How much battery power should a refrigerator draw?

[hockey11]

We were in Glacier National Park for 4 days without electricity. We had the refrig set to propane, but it was still drawing power from the battery. The 2nd day we had not power to the refrig. The pilot went out when the battery died. Is this a common problem? Our dealer said the computer needs the battery power to keep the pilot lit. This does not sound right. We have a Windjammer 2102w. We were able to run our tent trailer refrig on propane for weeks without draining the battery.

[rana]

Yes. Your reefer does require 12v for the control board and to ignite the pilot when a cooling cycle begins.

However! There is no way your reefer alone (on propane) could drain a half way decently charged battery over a single day. Even a crudy automotive 12v battery.

There has to be some other factor at play. I would be looking at my charging system/practices and possibly having the battery load tested. From there I would be checking typical "heavy" loads (awnings, slides, breakaway, steps, etc) I require and sizing my battery bank accordingly. Some other considerations might be if I am running an inverter or not.

A lot of factors can play into battery drain, but if your reefer and a few lights were the only load, then yes... you have a problem.

[Cypressloser]

Well, you'd be surprised how quick a battery can deplete. LP and smoke detector, lights and furnace can sure drain a battery in a very short time.

[hockey11]

We traveled from Msp to Glacier with no charging from truck, (did not know the fuse was not in) without stopping. Battery was full when we left home. Only turned on water pump when needed to flush. All other power was flash light and head lamps. I think we may have a problem. Do not know where to begin? Any ideas!!

[northstar1960]

begin by checking the battery how old is it ?and even a battery less then a yr old can go bad , then the charging from the tv , .once you know battery is good take a voltage test to see what the draw is for each appliance . then you can start to see your power usage and what you can expect from a battery . adding an extra battery or 2 or 3 wouldn't hurt either . maybe a inverter generator to help out

[Cypressloser]

First, I would completely charge the battery on a stand alone charger and then load test it to make sure it's in good condition.
Second, with all systems turned off (incl. the fridge) connect an Amp. meter to the battery and check what the parasitic draw is, it shouldn't be more than 1 - 2 Amps.
Lets say your battery has a 100 Amp/h capacity that gives you roughly 50 Amp/h usage before it's depleted, depending on your setup it could last anywhere from 2 days to 1 week. There could be lots possibilities here but this is a start.

[rana]

Originally Posted by hockey11

I think we may have a problem. Do not know where to begin? Any ideas!!

So one issue resolved (fuse in)... what is the type and size of your battery? How old is it? Has it ever been fully discharged before? Before leaving home, what did you use to charge it and how did you know it was fully charged?

The more specific you can be with the type and method of equipment your using will help to provide the best information.

[bikendan]

Your mistake is dry camping without setting your rig up for that type of camping.
You need two deep cycle batteries, preferably 6v golf cart batteries.
Then a inverter generator or solar system for recharging the batteries.
All RVS have parasitic power drains.
A single 12v battery will be lucky to last 1 nite, if you run the furnace all nite.
Tent Trailers have way less power drains than a rig like yours.

[frcamp]

I had a similar situation recently. Found the plug pulled out from the breakaway switch while camping. Does that mean the brakes were applied and power pulled from the batteries?

[RPAspey]

Do you have a switch for the condensation heater in the fridge? That heater WILL kill the battery in a day or so, depending on the battery. The older fridges like mine have a switch on the door.

[Herk7769]

Glacier at this time of year?

Did you use heat at all?

Heat is the number one battery killer; right close behind are incandescent lights at 1.2 amps PER BULB.

2 days is great battery life under these conditions.

That tip about the fridge "climate control" is awesome if you can turn it off. BIG warning in the manual about turning it off when on battery.

(SOME models can't be turned off! They draw 1/2 amp continuously and many folks mod their fridge to allow it to be turned off).

[rana]

Originally Posted by frcamp

Does that mean the brakes were applied and power pulled from the batteries?

Yes. If that's the case, you might want to have your electric brakes checked out. Continuous brake application "can" do damage to the "magnets".

[Pipeman]

Originally Posted by frcamp

I had a similar situation recently. Found the plug pulled out from the breakaway switch while camping. Does that mean the brakes were applied and power pulled from the batteries?

Yup it will pull power from the battery because the brakes would be full on, therefore drawing power until you discovered the problem. You have to ask yourself, how long was the plug pulled out for because if it was for a long time while traveling the brakes could be worn badly and you might have been lucky to not have had a fire from the brakes heating up. Have the brakes checked, if the plugged was pulled while traveling. Just my 4 cents.

[vinmaker]

Is that how the math works?

If I have a 100 Amp/h battery then I can expect to get 50 Amp/h out of it?

If I have a phantom draw of 2amp then after 24 hours I have used up 48 of the 50 amp/h?

Sure makes you want to carry a small inverter genny to charge up during the day. How long would it take to charge up? At home I put a slow 2amp charge on my battery and will run that overnight. But most CG's restrict the genny to certain hours right?

Vin.

[frcamp]

Originally Posted by Pipeman

Yup it will pull power from the battery because the brakes would be full on, therefore drawing power until you discovered the problem. You have to ask yourself, how long was the plug pulled out for because if it was for a long time while traveling the brakes could be worn badly and you might have been lucky to not have had a fire from the brakes heating up. Have the brakes checked, if the plugged was pulled while traveling. Just my 4 cents.

I found it pulled out at the campsite so i don't think was while moving. I also thought the fridge defrost was the culprit as we were running it on gas. My model domestic does not have the switch to cut it off.

Thanks

[Mountndream]

Originally Posted by Herk7769

Glacier at this time of year?

Did you use heat at all?

Heat is the number one battery killer; right close behind are incandescent lights at 1.2 amps PER BULB.

2 days is great battery life under these conditions.

That tip about the fridge "climate control" is awesome if you can turn it off. BIG warning in the manual about turning it off when on battery.

(SOME models can't be turned off! They draw 1/2 amp continuously and many folks mod their fridge to allow it to be turned off).

thanks for this tip... Its a new one for me and should help when i am in RMNP

[CNYCamper]

A fellow camper told me he once had his refrigerator drain 2 batteries in 1night. turned out to be a faulty igniter - it never shut off

[KMP44]

Originally Posted by frcamp

I had a similar situation recently. Found the plug pulled out from the breakaway switch while camping. Does that mean the brakes were applied and power pulled from the batteries?

Yes, which can damage the magnets in the breaks...

For the OP - if you traveled a long distance without any current from the tv, the battery may have been fairly well drained when you arrived. I had this same issue happen to us once.

For the occasional 3-4 night stay without electric, just upgrading to two batteries may be enough to do the trick. And was mentioned earlier - double check to see if your fridge has heat strips (for condensation). If it does, those will kill a battery.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by vinmaker

Is that how the math works?

If I have a 100 Amp/h battery then I can expect to get 50 Amp/h out of it?

If I have a phantom draw of 2amp then after 24 hours I have used up 48 of the 50 amp/h?

Sure makes you want to carry a small inverter genny to charge up during the day. How long would it take to charge up? At home I put a slow 2amp charge on my battery and will run that overnight. But most CG's restrict the genny to certain hours right?

Vin.

If your total amp draw is a constant 5 amps you will discharge a 100 AH battery to its 50% discharge point (where it must be recharged to avoid permanent damage to the battery) in 10 hours.

It gets more complicated if you are drawing more or less than that due to something call the Peukert Effect. (see graph)

As you demand more amps from a storage battery (as opposed to a starting battery), the ability of the battery to generate amps decreases due to plate design. As you can see from this graph, just demanding 10 amps will reduce the available capacity by 25% to 75 AH. At 20 amps of demand, the capacity available is reduced to 62.5 AH.

This is with a FULLY CHARGED 100 AH battery to start with. That is why adding multiple batteries is critical (to spread the demand across several battery suppliers) if you even THINK you might want to add an inverter to your camper.

[Happy Vibe]

Herk I think it should be drown down in 10 hours. 5 X 10=50. With a 1 amp draw you would be at 50% after 50 hours.