Dometic fridge how long will battery last?

[kaffasue]

Have a 2016 Salem 27dbud. How long with just fridge last on propne tanks. We have two. 30Lb tanks and a 12v battery.

Thanks!

[DaveandSue]

If your battery stays up,the fridge just sips at the LP.

[TURBS]

Several years if that's all you use the propane for.
Hard to really tell you.
2 30 lb tanks last me a year but I use the furnace and wh on propane when needed.

To many variables here to even give you an accurate idea.

Same with battery.
How big is it? size?
What else will you be running on 12v?


TURBS
08 duramax tuned n modded
2011 32bhok Sabre
2015 camping "24 nights"

[bikendan]

if you don't use the furnace and just conserve lights and water pump power, you can go 4-5 days before the battery is dead.

the furnace is the battery killer.

[SuicideSaints]

Your battery will go dead several times over before you run out of LP. If you keep the battery charged and only use the LP for the fridge it will last several seasons. if you use the heater and water heater then it will last less.

To accurately guess you would need to know your camping habits and amount of trips you take.

I start my fridge on LP 2 days before a trip (about 5 trips total) and I usually camp 20 nights a year. I use my heater approx. 8 of those nights. I have 2 30# tanks and I refill them both at the beginning of every season and I have not run out yet. Every one is different in the usage due to camping at full hook up sites and boondocking.

[waiter21]

Without running the math, I'd guess a year.

As others mentioned, you will need 12 volts. Unfortunately, most of the larger modern absorption friges need the 12 volts for their electronics controller board.

If you are really out there in the sticks, a small solar panel should keep your battery up enough to run the frig.

[pmsherman]

the biggest power hog in the Dometic fridge is the heater strip that prevents dew formation around the door seals. Some years ago, Dometic removed the shutoff switch for the heating strip so you can no longer easily shut it off.

When I'm boondocking, I go to the fridge's control panel and disconnect the power line that feeds the interior light and the heating strip. Eventually, I'll put a shutoff switch inside the fridge next to the light. WARNING - DO NOT ATTEMPT TO REMOVE THIS CONNECTOR IF YOU ARE RUNNING A GENERATOR OR PLUGGED IN TO SHORE POWER. It's right next to an exposed 110V live circuit.

I'm in a class A and also have a solenoid in the gas line that's connected to the propane detector. The solenoid drew power whenever power is applied to the propane detector until I installed a cutoff switch in that circuit. Unfortunately, I can't shut off the solenoid if I'm going to be using propane but it's good when loading or unloading or I don't need propane for any of the appliances.

Phil

[f5moab]

After a week long trip in WY last month, with night time temps dropping into the very low 30s, with the fridge running on Propane and the furnace running most of the nights and even one day during a thunderstorms and hail storms, I used 3.5 gallons (max is about 4.7 gallons in a 20 lb container).

It's a popup, so lots of built in air leaks and two big ones the first night since I left the fantastic vent cover open as well as the other vent cover.

But if just the fridge was running....like others say, probably a year with two 30 lb tanks.

[Pockets]

I have an RV29 Battery on a 2015 Fleetwood. I was dry camping last week. My battery was depleted after 1 day and had to recharge (via generator) on Saturday and Sunday and used the truck to put the slides away and the jacks. I found that the trailer uses the battery to power all jacks, slides, CO detector, Fridge electronics, Water pump. When I was setting up, I still had the trailer plugged into the truck with the truck running. From what I figure, the truck will charge the battery. That's why the battery was depleted the first day. As Daveandsue said, the fridge sips the LP. The biggest draw on the battery would be the water pump. It comes on a lot when you dry camp. Flush toilets, WP comes on, wash dishes and/or hands, WP comes on. I only dry camp Labour Day weekend with DW's family. This is the first time with the new TT that the battery was an issue. All other 6 trips I had shore power. On 2 trips I had full service... that's the way to go.

[aceinspp]

When dry camping it's call conserve. Turning things off when not in use. One should turn off water pump when not used. Also I add a 2nd battery. Frig also uses very small amount of electric . Lights should be LEDs I've gone 4 days without charge. Later RJD

[PSU Turf]

Our first year with our Solaire 201SS we had one 12V battery that would last about 3 days. We switched to two 6V batteries and 200 watts of solar panels this year. We never have to worry about the batteries discharging with this setup. (As long as the camp site has sun for a few hours.)

[Skyliner]

With 2 12v batteries, I'm lucky to make it thru the night when I boondock. That darn heat runs almost constantly thru the night because it gets down into the 30's even in the middle of summer when you are 'docking at 10,000+ feet asl.

I'm looking at four 6v batteries and if I can fit it 400 watts of solar power for my camper. I can pull that off financially, I may never need to run the generator.

I did pick up a small catalytic heater but refilling those 1lb propane bottles that are lucky to last 4 hours on high are a PITA.

I'm thinking of getting a vented catalytic heater that is run on 12v power for the venting. It'll be mounted recessed in a panel that is not used. I think it'll save a lot on batteries and propane instead of running the heater all night.

Already replaced all of the incandescent with LED lights. Water pump should always be off unless you are using it. Had a water compression fitting fail on me 2 campers ago and it made for a big mess.