jocko Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 My propane fridge died. My friend says I can put in a 120 v dorm fridge(4cf) and hook up an inverter to the marine deep cycle battery and run the fridge off that. Anybody ever done that? Or do you know how or if it will work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bear Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 It would work but the battery charge would not last. I would guess no more than 1 day if that. It would be fine while driving and using the coach battery that it being charged as you go, but when stopped you would need shore power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bajadulce Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 You can do anything you want as long as the amp hours of draw of refrig is recaptured before your batteries get too low. This can be acomplished by: Low watt refrig, such as a marine fridge A generator and/or solar setup A substantial size battery bank or access to shore power You need to assess: how many watts to run fridge how long will you be running it (days etc if no regain) how many amp/hours do your batteries hold how much regain do you have per day Killawatt meter is your friend and will tell you what you need/can't do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nibs Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 After living for a total of 19 years with propane fridges - they are the best compromise available. The people I know who have gone electric regret it, they now are tied to shore power..........Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jocko Posted April 22, 2009 Author Share Posted April 22, 2009 You can do anything you want as long as the amp hours of draw of refrig is recaptured before your batteries get too low. This can be acomplished by: Low watt refrig, such as a marine fridge A generator and/or solar setup A substantial size battery bank or access to shore power You need to assess: how many watts to run fridge how long will you be running it (days etc if no regain) how many amp/hours do your batteries hold how much regain do you have per day Killawatt meter is your friend and will tell you what you need/can't do. My refrigerator draws 80 amps. How do I find out how many amp hours my battery holds? And what is regain? Thanks, jocko Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Look into the marine 12 volt dc refers. Still use a huge amount of power so shore power or big solar panels. By the time you are done it would have been cheaper just to put back in a propane refer and way more efficient power consumption. The inverter with 120 VAC is just way too power hungry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motoyhomme Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 I have a marine 12vdc compressor refrigerator in my Sunrader and have never run the battery down even after running the frig for 24 hours straight boondocking time. I have a very small, low db generator ($119) I pull out of the storage hold to charge the battery back up in no time if I need to. The really plus side of this refrigerator is that I can park on a +/- 30 degree grade and it will still work just like your refrigerator in your house vs the 3 degree grade for propane types. Downside is that a new one is more expensive than a regular rv refrigerator. Allen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 I have a marine 12vdc compressor refrigerator in my Sunrader and have never run the battery down even after running the frig for 24 hours straight boondocking time. I have a very small, low db generator ($119) I pull out of the storage hold to charge the battery back up in no time if I need to.The really plus side of this refrigerator is that I can park on a +/- 30 degree grade and it will still work just like your refrigerator in your house vs the 3 degree grade for propane types. Downside is that a new one is more expensive than a regular rv refrigerator. Allen Is it the same size as your old propane, did it just slide in or did you have to do some mods? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motoyhomme Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Is it the same size as your old propane, did it just slide in or did you have to do some mods? It was already in the Sunrader when I bought it. It appears to be the same size as most of our Toy's propane refigerators. The previous owner had remodeled the interior but he kept all of the cabinet dimensions the same. I didn't realize I had the marine unit when I bought it. I even purchased a bubble level and an interior fan for it before I realized i didn't need either. Allen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 It was already in the Sunrader when I bought it. It appears to be the same size as most of our Toy's propane refigerators. The previous owner had remodeled the interior but he kept all of the cabinet dimensions the same. I didn't realize I had the marine unit when I bought it. I even purchased a bubble level and an interior fan for it before I realized i didn't need either.Allen Cooool, what type, size and how many batteries do you have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motoyhomme Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 I'm not near the Sunrader right now but I'll check the battery tonight. I bought the battery at Batteries Plus 4 years ago and it is still going strong. I only have the one rv/marine battery that sits in the engine compartment on the left hand side opposite the truck battery. I keep the camper plugged into shore power all of the time that it is parked at home. I had to add water one time in 4 years. If I'm boondocking I have my small generator for charging the battery. It gets about 8 hours on one gallon of gas if it's just charging the battery and running the regrigerator. It's a 1200 watt peak generator sold at Pep Boys etc. Normally one hour charges the battery fully. Allen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futar Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 He didn't say why the refer died. Maybe it's something that be remedied. I remember when I first experienced the old spider nesting in the gas orifice problem. On the older ones that are sensitive to leveling, there's an old trick to reclaim them. You can't undo the hardened chemical in the coil but if the freezer is still working I've heard of drilling some holes in the bottom to let the cold in to the lower part. Have you actually seen the flame working???? Did you try it on 110vac? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motoyhomme Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 I'm not near the Sunrader right now but I'll check the battery tonight. I bought the battery at Batteries Plus 4 years ago and it is still going strong. I only have the one rv/marine battery that sits in the engine compartment on the left hand side opposite the truck battery. I keep the camper plugged into shore power all of the time that it is parked at home. I had to add water one time in 4 years. If I'm boondocking I have my small generator for charging the battery. It gets about 8 hours on one gallon of gas if it's just charging the battery and running the regrigerator. It's a 1200 watt peak generator sold at Pep Boys etc. Normally one hour charges the battery fully. Allen It's a size 24. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 It's a size 24. Well that says something about how efficient the marine refer is. I may, will have to look into that one day if ours goes poop. Would like to hear more about the generator, is it as quiet as the Honda's? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motoyhomme Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Would like to hear more about the generator, is it as quiet as the Honda's? It is comparable to the Honda, I tried to upload a video but it was too big. Anyway it is in the 65 to 68db range. It's downside is that it is a 2-cycle. It's lighter than the Honda and not as tall. I erred earlier when I said that it ran 8 hrs on one tank, it is only 6 hrs at half load. I use it only for keeping the battery topped up and maybe running the 800 watt microwave sometimes. Anyway it's cheaper than rigging solar and larger batteries or carrying around a honda. This one fits in my storage compartment, the Honda and clones will not, and the price is just right....cheap! Allen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChairmanMeow7 Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 What size (AC) fridges are we talking about ? Do you think an average deep cycle battery (and inverter) could power a small dorm fridge ? I have been "toying" with this idea for the last year or so. Last year (on this forum) I could have swore some folks said you could probably get away with powering a SMALL dorm fridge for a day or so. And most likely within a day I would either be plugged into shore power , or putting some miles on the road. I do have a HD 160 amp alternator , and shouldn't that recharge the battery with 50-100 miles of driving per day ??? I was looking at a small one that would suit my needs last year , and if I am not mistaken I think it said it ONLY drew about 5-8 amps (does this sound right for a small dorm fridge) ? I really want to find out more about this , and I am glad I didn't go ahead with this last year (if it's going to be a big headache). Usually it's just me , or me and my GF for a 2-4 day trip , and we have been getting by with an ice chest for the time being. It still would be nice to have a working fridge..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChairmanMeow7 Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 Jocko... You said your 4 CF draws about 80 amps ? I thought the formual for finding watts (what the inverter is capable of) was amp x volts , correct ?? If that is true 80 amps times 120 volts would be 9600 watts. Doesn't sound like any inverter would be capable of this. Are you sure you didn't mean 8 amps ? I could have swore I looked at a small one at Wally World last year that said it drew something like 4.5 or 5 amps (does this sound like what a small dorm fridge SHOULD draw) ? Beacuse 5 amps times 120 volts would equal 600 watts (if I am not mistaken). Can anyone give me any input on this ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futar Posted May 16, 2009 Share Posted May 16, 2009 You're right about volts time amps. However, there's another problem with motors. They draw two to three times the power to start. You would need an inverter with enough peak or surge capacity. By the way I went from the standard size 27 to a size 29 deep cycle. It's only 1/4 inch longer but substantially more power. Jocko...You said your 4 CF draws about 80 amps ? I thought the formual for finding watts (what the inverter is capable of) was amp x volts , correct ?? If that is true 80 amps times 120 volts would be 9600 watts. Doesn't sound like any inverter would be capable of this. Are you sure you didn't mean 8 amps ? I could have swore I looked at a small one at Wally World last year that said it drew something like 4.5 or 5 amps (does this sound like what a small dorm fridge SHOULD draw) ? Beacuse 5 amps times 120 volts would equal 600 watts (if I am not mistaken). Can anyone give me any input on this ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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