Keeping refrigarator cold while driving - Event Date: 26 Jul 2014

Originally posted by CharlieM Originally posted by Outbound Yes, my fridge works perfectly fine on 12v.  It doesn't cool down as fast as propane (or even AC), but it certainly maintains a cold fridge. But, I did install and wire my vehicle's Bargman connector myself and used 6 gauge wire (and a 20 amp self-resetting fuse) on the charge line.  That's the solution.If you've got 12 or 14 gauge wire on your charge line, it may very well be providing only a trickle charge to your trailer.  And that's the problem. Unfortunately auto makers who install Bargmans seem to think we're just going to charge cell phones. A larger wire would also facilitate more recharge driving from site to site.

From what I've seen and heard from others, nearly all factory-installed charge lines going to the trailer use 14 gauge wire. The maximum 12 volt amperage that line can handle over that length is about 5 amps. And a quick Google search indicates that RV refrigerators typically pull 5-8 amps of 12 volt power when the compressor is running.

So unless you have thicker power line coming from your vehicle, your compressor might draw down your battery, but considering that the compressor won't be running continuously, this might never happen and would at least take a long to happen. If your fridge is already cold, your compressor won't be running very often, and your batteries shouldn't run down much, if any.

That being said, your vehicle is obviously only charging your Pod when it's running. Stopping for 1-2 hours may put a dent in your Pod's batteries, but it certainly shouldn't drain them. Most deep-cycle batteries have at least 75 amp hours of power when fully charged.

To be honest though, I don't know why so many people are afraid of running their fridge on propane while driving. I've only rarely heard of accidents by hearsay and even that only on the Internet. Just shut it off when you're refueling and you'll be just fine.

Originally posted by Outbound Yes, my fridge works perfectly fine on 12v.  It doesn't cool down as fast as propane (or even AC), but it certainly maintains a cold fridge. But, I did install and wire my vehicle's Bargman connector myself and used 6 gauge wire (and a 20 amp self-resetting fuse) on the charge line.  That's the solution. If you've got 12 or 14 gauge wire on your charge line, it may very well be providing only a trickle charge to your trailer.  And that's the problem.

Unfortunately auto makers who install Bargmans seem to think we're just going to charge cell phones. A larger wire would also facilitate more recharge driving from site to site.

We use to run on propane in our Aliner until our friend said to use the 12 volt. Yes papabear is right your vehicle on the road will be charging your battery constantly. We continue to use 12 volt with RPod and every thing is very cold. Put a fridge thermometer in there so you can see the temperture. 38 on the highest setting when on the road and I take it down one setting once set up at camp on electricity. 40-42 is good unless you are opening the door a lot.