Keeping refrigarator cold while driving - Event Date: 26 Jul 2014 |
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hogone
Senior Member Joined: 09 Apr 2013 Location: St. Louis Online Status: Offline Posts: 1043 |
Calendar Event: Keeping refrigarator cold while driving Posted: 24 Sep 2014 at 6:17am |
a while back (last year) i noticed that my fridge was not as cold as normal (it was on battery on the coldest setting). i cycled thru the temp settings a few times back to the coldest. world of difference. i do that everytime i turn my fridge on now. hogone
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Jon & Pam
2013 RP177 2010 F150 2017 HD Streetglide 2009 HD Lowrider CHEESEHEAD |
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NormanHill
Groupie Joined: 30 Mar 2014 Online Status: Offline Posts: 49 |
Posted: 23 Sep 2014 at 11:38pm |
My TV is an F150 with a tow package and the fridge stays cold on 12V whether on the road, or when I'm parked with it plugged in and AC charging the battery.
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techntrek
Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9059 |
Posted: 22 Sep 2014 at 10:05pm |
Welcome. At 12 volts voltage drop is a big problem, so every foot of larger wire (less resistance) is a bonus.
Technically you should have a fuse near the battery that will blow before the wire burns up. That said, my GM's factory 12 gauge line has a 40 amp fuse on the end. I don't know how they justify that.
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Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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M0tl3y
Groupie Joined: 21 Sep 2014 Location: Utah Online Status: Offline Posts: 61 |
Posted: 22 Sep 2014 at 9:48pm |
Help me understand the physics of running anything larger than 10 gauge wire to the 7-pin? I ask because the trailer wiring charge line is probably not larger than 10 gauge (that's the largest I've seen in any installation, but I'll admit I don't know what FR put in the R-Pod).
In other words, if you run 6 gauge in the TV, but the TT has 10 gauge, does it do any good? On a semi-related note: if the fridge and battery charging are drawing more amperage than the 10 gauge can provide, do you run the risk of overheating the wire? On a semi-semi-related note: my TV has solid-core 10 gauge copper to the 7-pin, I understand this can carry higher amperage (and heat) than stranded and may be comparable to 8 gauge stranded copper (or stranded copper-coated aluminum) Thanks
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The 178 club
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3ofUs
Groupie Joined: 12 Jul 2014 Location: TN Online Status: Offline Posts: 99 |
Posted: 20 Aug 2014 at 7:05pm |
I see you are about four or five hours from us, but we bought our pod last summer at Boat N RV, Rockwood TN, I believe Exit 388 off I-40 going toward Knoxville. They sell the pods and are a Forest River Dealer. We had warranty work performed last month and service was excellent. They have a nice waiting area, and there is a restaurant/bar attached to the facility.
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techntrek
Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9059 |
Posted: 20 Aug 2014 at 6:07pm |
It may take some time to find one, but they are out there. They get paid for warranty work so you just need to find the one that has time on his schedule and wants the $.
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Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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Oddpod
Newbie Joined: 19 Jun 2014 Location: mid Kentucky Online Status: Offline Posts: 5 |
Posted: 19 Aug 2014 at 5:42pm |
Thanks all, I will make sure my DH sees the posts! Unfortunately we got the pod in NC because no one closer had that model on the lot and it was the best deal (super in fact) at that distance (Michigan was the only other one). I will have to contact the Louisville dealers to see if they will work with us.
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Larry, Erin, Lindsay, Caitlyn and Jules the lab
R pod 176 |
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Outbound
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 19 Nov 2009 Location: Oshawa, Ontario Online Status: Offline Posts: 767 |
Posted: 19 Aug 2014 at 2:23pm |
Oddpod, you should really have someone look at your fridge.
My (five year old) r-pod is kept in a storage lot without power, so I don't have the luxury of being able to precool the fridge before heading out. I'll just bring a fridge and freezer full of cold/frozen food to the trailer, load it up, turn on the propane and head out. With a fridge full of food, it cools down very quickly (much more quickly than when empty). So quickly, in fact, that ice cream (or even runnier frozen yogurt) doesn't have a chance to soften up.
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Craig :: 2009 RP171 towed by a 2017 F150
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techntrek
Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9059 |
Posted: 19 Aug 2014 at 1:08pm |
Not too old, the last post was less than 2 weeks ago. We like to recycle electrons around here anyway.
If your fridge is still under warranty, get it fixed. It should cool down within hours (assuming you don't put warm drinks in it) and have no problems keeping things cool. If you aren't within warranty, things could get very expensive. I'm having problems only with the gas mode on mine, and the dealer said the 8501 model used in the pods is an import - and parts are only imported. He thinks my gas valve is bad and instead of costing $69, it will cost over $400. I can buy a new domestically-sourced fridge for $600! Or one of these Indel portable fridges for less. Driving while using the propane mode is perfectly safe. You are correct you'll have problems using the DC mode unless the wiring feeding your 7-pin Bargeman is large enough. I finally checked out the factory wiring on my Chevy and it is 12 gauge, which is too small. I just added a 10 gauge which effectively gives me 8 gauge (using the 12 and 10 in parallel). If this is a job you can't do, any local mechanic should be able to do it in a half hour. The portable fridges like the ARB and Indel should last 24 hours or more on a deep cycle battery, closer to 55 hours with two batteries in parallel. So if you can recharge from utility power, a generator, or from your TV in that time frame a solar system may not be necessary. A 2nd battery is a lot cheaper too.
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Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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Oddpod
Newbie Joined: 19 Jun 2014 Location: mid Kentucky Online Status: Offline Posts: 5 |
Posted: 19 Aug 2014 at 12:32pm |
Sorry, I guess this thread is not so old....I must have been looking at someone's join date. Still, has anyone gotten any of these products since the last post? Has anyone hooked up a truck fridge to solar panels via marine battery/battery minder setup for dry camping as a backup system?
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Larry, Erin, Lindsay, Caitlyn and Jules the lab
R pod 176 |
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