Caravan Fridge
When it comes time to prepare your caravan, RV or travel trailer for a trip on the road there is no end of fancy gadgets and equipment that the marketplace is eager to sell you. While not all these devices are essential, there is one that is definitely worth your time to purchase; namely a quality caravan fridge.
Most caravan fridges, due to the requirement to be able to operate them in a wide range of environments, are 3 way fridges. This particular type of fridge is favored for use in caravans due to its great flexibly when it comes to powering the device.
A regular compact fridge such as that used in a home or dorm room only runs off mains power. This is fine if the fridge is never going to go anywhere, but a greatly limiting factor for a refrigerator installed in a travel trailer. A 3 way caravan fridge can not only be powered off of mains power – which is readily available in many caravan parks and higher end campgrounds – but also has alternate fuel sources that can be used in locations without such amenities.
When camping in a remote location, you can power a 3 way camping fridge using LPG gas. With a small tank of propane gas on your caravans hitch, it is possible to power a small refrigerator for a couple of weeks.
Also, when in a pinch, you are able to power the fridge off your cars’ 12v electrical system when the vehicles motor is running. Be wary of running down your car battery by leaving the fridge running off of the 12v system once the engine is no longer running; if your vehicle has not been modified to prevent it, the fridge will not take long to drain your vehicles started battery. Be sure to switch the caravan refrigerator back to propane as soon as you pull over for the day.
A word of caution should be added here- do not leave your caravan fridge running off of propane while you are in the process of actually towing it. This is a highly hazardous activity! If you absolutely must run the fridge while on the road use the 12v DC power source only.
While utilizing mains power is generally the best option when it is available, it is very handy to have these alternatives available for when you need them.
