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  1. #1
    King Pin
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    Food Safety While on the Road (Refrigerator on or off?)

    I posted this article in a couple of different Facebook groups, and it was well received. Since it's a food safety related topic, so I'm posting it here in the "camp cooking" section:

    Folks, I know the topic of running the refrigerator on propane has been covered quite a bit in this group, and on other forums. There are certainly two schools of thought about which is safer. Some folks believe it is safer to run with the propane shut off and their food will stay cold enough. Others feel it's safer to keep it on so their food is safe.

    Being and engineer, I couldn't leave the topic alone. I had to design and run an experiment to see which would be safer for me. I loaded the refrigerator with pre-chilled water, soda and butter, and the freezer with 10 pounds of ice. I put thermometer probes in the freezer, refrigerator, butter, interior of the FW, and exterior. At 9:00am this morning, I took initial readings, shut off the refrigerator, air conditioning and pulled in the slides just like we were heading down the highway. I took temperature readings every hour from 9am to 5pm.

    The results were quite stunning to me. According to foodsafety.gov, many refrigerated foods must be discarded when they are exposed to temperatures over 40 degrees Fahrenheit for two or more hours. At the bottom of this paragraph, I'm attaching a link which shows the acceptable temperatures, which refrigerated foods should be discarded, and which are safe.

    http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/refridg_food.html

    After running the experiment, I tabulated the data, and prepared a chart which shows the temperature readings over time. The first image is a table of the recorded temperatures. The second image is a graphical representation of the data over time. (The charts are included as photos at the bottom of the article)

    As can be seen from the data, the temperature exceeded 40F just 45 minutes after shutting off the refrigerator. According to the food chart, by 11:45, most of the perishable food should be discarded due to the potential for food-borne illness. After eight hours, the temperature in the refrigerator was 66F, but the bottles of water still felt cool to the touch. I was surprised to see how the temperature of the probe in the butter closely tracked the temperature of the refrigerator.

    Another surprise was that after 6-3/4 hours, the temperature in the freezer also exceeded 40F. At the end of the experiment, I still had ice cubes in the 10 pound bag of ice, but the temperature in the freezer was nearly 45 degrees. If left much longer, food in the freezer would have thawed and been subjected to bacterial growth.

    The data strongly indicates that food safety is a significant concern if the refrigerator is turned off while the vehicle is in motion. In hot climates such as ours in Arizona, your food may be unsafe in less than three hours.

    My conclusion: If you want to keep your food from growing toxic bacteria, you need to keep it refrigerated. Options are running with your propane on, running with a generator on, installing an inverter to provide power, packing the refrigerator with blocks of ice, or moving your perishable food to an ice chest while underway.


    Jim

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  2. #2
    Seasoned Camper CManley's Avatar
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    I saw your post yesterday elsewhere. As you point out the refrigerator off while traveling creates a problem, the ice chest would be the only NOT Running option.

    I have always traveled with the propane on. The concern with the Reflection is the propane feed hose that moves out with the slide and is attached to the plastic support (which some have had break), loose a tire and you could have debris hit the line.
    The mountains are calling and I must go" John Muir

    Chuck
    2015 Reflection 303 RLS
    2005 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD Duramax
    Elk Grove, Ca


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  3. #3
    Site Sponsor JCR GD's Avatar
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    Good info...Thanks. Also good to know the interior of the rig will stay cooler than exterior for 5-6 hrs. in that kind of heat (at least while in travel mode)
    Jim (& Sharon)
    2015 GD Momentum 385TH - SOLD
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  4. #4
    Seasoned Camper
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    great info but I don't have that kind of time so I just run mine on propane
    John & Caren
    2014 Solitude 369RL #331
    2005 Dodge 3500 Quad Cab Cummins & manual 6 speed

  5. #5
    Seasoned Camper Sirsea's Avatar
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    Jim,
    Thanks so much for posting your results ! That confirms my belief that if food is in the refrigerator it must be running at all times, either on AC or propane.
    Marvin & Marion
    2016 Reflection 303RLS
    2008 Ram 2500HD

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  6. #6
    Long Hauler Paul & Deb's Avatar
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    Good work as usual Jim. Confirms what I always felt as well. I also understand the concern voiced here and on other RV forums about driving wit the propane on especially with these trailers that have refrigerators in slides and therefore moving, susceptible gas lines and while they may be legitimate concerns I have only ever heard of 1 incident of a gas line rupture and that was second hand caused reportedly by a tire blowout. I think I like my odds running with the propane on.
    Paul "Poppy" and Deb Cervone
    2022 Imagine XLS 22MLE
    2021 Imagine XLS 17MKE - SOLD ; 2015 Grand Design Reflection 337RLS - SOLD
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  7. #7
    King Pin
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    Quote Originally Posted by Poppy's 5th Wheel View Post
    Good work as usual Jim. Confirms what I always felt as well. I also understand the concern voiced here and on other RV forums about driving wit the propane on especially with these trailers that have refrigerators in slides and therefore moving, susceptible gas lines and while they may be legitimate concerns I have only ever heard of 1 incident of a gas line rupture and that was second hand caused reportedly by a tire blowout. I think I like my odds running with the propane on.
    And for those folks who have a concern about towing with the propane on, there are options. I've often thought it would be a good idea to run on an inverter while on the road. You could leave the propane off, and still have constant refrigeration of your food.

  8. #8
    Long Hauler Paul & Deb's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TucsonJim View Post
    And for those folks who have a concern about towing with the propane on, there are options. I've often thought it would be a good idea to run on an inverter while on the road. You could leave the propane off, and still have constant refrigeration of your food.
    That's an interesting thought Jim. My refrigerator is already set up to run off my inverter. I should try it. I wonder what the trade off would be running the fridge off the batteries while driving and charging the batteries through the truck umbilical? Would they offset? That would be a renewable power source. Heck, it would also save propane which is getting pretty expensive and I try to conserve it in case I need to run the generator, which really goes through it.
    Paul "Poppy" and Deb Cervone
    2022 Imagine XLS 22MLE
    2021 Imagine XLS 17MKE - SOLD ; 2015 Grand Design Reflection 337RLS - SOLD
    2016 GMC Denali 3500HD SRW Duramax/Allison CC 4x4; Tire Minder TPMS

  9. #9
    Site Team Second Chance's Avatar
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    Jim,

    As a retired performance improvement person, I have to ask you a question about your experiment... I just need reassurance that, as an engineer, your probes were set up so that you didn't have to open the frig and freezer doors to take your readings. I would bet you did, but inquiring minds want to know...

    Rob
    U.S. Army Retired
    2012 F350 DRW CC LB Lariat PS 6.7
    2020 Solitude 310GK-R, MORryde IS, disc brakes,
    Sailun LRG tires, solar, DP windows, W/D
    (Previously in a Reflection 337RLS)
    Full time since 08/2015

  10. #10
    Setting Up Camp
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    You could also use a flashback arrestor if you're concerned about running the propane while in transit.

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