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Old 04-21-2014, 08:17 PM   #1
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Test Fridge Running Off Battery?

Hello everyone,

I am having an issue with my fridge running off my truck. Every time I run the fridge off the truck it thaws out and I end up with a lot of ruined food. This happened twice to me. The first time I thought I did something wrong, the second time I knew something else is wrong.

My question is how can I test this? Can I hook a charger to the battery and let the fridge run on 12v or will I damage something having the charger hooked up while running it? Is there anything specific I should be looking for?

It runs on 120v and propane without issue. But doesn't the 120v run through 12v converter?

I tested the truck power and it is fine there so I need to test the fridge itself somehow before I take it in for warranty.

Thanks for all your help
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Old 04-21-2014, 08:18 PM   #2
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Mine runs on 120v shore power or while traveling down the road it runs on propane. Most are setup this way. Very few run on 12v dc
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Old 04-21-2014, 08:22 PM   #3
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Mine runs on 120v shore power or while traveling down the road it runs on propane. Most are setup this way. Very few run on 12v dc
I can also run it on propane while traveling but I would prefer to use the 12v system and being that the camper is only a few months old I can take it in for warranty repair but I want to make sure I covered all my bases before taking it in. Just in case I am overlooking something.
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Old 04-21-2014, 08:25 PM   #4
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Test Fridge Running Off Battery?

What's the model of fridge? I don't think you have the 12v option. It uses 12v to light the flame and power the fridge but uses propane for the heat source to transfer the refrigerant around. Usually the 12v option to run the fridge is on motor homes with lots of batteries
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Old 04-21-2014, 08:30 PM   #5
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What's the model of fridge? I don't think you have the 12v option. It uses 12v to light the flame and power the fridge but uses propane for the heat source to transfer the refrigerant around. Usually the 12v option to run the fridge is on motor homes with lots of batteries
It has the 12v for traveling.

So for the sake of the thread lets just say I do have a 12v system, what steps would I need to take to test it?
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Old 04-21-2014, 08:37 PM   #6
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Test Fridge Running Off Battery?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve A View Post
It has the 12v for traveling.



So for the sake of the thread lets just say I do have a 12v system, what steps would I need to take to test it?

We all have a 12v for traveling but it's only uses the 12v to power the controls of the fridge. You must heat the ammonia refrigerant that's in it to work. Thus only being accomplished by a propane pilot flame or 120v shore power. The demand on a 12v batter as the heating element would drain it pretty darn fast. What's your model of the fridge or camper so I can give you a definite answer. But everything your describing tells me you don't have a 12v dc as a heating element. Only fridge controls
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Old 04-21-2014, 08:41 PM   #7
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Does the top if your fridge have an on/off button and then another button next to it that says auto/ gas??
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Old 04-21-2014, 08:50 PM   #8
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Dometic RV fridges require 12 volts to work the electronics, BUT you need a way to heat the ammonia too. This is accomplished two ways: propane OR a 120 volt AC heater.

When running on truck 12 volt DC you MUST have the propane on.
If the propane is turned off at the bottle; no workie...

You need 12 volt DC when running on shore power too. That is provided by the converter.

I always run in AUTO with the "GAS" button OFF. This way the fridge will cool with 120 volts (if available) and "auto" switch to DC and GAS if the shore power fails or you are disconnected and towing. ALWAYS leave the AUTO button on as it is really an ON/OFF button.

The GAS button is only used when you have shore power BUT the voltage is low (say) and you want it to run on gas ANYWAY even though shore power is available.
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Old 04-21-2014, 08:59 PM   #9
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I'm going to guess that steve has a popup as some of those have 3 way fridges. You have the switches on the outside the switch between gas, 120 and 12V. The 12V is only used while traveling so you are using the power from the TV. You could run the system from an external 12v source, ie battery charger. After 15 or 20 min you should feel the vent tube in the fridge compatment heat up. If it does not heat up you need to find the two wires going to the 12V heater and do a resistance measurment on it. If you get a high resistance than the heater is no good. If the resistance is low than you may have a bad switch.
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Old 04-21-2014, 09:05 PM   #10
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I'm going to guess that steve has a popup as some of those have 3 way fridges. You have the switches on the outside the switch between gas, 120 and 12V. The 12V is only used while traveling so you are using the power from the TV. You could run the system from an external 12v source, ie battery charger. After 15 or 20 min you should feel the vent tube in the fridge compatment heat up. If it does not heat up you need to find the two wires going to the 12V heater and do a resistance measurment on it. If you get a high resistance than the heater is no good. If the resistance is low than you may have a bad switch.
Great, thank you Happy Vibe. I will be pulling it out of storage this week so I will have more information on the fridge then but I just wanted to make sure that I wouldn't damage anything by having a battery charger connected while running the fridge. I know it should be the same as having the truck hooked up to it but I rather be safe than sorry. And I rather not take it in for warranty work if it is a easy fix.
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Old 04-21-2014, 09:15 PM   #11
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So, is it a popup?

If so, is 12 volt power getting from the truck to the camper?

Check the reset-able current limiter near the metal pancake box that the tow cord goes into. press the little button on the side to make sure it is in.
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Old 04-21-2014, 09:17 PM   #12
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Can you answer the question as to what type of camper you have? That could quickly resolve whether it is a 2-way or 3-way fridge. My pop up had the 3-way. I opted to remove the 12v wiring because it is no good to run the fridge. I preferred using propane. The 3-way fridges use very little propane. We camped without shore power for a week & did all of our cooking & ran the fridge off of the propane tank. Came home with more than half a tank left over. I used the 12v wiring to run a water pump to the sink rather tan hand pumping.

If you have a regular TT you should only have a 2-way fridge.
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Old 04-22-2014, 11:45 AM   #13
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Can you answer the question as to what type of camper you have? That could quickly resolve whether it is a 2-way or 3-way fridge.
His previous posts from last year said it was a Flagstaff 206ltd popup.
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Old 04-22-2014, 11:52 AM   #14
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Silly question, but did they show you the 12V switch? From what I've seen they don't automatically swap out from 120 to 12 to LPG, you have to set the mode.
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Old 04-22-2014, 12:37 PM   #15
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Silly question, but did they show you the 12V switch? From what I've seen they don't automatically swap out from 120 to 12 to LPG, you have to set the mode.

..... Silly question...no.

there is no such thing, when there is an unknown.
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Old 04-22-2014, 08:19 PM   #16
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A Dometic frig on 12VDC for more than a very short period of time will drain the battery. It does take about 1.2 amps to power the circuit board but a huge amount of power to the ammonia heater - you are looking at at least 15/18 amps VDC. This continuous draw will deplete an automotive battery very quickly if it is in good shape to start with.

This feature is meant to be used only when the vehicle motor is running - Below is the statement from Dometic - I would guess that you need at least 8 gauge wire from the vehicle battery to the trailer and then hope the vehicle alternator will keep up.


IMPORTANT:
To prevent the refrigerator from being left on and
draining the battery when the vehicle’s engine is not
running and charging the battery.
It is recommended that an automatic cut-out relay
be installed between the battery and the refrigerator
toggle switch so that the refrigerator will not draw
current when the ignition of the vehicle is switched
off.
Alternatively, a suitable plug and receptacle should
be installed in the 12 Volt supply line, so that the
refrigerator can be disconnected from the supply,
as necessary.
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