Community Forums

skypilot_1 · 01-24-2019, 12:36 AM

Any experience running gas absorption Norcold off Magnum 2000 (pure sign) inverter while traveling. Have 6, 6 volt battery bank and a 170 amp alternator.
Norcold draws about 6 amps on 120 v ac. Which would be 60 amps dc. Tried doing this and house battery voltage read out was jumping between 11.8 - 12.7 volts. Would like to hear from someone that runs their gas frig on the inverter when driving. Thanks

Freqz · 01-24-2019, 01:14 AM

Mine takes a bit less than 500W while it’s running...it’ll take a fair bite from my batteries driving for the day. Mostly I forget to switch it over to propane...

My TT is set up a bit differently though so I don’t pull any charge from my TV while traveling.

twinboat · 01-24-2019, 02:13 AM

I did it with my class C and it worked. The alternator kept up with the draw.

I built a device that switched it back to gas If the battery dropped below 13.3 volts. It would switch to gas while at a stop, when the alternator couldn't keep up, or when we shut down.

Because the fridge used so little gas anyway, I eventualy removed it from the inverter circuit, and let it run on gas, unless on shore or generator power.

lajuene · 01-26-2019, 05:23 PM

We were boondocking and our LP was getting low so I plugged the Norcold 1201LRIM into our out door outlet which is powered by our inverter. Worked ok but it was pulling about 34A DC so we had to keep an eye on our batteries. Shut the fridge off overnight and it was still cold enough in the morning when the solar panels could deal with the 34A draw better. We're going to have the fridge converted to compressor 12V or 110V (not decided yet) at JC Refrigeration in Indiana (I think) in September.

twinboat · 01-26-2019, 06:35 PM

The compressor fridges will use much less energy then absorbsion models.

My 8 cubic foot 120 volt fridge uses 1 amp @120 volts. That's only 10 amps thru the inverter and it only runs 1/3 of the time. That's under 4 AHs.

skypilot_1 · 01-27-2019, 06:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lajuene

We were boondocking and our LP was getting low so I plugged the Norcold 1201LRIM into our out door outlet which is powered by our inverter. Worked ok but it was pulling about 34A DC so we had to keep an eye on our batteries. Shut the fridge off overnight and it was still cold enough in the morning when the solar panels could deal with the 34A draw better. We're going to have the fridge converted to compressor 12V or 110V (not decided yet) at JC Refrigeration in Indiana (I think) in September.

i spoke to a member here or the "other TMH site" that had the JC conversion done last year. Wanted to hear about his experience with it, but lost track of him. I like the idea of ac compressor on Norcold do to less current draw then
larger RR and eliminates the fire hazard. We dry camp in Key West for up to 28 days at a time. And $olar won't cover us full time. Run a Honda 2000 to charge battery bank quickly.
Anyone have any back ground info on JC converted frig ?

Soppy · 01-27-2019, 06:58 AM

I run mine with an inverter while traveling. I build a device that will turn on the inverter after the engine is started and turns it off when the engine is shut down (with voltage monitoring & delays). I select my fridge to AC only while traveling . My old P30 has a 130 amp alternator and keeps up just fine. My fridge only draws 3 amps at 120 volts. The main reason for doing this was to prevent the fridge from operating if we parked off the road in an off level situation for wildlife photography .

Jon_C · 01-27-2019, 07:24 AM

I run mine on an aims 5000 watt pure sine inverter with 340 amp alternator along with 1 roof a/c in the summer. My setup is almost llike being plugged into 30a service. My genny is propane it saves it for when we boondock. Makes no difference in mileage best i can tell.

fcbbob15 · 01-27-2019, 07:36 AM

I run mine on the inverter while traveling also. Alternator handles it with no issues. Added a switch so I don't have to change plugs. Just didn't want the propane on while driving.

Freqz · 01-28-2019, 12:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skypilot_1

i spoke to a member here or the "other TMH site" that had the JC conversion done last year. Wanted to hear about his experience with it, but lost track of him. I like the idea of ac compressor on Norcold do to less current draw then
larger RR and eliminates the fire hazard. We dry camp in Key West for up to 28 days at a time. And $olar won't cover us full time. Run a Honda 2000 to charge battery bank quickly.
Anyone have any back ground info on JC converted frig ?

Ive seen some YouTube’s and whatnot— enough that my curiosity is definitely piqued.

vsheetz · 01-28-2019, 12:18 AM

Our previous coach was a gasser with norcold 1200. 2000w inverter and 4 GC2 batterues. Routinely ran the Norcold from the inverter while traveling. Worked ok.

nvs4602 · 01-28-2019, 12:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lajuene

We were boondocking and our LP was getting low so I plugged the Norcold 1201LRIM into our out door outlet which is powered by our inverter. Worked ok but it was pulling about 34A DC so we had to keep an eye on our batteries. Shut the fridge off overnight and it was still cold enough in the morning when the solar panels could deal with the 34A draw better. We're going to have the fridge converted to compressor 12V or 110V (not decided yet) at JC Refrigeration in Indiana (I think) in September.

You may just want to install a standard Norcold AC/DC compressor refrigerator, instead of the conversion. Sell you working LP unit and offset the cost.
https://www.amazon.com/Norcold-DE006...SIN=B00GIHUGIA

skypilot_1 · 01-28-2019, 08:08 AM

Because of our dry campin stays we looked into the ac/dc frig. Just couldn't make it work with a 7 cubic ft frig. These are primarily used in marine apps where propane not workable.

jporietis · 01-28-2019, 08:18 AM

What didn't work with a 7 cu ft fridge?
I replaced my 7 with a 9 cu ft Nova cool 12v compressor fridge. The Nova cool is a perfect fit. Uses 5 amps running, needs no inverter or extra batteries or additional wiring. Way better temp controll, no need to pre cool 24 hours before trip.
We full time and I stalled Nova cool two years ago and am more than happy