finally, RV refrigerators are incredibly expensive. This is the biggest reason people turn to electric household-style refrigerators, and honestly, after seeing the cost difference of several hundred dollars, we can’t blame them.
Residential Fridge in Your RV
Considering replacing your traditional propane RV fridge with a residential fridge? While we understand this decision, we also think there are a few things you should take into consideration before diving in.
Pros of a Residential Fridge
There are many pros to putting a residential fridge in your RV. One of these is definitely cost. If your RV refrigerator recently broke down on you, fixing or replacing it with another RV-specific unit can really hurt. Meanwhile, a small residential fridge will fit in the exact same spot and cost a fraction of what you might pay otherwise. Besides being less expensive, a residential refrigerator—even one that fits in the same place as your old RV fridge—will likely provide much more storage space for food. It will also cool that food better, meaning you won’t need to worry about spoiled food as long as you’re hooked up to electricity. All of these things make the residential fridge sound pretty awesome, and it is a great option for campers who will always be hooked up to power.
Cons of a Residential Fridge
The biggest drawback to putting a residential fridge into an RV is exactly what you might imagine, lack of versatility. These refrigerators cannot use propane to run and require too much electricity to be run on battery power for long periods of time. This makes boondocking difficult and even though an electric fridge will hold a chill for longer, it makes longer drives iffy if you have a fridge full of meats and other foods that spoil easily.
Making an All-Electric Refrigerator Work for You
If you’re convinced a residential fridge is the appliance for you but are concerned about being able to do off-grid camping, there is hope for you. With the right setup, you can have your cake and eat it too. You see, while an electric refrigerator uses far too much power to run on stock batteries for long periods of time, equipping your RV with a few gadgets will solve this issue.
Some Change May Be Necessary
First, we recommend replacing your battery with a small lithium battery bank. These charge more quickly, hold a charge longer, and can take more discharge than any other type of RV battery. Couple your new batteries with a “pure sine” inverter in order to use your stored power to run your fridge and you’ll be good to go for a few hours.
The next step is making sure you have a way to recharge your batteries as you go. Solar panels are great for this and by installing a few on your roof, you’ll have power to your fridge as long as there is some sunlight. Sometimes sunlight isn’t available so a generator is another must-have. Equipping your RV with all of these things is expensive and will definitely cost more than simply replacing your broken refrigerator with another propane RV fridge.
No matter what refrigerator you choose, you are sure to be a much happier camper once you can have chilled food while out enjoying life in your RV!