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Old 06-16-2018, 06:34 PM   #1
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Refrigerator on Battery Power and Propane

I have a 2018 Roo 233s. Does anyone know how long my refrigerator will run on battery power and propane. Assume I have a fully charged battery and full tank of propane.
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Old 06-16-2018, 07:03 PM   #2
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that is the sort of question that can only get a guesstimate all rigs are different. I believe the batteries and not the propane are the limiting factor. With my rig I'm guessing about a week and half to two weeks maybe longer. I have never tested how long so this is a guess.
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Old 06-16-2018, 07:11 PM   #3
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if you have shore power solar or a generator and can change the propane tank the answer is forever. If you are talking one battery with no recharge or shore power I would give you 2-4 days depending on your battery and how much other stuff you are running.
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Old 06-16-2018, 07:12 PM   #4
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Some fridges have a heat strip between the fridge and the freezer to reduce condensation. If you want to maximize your run time on battery, you should disconnect this ( remove wire from the control board).. Also switch out the fridge light for an LED. You need to understand the other items in the RV that use 12V power like CO/propane detector and the DVD player.
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Old 06-17-2018, 12:52 PM   #5
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The fridge uses very little propane. The battery is your limiting factor. I agree that it is probably 2-4 days depending on what else is drawing off your battery. For example, we boondocked for 5 days, furnace ran a little at night, cooked and even used the oven and still had more than half of a 20lb bottle left. We do use solar to charge the batteries every day though.
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Old 06-17-2018, 01:20 PM   #6
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Hmm.... I always thought RV refrigerators ran on 120 volt AC or propane. Didn't know that ran on 12 DC.
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Old 06-17-2018, 01:21 PM   #7
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Popups can often run on 12v solely.. But with the typical fridge the 12v is needed to power the control board and flame on the propane setting.
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Old 06-17-2018, 01:29 PM   #8
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Hmm.... I always thought RV refrigerators ran on 120 volt AC or propane. Didn't know that ran on 12 DC.
2-way fridges require 12v power to ignite the propane.
They don't run on 12v power though.
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Old 06-17-2018, 04:44 PM   #9
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My 2 Way Dometic fridge when on propane requires 2.4 amps of 12 volt power to run the controller. It is fused at 2.5 amps. The 12 volts is required even if it is on AC since the AC power is supplied a heating element to heat the gas in the fridge closed loop cooling system. On Propane the gas is heated by the burning the propane. That is over simplified explanation but that is basically what happens in either mode of cooling.

As others have said the battery is the limiting factor on how long the fridge will stay cool. The fridge uses very little propane. The furnace is the gas hog. The state of the charge of the battery and the condition of the battery are the true limiting factors. I suggest you run a test by placing a thermometer in your fridge, cool the fridge using AC power to the trailer, charge the battery to full capacity, switch to propane and monitor the temperature and battery voltage. Do not let the battery voltage below 10.5 volts or you will damage it I would stop the test when the battery voltage goes below 11.5 just to be safe not to harm the battery. This will give you an idea of the max time you can get. Keep in mind that any other use of the 12 power such as heater, lights or water pump will reduce this time. I recommend that you replaces all the light bulbs with LED replacements to greatly reduce the 12 volt load.

When boon docking I use a 150 watt solar panel and solar charge controller to charge the battery and supply all other 12 volt requirements in the day time. Over night the battery runs the LED lights, water pump and furnace as needed and the voltage usually only drops to just below 12 volts. Of course the furnace is the main load so I keep the temperature low and dress warmly to reduce the furnace requirements.


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Old 06-17-2018, 08:57 PM   #10
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If you have the small 3 way powered reefer like my A Frame, it will only run about 4 hours on a fully charged group 24 75 amp hour battery. It draws about 10 amps @ 12 volts DC. If you have a charging line from your tow vehicle, that can supply the needed power while you drive.


The amount of cooling is least with 12 volts DC, most with LPG, and in between with 120 Volts AC
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Old 06-17-2018, 09:03 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by SeaDog View Post
that is the sort of question that can only get a guesstimate all rigs are different. I believe the batteries and not the propane are the limiting factor. With my rig I'm guessing about a week and half to two weeks maybe longer. I have never tested how long so this is a guess.

If it could ever be JUST THE FRIG I agree

The problem comes with everything else that is sucking on the battery when you think everything else is turned off.
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Old 06-25-2018, 07:13 PM   #12
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Fridge is more efficient cooling on LP. LP amount used is not that much. Save the batteries for lights, etc.
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Old 06-25-2018, 07:17 PM   #13
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Fridge still uses 12 volts DC when on propane. Based on experiences long ago, I'd say 3-4 days is max. There are other parasitic loads on the battery when it is turned on too that must be taking into account.

There are other factors too. Some fridges have heating elements in them to help with moisture buildup and those draw quite a bit of electricity.

Anyway, this type of common question is akin to asking how many miles can I get out of gas....too many variables.
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Old 06-25-2018, 07:21 PM   #14
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I have a 2018 Roo 233s. Does anyone know how long my refrigerator will run on battery power and propane. Assume I have a fully charged battery and full tank of propane.
Don't overthink this. It only has to run long enough for the beer to be gone
ww
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Old 06-25-2018, 08:20 PM   #15
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I have a 2018 Roo 233s. Does anyone know how long my refrigerator will run on battery power and propane. Assume I have a fully charged battery and full tank of propane.
You'll run out of battery before you run out of propane. It will run longer if you disconnect the door heater; it pulls about 0.5 amps. See attached for how. If you don't mind losing the inside light, you can just pull the wire off of pin J2.
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File Type: pdf Refer door heater switch mod.pdf (345.8 KB, 102 views)
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