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

Originally posted by GingerPod Good info Charlie, If the TV is set up from the factory,I/E "tow package" like on full size domestic trucks,it is possible to travel down the road with the fridge on DC. with no ill effects. Of course propane is so much more efficient.But nice to have that option should you run out of propane on the way home from your camping adventure,especially  during a cold snap when propane use could be higher than planned. Now I can't speak for all Models,but my Silverado with the "tow package", has a 12 ga. wire, a dedicated stud pickup with a 40amp fuse  and a 120amp alternator feeding the Bargmans connector.It seems GM was thinking ahead on this one.More power than the Fridge could ever use if needed.

The answer to the first question is yes if the truck is really wired correctly. This can be checked with a meter comparing the TT battery voltage with and without the truck engine running.

If the truck uses a #12 wire with a 40A fuse you have an excellent candidate for a recall, and a fire. A #12 wire should be protected by a 20A fuse. That wire will melt and catch fire before the 40A fuse ever thinks about blowing. That said, the #12 will drop so much voltage over the 15'-20' to the Bargman that you'll get very little charge. I think many US manufactures use #10 on the charge line and even that's too small. With a 40A fuse the wire should be #8; six would be even better for charging.

After having learned how absorption and compressor refrigeration both work, I've discovered a new technology for refrigeration that involves the use of magnets!

See this video for a brief overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlKKKMTA7XM

Apparently, certain metal alloys get hotter or colder when brought into contact with magnets. Once they get colder, for instance, you can pass a liquid over or through them which is then carried to what you want to cool.

Right now, this requires a fair amount of space but could probably be fitted into a house sized refrigerator. But they're working on reducing it down to a pump about the size of a car alternator. At that point, it sounds like it would be a very viable new way of cooling things without a lot of space.

However, it would require electricity to move the magnets, so I'm not sure if it would ever be as good in a RV situation as propane. The amount of energy in your propane tank is many times greater than what is in your batteries. A single deep-cycle marine battery has about the equivalent electrical power as five CUPS of liquid propane. A 20 pound propane tank has a little more potential power than 25 typical marine batteries.

I live in Colorado and our dealer mentioned that altitude plays a part. For those running on 12V, where are you using yours?

Well I've learned something new on this forum yet again! A compressor-less refrigerator....interesting.

Very few TVs are going to provide a 10 amp charge to the Pod while running. So if you run the fridge on 12V, you're most likely going to drain your batteries at least 5 amps per hours even with the TV running, which isn't a good idea, especially if you're a dry camper like me.

So just go with propane!

The Dometic in the Pods does not have a compressor. It is an absorption system that requires a heat source, either gas or electric, for operation. Therefore you'll never hear a compressor running. The way the Dometic is made it will be "running" at almost any outside temperature above 50F. The small Dometic in the Pods is spec'ed at 10 Amps on 12V. That's 10 Amp-Hrs per hour, a significant load on a battery. 25% of a single GP24 battery when sitting for two hours in a parking over lunch. Recharge while driving is vehicle dependent, but probably a break even at best. Don't count on significant gain while driving if the fridge is on 12V.

All that said, I agree propane is best, even on the road. The current OPD valves on propane bottles provide excellent protection even with a severed gas line downstream. For non-automatic fridges such as in the Pods I run them on gas at the CG to protect against CG power failures.