Residential Fridge Power

alparmer · 11-19-2013, 10:09 AM

Well, FR sent me the MIA inverter 3 days before our trip to FL. I have to get busy! It looks like I have everything but the wires to the batteries. The switch, remote panel, and data cable is already installed so all I have to do is mount and hook up the inverter. I'll end up with an extra switch and remote.

alparmer · 11-19-2013, 10:52 AM

Well, that took about 30 minutes. All wires were there so it was just plug and play. Hardest part was screwing the boxes down since it was a bit tight.

Works like a champ. Now we have fridge power with shore, gen, or batteries.

**ependydad** · 11-19-2013, 11:02 AM

Oh man- no pictures of it installed? You really dropped the ball on that one.

Nicely done, though. Have fun on your trip! Where are you headed off to?

alparmer · 11-19-2013, 12:53 PM

Forgot to install the black plastic cover so I had a chance to take a picture.

Heading down south to Florida to spend time with the in-laws for Thanksgiving. We'll run the fridge on batteries as long as it will last and then we'll cycle the generator to keep it cool.

alparmer · 11-19-2013, 12:58 PM

A cool mod would be to grab the other outlet on the inverter and run an extension to an inside outlet. Put a decal on it "Battery Power" or something. You could then run things that require 110 while on the move. This inverter is actually pretty nice with overload protection as well as a cutoff if the batteries get too low.

43D18 · 11-20-2013, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alparmmer

A cool mod would be to grab the other outlet on the inverter and run an extension to an inside outlet. Put a decal on it "Battery Power" or something. You could then run things that require 110 while on the move. This inverter is actually pretty nice with overload protection as well as a cutoff if the batteries get too low.

I thought about doing this very thing after spotting the open outlet on the inverter.

Our experience so far has been that the fridge will run 12 hrs-plus on just battery power alone. Of course that time would be shortened if you used the inverter to feed an additional outlet

alparmer · 11-20-2013, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 43D18

I thought about doing this very thing after spotting the open outlet on the inverter.

Our experience so far has been that the fridge will run 12 hrs-plus on just battery power alone. Of course that time would be shortened if you used the inverter to feed an additional outlet

That's good to know. I didn't expect to get that many hours on battery power. I have to go out and look, but I think our fridges have the option to turn the freezer off. We won't have anything frozen so it would save even more power.

43D18 · 11-26-2013, 02:32 PM

The monitor panel on the wall was still registering 2/3 battery charge after about 12 hrs but when we returned a couple hours later the fridge was off. So, not surprisingly the monitor is not accurate

alparmer · 11-26-2013, 07:34 PM

Well, we ran ours on inverter power the entire way down from OH to FL and it never turned off. We did turn on the Gen for about 7 hours when we stopped half way through.

43D18 · 11-26-2013, 07:51 PM

You are charging the battery while driving though. No need to run the gen unless you are parked without the engine running or shorepower for an extended time

JoanneL · 12-01-2013, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 43D18

You are charging the battery while driving though. No need to run the gen unless you are parked without the engine running or shorepower for an extended time

Hi what do you consider an extended time. We were thrown for a loop when we found out (after we bought it) about the residential frig.

43D18 · 12-01-2013, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoanneL

Hi what do you consider an extended time. We were thrown for a loop when we found out (after we bought it) about the residential frig.

I would consider 24 hours an extended time without running the chassis engine or generator.

What do you mean that you were "thrown for a loop" regarding the residential fridge?

Ford Idaho · 12-01-2013, 12:36 PM

I see a less than great PDI in some ones past.

JoanneL · 12-01-2013, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 43D18

I would consider 24 hours an extended time without running the chassis engine or generator.

What do you mean that you were "thrown for a loop" regarding the residential fridge?

We are used to propane so having to use a generator to power the frig and being conscious of disturbing others was something that wasn't explained to us before we bought it.

43D18 · 12-01-2013, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoanneL

We are used to propane so having to use a generator to power the frig and being conscious of disturbing others was something that wasn't explained to us before we bought it.

As suggested in a previous post, sounds like a very inadequate PDI (pre delivery inspection) from the dealer. The way you approach the use of a residential fridge is very different from that of a gas absorption unit. The basics of this should have been described to you before delivery (or better yet, when you were doing research on the unit prior to purchase).

I can speak from experience on this: Always (ALWAYS) use EVERY SINGLE OPTION and FEATURE ON THE COACH before delivery. Work the levelers, run the awning in and out, turn the water heater on and off, turn on all the TVs, play a DVD, flush the toilet, fire the generator, use the backup camera, etc, etc, etc. Yes, it takes time, and if the dealer seems to be rushed, tell him to go about his business while you go through each and every system right there in the parking lot (or alternately at a campground nearby).

If we had done this in the past we would have uncovered some issues that needed attention before driving off the lot an over a hundred miles home where it wasn't as easy to drop by the dealer for them to address the issues.

JoanneL · 12-01-2013, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 43D18

As suggested in a previous post, sounds like a very inadequate PDI (pre delivery inspection) from the dealer. The way you approach the use of a residential fridge is very different from that of a gas absorption unit. The basics of this should have been described to you before delivery (or better yet, when you were doing research on the unit prior to purchase).

I can speak from experience on this: Always (ALWAYS) use EVERY SINGLE OPTION and FEATURE ON THE COACH before delivery. Work the levelers, run the awning in and out, turn the water heater on and off, turn on all the TVs, play a DVD, flush the toilet, fire the generator, use the backup camera, etc, etc, etc. Yes, it takes time, and if the dealer seems to be rushed, tell him to go about his business while you go through each and every system right there in the parking lot (or alternately at a campground nearby).

If we had done this in the past we would have uncovered some issues that needed attention before driving off the lot an over a hundred miles home where it wasn't as easy to drop by the dealer for them to address the issues.

You are right. As it is we spent hours and hours over two days and also drove 1 1/2 hours. We did much of what you said - put in a DVD, drove it so we could see the camera, the slides in and out, etc. We just weren't told until we were taken through the unit that the frig doesn't run on propane. We'll see what we think. If we hate it, I'm ready to upgrade in 3 years anyway and I haven't even slept in it!! I love it but like I learned from our first two trailers, there are things that I would have changed if I could built one myself!

43D18 · 12-01-2013, 02:31 PM

The residential fridge was a big selling point for my DW. For me, I would have been fine w/ the traditional gas absorption unit, but she really wanted the space and consistency of the residential. Give a chance and see what you think. I DO like the fact that it maintains the EXACT temp that you set it at, unlike our past gas absorption units that tended to vary a bit. If you dry camp a *lot* then a residential fridge is probably not for you. In our case though, it's rare that we are parked anywhere for more than a night or two without shore power. The batteries will certainly maintain power to the fridge while sleeping overnight with no shore power. As in many things with an RV, there is always a trade off. For us, the trade off was worth it for a residential fridge.

Good luck and congrats on the new coach.

alparmer · 12-01-2013, 08:26 PM

We love the res fridge. We've had nothing but nightmares with the dometic gas units. We did a 1k mile trip and the fridge stayed on the whole time on batteries. If we had to stay primitive over night, I'd probably run it half the time on batt and half on gen. Our gen is pretty quiet, but if you are worried about being too loud for the campsite, then set a timer and turn it on and off every couple of hours with the inverter.

43D18 · 12-02-2013, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alparmmer

We love the res fridge. We've had nothing but nightmares with the dometic gas units. We did a 1k mile trip and the fridge stayed on the whole time on batteries. If we had to stay primitive over night, I'd probably run it half the time on batt and half on gen. Our gen is pretty quiet, but if you are worried about being too loud for the campsite, then set a timer and turn it on and off every couple of hours with the inverter.

You shouldn't need to run the gen to keep the fridge on overnight, unless you are pulling the batteries down with lots of lights on, etc. If we were dry camping for a number of days I'd run the gen in the morning for a couple hours and again in the evening before turning in, and I'm fairly certain that would be enough to keep the fridge happy overnight.

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