RV Refrigerators- Residential VS Propane

RV Refrigerators are a must for any fulltimer. In this article we are going to discuss the pros and cons of both traditional propane RV refrigerators and their residential counterparts.

Traditionally, RVs come equipped with refrigerators that can be run on both propane and electricity. This makes a lot of sense for a few different reasons.

That said, while these appliances are pretty sturdy, they will break eventually, and when they break they’ll need to be replaced. Often, RV owners choose to replace their propane refrigerators with electric-only residential fridges. There are a few different reasons to make this choice, 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 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 hugely important for those who are in their rigs full-time or those who boondock on a regular basis.

Related Read: 7 Tips for a Cleaner, Healthier RV Fridge

Cons of a Propane Fridge

Of course, there are some drawbacks to having a propane refrigerator. For some, these cons outweigh the fact that the propane fridge is versatile.

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 is made 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. This means less food storage space, which can be frustrating on longer trips.

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 your bank account. 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 shore power. That said, there are major drawbacks for some kinds of campers.

Related Read: 4 Tips for Using Your RV Fridge

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 alone for long periods of time. This makes boondocking more difficult, and even though an electric fridge will hold a chill for longer, it even 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 alone for long periods of time, equipping your RV with a few gadgets will solve this issue. 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 other types of RV batteries. 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 sunlight. That said, sometimes sunlight isn’t available. Therefore, a generator is another must-have, and you will want to make sure you always have fuel on hand to run that generator.

Of course, equipping your RV with all of these things is quite expensive and will definitely cost more than simply replacing your broken refrigerator with another propane RV fridge. However, if money is no object, setting your RV up with all of these gadgets will be helpful in more ways than one, and you’ll get to reap the benefits of a roomier and more precise refrigerator while on the road.

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!