RV Refridgerator question

[TJDave]

I read on another website that it is not good for your RV fridge to be running while you are driving down the road. Has anyone heard of this?

I haven't, and have been running down the road for years with my fridge running off propane. I have never had a problem with my previous camper, or the current motorhome. Also, the dealers I bought both of them from never mentioned a word on the subject.

With all the RV owners on here, I thought I would ask the question, "Is your refridgerator running?"

[tobyw]

We run ours on LPG whenever we aren't on shore power, and that includes time spent cruising down the hiways and byways of this fine country

[SquirrelCrusher]

My parents run theirs going down the road. Only time they won't run it on propane is if they park for a period of time and can't level the RV or if they are plugged in to power

[iaccocca]

My owners manual says they are happy running while you're rolling, but with my set up it runs on 12 volt while we are moving.

And at squirrel... level is not important for the power supply, it is important for the cooling unit. If not moving, it is important that the fridge be level no matter 12 volt, 110, or propane.

[Lurch]

Be carefull running on 12 volt. Your batery will be dead by the time you get to camp. I learned that the hard way. I also HIGHLY recomend converting to dual 6 volt batteries (glolf cart) if you can find the room. They will last way longer then even dual 12 volts.

[iaccocca]

Mine is set up to charge off of the tow rig... do you think the draw is greater than what alt can supply?

[Wrench]

It will not hurt the refr to run it while driving down the road. The pilot may blow out, though, but all the newer refr's will just relight themselves if that happens.

-if running on propane, I believe there is a law that says you cannot come within ~50 feet of a refueling station. You must turn your fridge off of propane before you pull in.
-if running on 12v, be sure your charge line from your vehicle is operational. If not, it will kill the RV battery in a matter of hours. Amp draw is about 20a on 12v. Most charge lines are 30a, and sometimes 40a (most camper applications)
-If your camper battery is very low and you have the refr on 12v, you will most likely blow the tow vehicles charge line fuse when you initially connect.
-A standard Group 24 is about 80-90 AH new, so you'll be lucky to get 4 hours running straight off the battery. Group 27's are around 100-110ah each. A pair of 6v's are about 230ah for the pair.

Lee is right about the level, though. The cooling unit is designed to circulate the refrigerant by gravity (no pump involved), and MUST be within a few degrees of level. If not, a hot spot can develope quickly and coke up the passage, often permanently blocking the flow in the unit and rendering it useless. Cooling units generally cost $800-1200, not including the 2+ hours of labor required to replace them.

[Wrench]

Mine is set up to charge off of the tow rig... do you think the draw is greater than what alt can supply?

Even the smaller alternators peak around 60a (plenty). Most the larger trucks are around 120-160a.

[mattawajeep]

Think most of the decked out TJ alternators are around 90 amps (I would imagine Lee's rubicon definitely has the big one).

So...

Running all lights - ~15 amps

CB - ~1-2 amps

Theoretical max draw for my radio - ~33

Fridge - ~20

That's only 70 amps and I doubt the vehicle would be running both sets of lights and have the radio on full blast long enough to cause problems.

Anyone know how much all the other necessary electronics in an average vehicle draw?

[iaccocca]

So maybe I shouldn't run the winch with the fridge on...

[TJDave]

So maybe I shouldn't run the winch with the fridge on...

That will depend on where you pick your campsite, and how long it will take you to winch up to it!