Dry camping

[papatyrrell]

Hey Everyone, We are thinking of buying a Force HD and we were wondering how long you can dry camp with the house refrigerator on the coach batteries without running the generator. I know it depends on a few factors. Just looking for a general answer.Thanks

[clarkbre]

I'm just guessing here, but wouldn't it be more efficient to run the refrigerator on propane while dry camping?

I always thought the idea of a 12v option on the refrigerator was to be used while towing.

As far as getting the most efficiency out of the 12v option while dry camping:
1. Stock the fridge with very cold goods prior to leaving the driveway. It takes less energy to maintain cool food that is already cool than trying to cool down the fridge and then load it up.
2. Limit how often the fridge is opened. The less it's opened, the less warm air will enter the fridge.
3. Stock it with some bigger cooled items to maintain the wanted temps. Examples would be a gallon of milk, beer, soda, etc.

Very interested in what other people say.

[Happyatrest]

If you are still in the "considering" timeframe before actually ordering a Force then it would be to your benefit to option out the residential fridge for the RV fridge. The RV fridge runs on either propane or 120v. You do lose some space as it is smaller than the residential but you avoid having to provide a constant source of electricity to it (and you still get an ice maker!!).
Take care and stay safe!

[Magnatudes]

Many manufacturers out there offer 110v/12v frig/freezers that are Danfoss compressor based. They come in various portable sizes as well as uprights. I replaced a useless wash machine in a Country Coach with a dedicated 4 cubic foot Dometic RSF-115 upright freezer (meat, fish, ice cream,...) and an 80qt Engel MT80F portable frig in an outside storage bin (handy for ice cold beverages). These were very efficient & dependable. Had solar panels with smart controller outputting ~5-6 amps peak @12 volts. Basically, these ran off solar power. Once they get cold they hardly run provided you don't have them exposed to sunlight & heat. Dry camped on the shorelines of Lake Powell for 6 weeks at a time without any issues. Gen every morning to ensure batteries back up to full especially after lots of TV use in the evenings. Granted, I had 2-8D coach batteries but we ran 2 TVs with Dish receivers & surround sound, convection/microwave, lights, etc... all thru an inverter. Both portable & upright had thermostats and could be used as either frig or freezer. Had to turn the portable way down to prevent freezing. Both had automatic switching between 110VAC & 12VDC. The coach frig/freezer was used for everything else needed for ready use (OJ, salad fixins, thawing meat,...) These evaporative frigs on propane cannot come close to the cold that a Danfoss compressor can. I also use smaller 12VDC portables in my boat & SUV. Been very happy with these for nearly 15 years. Other manufactures are Whynter, SMAD, Norcold, Waeco, Isotherm,... Made my own ice too.

[AudiDudi]

The size of the fridge matters. Are you running an A/C only fridge via an inverter running off the house batteries? How many batteries? Does the fridge run on propane?

Minimize the time the door is open. I'd put things like beer and pop in a cooler with ice to avoid opening the fridge door.

[Magnatudes]

AudiDudi, Just to be clear, I do not have an Isata just yet. I was describing what I had when I had a class A Country Coach Intrigue.

To answer your questions, the Country Coach had a Dometic 10cuft frig/freezer that was a 2 way propane/110VAC. It ran on propane unless the gen was fired up. This frig was OK for miscellaneous stuff but not very good at getting things very cold. Had a lot of recalls on it too due to poor venting & insulation of heat from propane burner.

I added the Waeco/Dometic RSF-115 4 cu ft upright freezer for storing frozen food & fish caught at the lake. It was a fast freeze and maintained extreme cold very well and hardly ran the compressor. This was running on 12volts DC all of the time except when the gen was fired up. It then automatically switched to 110 volts AC. Also made ice in trays.

The portable 80 qt frig in a storage bin out on the patio side ran on 12 volts DC unless the gen was running which in that case automatically switched to 110 volts AC. I stored beer, sodas, bottled water in it and it was perfect for easy access when outdoors. At times, I would transfer nice & cold ones up into the coach frig.

In my SUV, I have a Whynter double chamber portable, one chamber is a freezer & the other is a frig. Or both can be either frig or freezer. Individual thermostat control for each chamber. I think it's about 62 qts total. Runs on 12 volts or 110 volts AC when plugged into a garage outlet.

Hope that clears it up for you.

[AudiDudi]

Originally Posted by Magnatudes

<snip>

Hope that clears it up for you.

it does - thanks!

[Magnatudes]

I got rid of the pain & nuisance with coolers & finding ice long ago. With these frig freezers, no need to buy ice, drain water & lug around coolers. I made ice and bagged it.

[AudiDudi]

Originally Posted by Magnatudes

I got rid of the pain & nuisance with coolers & finding ice long ago. With these frig freezers, no need to buy ice, drain water & lug around coolers. I made ice and bagged it.

[Gas-man]

My force HD has 2 batteries and a residential fridge. It will run the batteries down in 24 hours.

[Webefine]

Originally Posted by Gas-man

My force HD has 2 batteries and a residential fridge. It will run the batteries down in 24 hours.

Same here.

[Magnatudes]

Sorry to chime in here. I am not familiar with Dynamax Force. But I have to ask, when you say you have "residential" frig, are you saying you have a frig that is built for home use like a GE, LG, Whirlpool, ....? Running on 110volts, thru an inverter?

[rskeans]

That's what it means.

[Gas-man]

Originally Posted by Magnatudes

Sorry to chime in here. I am not familiar with Dynamax Force. But I have to ask, when you say you have "residential" frig, are you saying you have a frig that is built for home use like a GE, LG, Whirlpool, ....? Running on 110volts, thru an inverter?

Yes. I do not have the option to use propane.

[Magnatudes]

Well I am not a Dynamax owner yet let alone somewhat familiar. Brian will most likely address your concerns.

But from my experience, I am not sure why anyone would have a 110VAC only "residential" fridge in a motorhome.

24 hours thru an inverter is pretty good. Dunno what batteries U have but my guess would be a couple of 8Ds or a large array of 6 volt golf cart type.

If it were my coach, it would not have a residential frig unless I planned on running the genset 24/7 or plugged in every night after a days ride. Just sayin'.

[AudiDudi]

A residential fridge works fine for those that don't bookdock much. It will stay cold for 8 hrs on the road. It will also keep ice cream frozen . They are also cheaper to replace and don't have the fire danger of an RV fridge. When the 16 yr old fridge in my 5'er quits, I'll go residential.

[Arctic Wolf]

I have a residential fridge, not in a dynamax though... I'm going to use 4 6 volt golf cart batteries and my 200 Watts of solar panels... That should be plenty, it runs a full size fridge in my garage no problem and the "residential" fridge in my Arctic wolf is supposed to be very efficient, it's also smaller...
As long as I'm driving the truck is enough to keep the battery charged and the fridges running (I also have a mini fridge in the outside kitchen). If I were boondocking I might leave the mini fridge turned off

[Slolane]

We had a residential fridge with ice maker and water in our '12 Dutch Star. Six 6V golf cart batteries, no solar. When we boondocked we ran the generator about 1 1/2 hours in the morning and again in the evening. Gave us enough power for everything except A/C (satellite, microwave, tvs, etc) It did have a propane stove.

I would guess if we had a few solar panels we could have cut our generator use in half.

[Arctic Wolf]

Originally Posted by Slolane

We had a residential fridge with ice maker and water in our '12 Dutch Star. Six 6V golf cart batteries, no solar. When we boondocked we ran the generator about 1 1/2 hours in the morning and again in the evening. Gave us enough power for everything except A/C (satellite, microwave, tvs, etc) It did have a propane stove.

I would guess if we had a few solar panels we could have cut our generator use in half.

Good to know

[LTZ470]

My Xl will have Propane Range and Dual AC/LP Fridge w/ 450D, should be perfect for Boondocking, except for tank capacities, going to work on that myself once it is delivered...if Dynamax would get 120-150 Fresh Water, 90 Grey, and 55 Black, they would be the perfect "setup" for my camping...that is the one advantage Renegade has, but losses out on many other items in my opinion...
I think Dynamax is utilizing the Norcold 1210 Dual Powered Fridge, it doesn't get very good reviews, but I can't see going residential at all for my camping style, like to Boondock too much...