operating refrigerator on gas--HELP

Originally posted by Harry Another related questIon:  a month ago we got caught in PEI in our R-pod when Hurricane Arthur hit.  The campground lost power for over a full day.  When it happened,  I immediately switched the fridge to propane.  But, the battery eventually lost power and the fridge shut off and I couldn't relight it.  I assume that 12 volts must be present for the propane function to work... correct?  I also,suspect that my battery is not holding a charge properly, so that's another issue I will have to sort out. Thanks for any comments.

It's unfortunate that modern RV refrigerators pull any electricity when running as it's quite unnecessary. The typical draw on one is about 1-1.5 amps. Given that you have about 1 amp of draw coming from other sources uncontrollably like the propane detector, this means a single, new, typical (~75 amp hour) marine battery would last for about 30-36 hours if you used nothing else (lights, water pump, fan, etc.).

If your battery is old (>5 years) and/or hasn't been on a good battery maintainer, it's capacity may be significantly reduced from this. Batteries must not be left in a less-than-fully charged state for long at all, and keeping a battery maintainer connected to it all the time (when you're not camping) is best. Both Battery Tender (http://smile.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-021-0123-Junior-Charger/dp/B000CITK8S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406651804&sr=8-1&keywords=battery+tender) and Battery Minder (http://smile.amazon.com/BatteryMINDer-Charger-Maintainer-Desulfator-System/dp/B00D7HZ6FC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406651876&sr=8-1&keywords=battery+minder) are some of the best brands of maintainers. I believe that the Battery Minder linked above is one of the best you'll find for its size, though it's a bit pricier than a similar Battery Tender.

You're experience is not unique. Everyone who dry camps at all deals with this issue. This is why so many Podders carry at least two batteries (preferably golf cart batteries; they're more durable and higher capacity usually) and/or get solar panel setups (though they might not have been helpful in your situation; they don't work when it's not sunny ) or generators to help recharge their batteries. An overlooked method that will work perfectly fine also is to get at least an 800 watt inverter, connect this with alligator clamps directly to your tow vehicle's battery, connect a 30 amp smart charger to the inverter, and then run your car (be sure to run your car while doing this or you'll drain your car battery). This will replenish most of a single battery's power in a couple of hours at most.

Don't worry about it.  I discussed the properties of gasoline in prior discussions here, which make it nearly impossible for the flame at the back of your fridge to be a danger at a gas station.

Thanks for all the comments and information.

Since this is our first RV, too, I have some questions about operating the fridge. I had a fully charged battery and attempted to turn the fridge on, first with electrical - which it fired right up. Next I tried to switch it to propane (tank valve was open), but the warning light on the right end of the control pad began flashing and beeping. The fridge wasn't running. When I cycled it back to electric, it stopped the warning. What was that about?

We are taking the pod out for it's maiden voyage this weekend, just a local run to a campground to hook it up to 30A and make sure that all of the systems work. A little concerned about firing up the water heater, furnace, tv, microwave/convection, using the water pump and having everything work as it should. Speaking of which, turning on the water heater, I think he showed us a valve or igniter behind the panel on the outside of the RV that had to be turned on or something. Anyone that could walk me through the steps for that? (Model 177 pod)

Thanks!

Hi Henksailor: