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Topic ClosedDometic Fridge on 8 AA batteries?
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podwerkz View Drop Down
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Posts: 966 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Dometic Fridge on 8 AA batteries?
    Posted: 16 Mar 2019 at 3:31pm
Measured standby current on battery, shore power disconnected, with everything off, about 325 ma. 

With fridge turned on, in gas mode, about 400 ma. 

Not as bad as I had suspected. I'm sure some of that is standby for the USB port, which is lit up, and probably a relay or something in the converter, plus the LP detector. The included TV is AC only, so that can be discounted. 

I do hear a relay or something inside click when I remove power....but have not investigated further. I assume that's coming from the converter.

I cant find a tool I need, so, Monday I will resume work after buying a couple of things I need to install the Battle Born. (bigger battery box and a 3/8 hex power drive socket for my drill. I know I have one somewhere, but have misplaced it!)

Once I get all that installed, and get the solar controller and cables all hooked up, and do a bunch of testing while the r-pod is docked at my house, I will venture out with a semi-off grid capable pod.

Stay tuned!
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StephenH View Drop Down
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Posts: 6289 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Mar 2019 at 1:53pm
Originally posted by podwerkz

Originally posted by StephenH

My thinking also is that by the time you pay for the parts, shipping, and installation, you will have paid at least as much, if not more, than the cost of upgrading to dual GC2 6V batteries which will definitely work better in a boondocking situation than a battery pack for the refrigerator and a stock 12V group 24 battery.

Thats a possibility of course, the cost for the part might be stupidly high or even made out of un-obtanium. But I think installation should be easy, the little battery drawer slides out from the 'eye-brow' of the fridge.

I bought (and briefly used) a Battle Born LiFePo4 100ah battery for one of my other trailers and that thing is just begging to be dropped into the r-pod. 

I know the factory WFCO converter charger is not rated for lithium 'per-se', but the Battle Borns are designed as a 'drop-in' replacement for lead-acid RV batteries.

Let the spending begin!

Wink
Please open a separate topic and tell about this Battle Born LiFePo4 battery experience.
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podwerkz View Drop Down
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Posts: 966 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Mar 2019 at 12:46pm
Originally posted by offgrid

My parasitic load is around 150-200 milliamps which is about 3-5 amphours a day, or about 2% of battery capacity daily.

I have not tested the drain yet. 150-200 ma is pretty low, easily offset with my solar panels, with plenty of surplus. I'm getting a few things done to the trailer as we speak, so I'll be testing that with my meter shortly.

I see now why Dometic doesn't advertise or promote this 'feature' over here in the USA.
 
American RVers are just not 'on board' with the idea.

Disapprove
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podwerkz View Drop Down
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Posts: 966 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Mar 2019 at 12:37pm
Originally posted by Our pod

Pull some fuses or flip some circuit breakers, but if you're using LP the sniffer should be on.

Yeah that's a good point. 
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Posts: 62 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Mar 2019 at 12:17pm
Pull some fuses or flip some circuit breakers, but if you're using LP the sniffer should be on.
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Mar 2019 at 12:00pm
I do see what you’re trying to accomplish but I think it might perhaps be better to track down and eliminate the parasitic loads you don’t want, rather than having to buy a bunch of AAs. My parasitic load is around 150-200 milliamps which is about 3-5 amphours a day, or about 2% of battery capacity daily.
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Tars Tarkas View Drop Down
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Posts: 1446 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Mar 2019 at 11:32am
As for saving battery power, the AA batteries are going to cost more to use than your 12v Pod battery.  I think you might do better thinking of how to keep the 12v battery charged.  Solar, generator, etc.  In an emergency you can use your TV battery with jumper cables.  I think the likelihood of food spoiling in the fridge due to not having AA battery backup ought to be very close to nil.  And a discharged Pod battery is something to avoid for more reasons than just the fridge.

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podwerkz View Drop Down
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Posts: 966 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Mar 2019 at 11:17am
Originally posted by StephenH

My thinking also is that by the time you pay for the parts, shipping, and installation, you will have paid at least as much, if not more, than the cost of upgrading to dual GC2 6V batteries which will definitely work better in a boondocking situation than a battery pack for the refrigerator and a stock 12V group 24 battery.

Thats a possibility of course, the cost for the part might be stupidly high or even made out of un-obtanium. But I think installation should be easy, the little battery drawer slides out from the 'eye-brow' of the fridge.

I bought (and briefly used) a Battle Born LiFePo4 100ah battery for one of my other trailers and that thing is just begging to be dropped into the r-pod. 

I know the factory WFCO converter charger is not rated for lithium 'per-se', but the Battle Borns are designed as a 'drop-in' replacement for lead-acid RV batteries.

Let the spending begin!

Wink 
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podwerkz View Drop Down
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Posts: 966 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Mar 2019 at 11:04am
Originally posted by offgrid

..... the AA battery capacity you gain is in the noise, even if the fridge used the AA's up in only a day you wouldn't notice any extended camping time on 12V.

I do think its interesting that the manual states the fridge goes into a power saving mode when on the main 12V power is disconnected and its on the AA's. Not sure why Dometic wouldn't put the fridge in that mode whenever its running on propane. That would be helpful, and maybe there's a way to set that up. 


Well my thinking is that the opportunity to save power will come from turning off the 12v power to the trailer at the main battery, so that several items would then not be drawing ANY power from the main battery: The fridge, the USB ports, the propane detector, the tv pre-amp, standby circuits in the electronic furnace/AC thermostat, etc etc.

The fridge will still be happily running on the AA's, (and propane) while ALL other 12v circuits are shut off. This should net a savings of a few amps, one would think. Over the course of a week with cloudy weather, and lower solar input, things like this can add up.

We all know that these trailers, like most RVs, draw power from the main battery when un-plugged from shore, even if everything is seemingly turned off, because of all the parasitic drains.

In other words, I want to be able to step outside the trailer, flip the battery switch, and kill ALL power to the trailer, and the fridge will still be keeping food cold. 

I suppose one could find those contacts that engage the battery holder, and run a wire to a seperate 12 SLA battery and power the control circuits that way, but that might void the warranty that the fridge has.

Anyway, just a thought at this point.
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StephenH View Drop Down
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Posts: 6289 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Mar 2019 at 10:14am
My thinking also is that by the time you pay for the parts, shipping, and installation, you will have paid at least as much, if not more, than the cost of upgrading to dual GC2 6V batteries which will definitely work better in a boondocking situation than a battery pack for the refrigerator and a stock 12V group 24 battery.
StephenH
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