Community Forums

Uvalde Kid · 03-20-2021, 02:36 PM

Can I run my refrigerator and Dometic freezer overnight on battery alone? I can’t run the generator after a certain hour and there is no power available. I am worried I will either lose all my food or draw the batteries down too far. Thoughts?

jrs · 03-20-2021, 02:48 PM

Sorry but I only have the refer and overnight is fine with the 8 batteries in our all electric rig option. You might want to share if you have 8 batteries.
You can also set it up to automatically start the generator when the batteries drain to a set point. Good luck!

Grandad5 · 03-20-2021, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uvalde Kid

Can I run my refrigerator and Dometic freezer overnight on battery alone? I can’t run the generator after a certain hour and there is no power available. I am worried I will either lose all my food or draw the batteries down too far. Thoughts?

It shouldn't be an issue if that's all your running.
If you have the option, switch it to gas.

Dutch Star Don · 03-20-2021, 09:46 PM

Make sure you have a full charge on the batteries by quiet time. You'll be fine running all night. The freezer and the refer will not come on as often as you think.

We have a 2019 DS all electric and I run the refer all night without issue. That also includes about 6-7 hours of TV and sat receiver use.

Uvalde Kid · 03-21-2021, 06:08 AM

Since I am fairly new to this and this is my first Newmar Dutch Star, do you know of a place for tutorials on the various equipment on the coach? Thanks for the other information. David.

Fiesta48 · 03-21-2021, 06:18 AM

We've run our residential refrigerator on 6 house batteries overnight many times. Hardly ran batteries down.

Fiesta48 · 03-21-2021, 06:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uvalde Kid

Since I am fairly new to this and this is my first Newmar Dutch Star, do you know of a place for tutorials on the various equipment on the coach? Thanks for the other information. David.

If you got a question post it here. But try doing a search first. Every question imaginable has been asked many times before.

USMCRET · 03-21-2021, 06:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uvalde Kid

Since I am fairly new to this and this is my first Newmar Dutch Star, do you know of a place for tutorials on the various equipment on the coach? Thanks for the other information. David.

May I ask which dealer you purchased from?

You can find a lot of information in Newmar’s Newgle system. You have to request an account, provide your coach nr and VIN, then you will have access.

https://www.newmarcorp.com/owner-tools/newgle/

Uvalde Kid · 03-22-2021, 06:03 AM

First of all, thanks to the other participants who responded helpfully. However, I am saddened by the last two responses.

I thought this site would be different from other social media. When I asked about tutorials by device (e.g. inverter), I had looked at Newgle. Newgle has some reference material, but not a how to tutorial area. I had also tried unsuccessfully where I purchased the coach. To have two responders act like I am abusing this site is ridiculous and a sad commentary to where we are now as a society.

PanJH · 03-22-2021, 06:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uvalde Kid

First of all, thanks to the other participants who responded helpfully. However, I am saddened by the last two responses.

I thought this site would be different from other social media. When I asked about tutorials by device (e.g. inverter), I had looked at Newgle. Newgle has some reference material, but not a how to tutorial area. I had also tried unsuccessfully where I purchased the coach. To have two responders act like I am abusing this site is ridiculous and a sad commentary to where we are now as a society.

I read and re-read the last two responses. I see nothing wrong with them. They were constructively pointing you to two valuable resources... Newmar and the dealer that sold you the coach.

New2road · 03-22-2021, 07:40 AM

David, welcome to the forums. Everyone who joins has a different level of understanding and experience. It is sometimes hard from a question to discern that level, and most folks don't want to assume it.

We just picked up our second coach, and like you, are living a steep learning curve. The systems on these DP's are sophisticated and challenging to master. We did things backwards; we did a factory pick up at Newmar on our gas rig that was pretty simple to operate. 5 days of factory tech instruction and help. I was confident when I left. Our new coach was a dealer delivery that was systematic, but nowhere near as comprehensive as the previous.

I know i didn't ask our tech about battery capacity while dry camping, likely because we never do that.

I guaranty you, ask specific questions and you will get the answers you need. this is great place for that. I have been guilty of forgetting that google and search are friendly tools, usually i am neck deep in an issue and am struggling for an answer. Some well meaning coaching usually gets me back on track. DW might disagree.

Good luck with your rig.

Prof_T · 03-22-2021, 05:15 PM

You should be OK. Make sure that only the refrigerator and freezer are powered on. Turn off all the breakers except those for the refrigerator and freezer. Parasitic loses are endemic to coaches.

Arch Hoagland · 03-22-2021, 06:32 PM

Ulvalde Kid...It might be interesting to test it out while the coach is sitting in your driveway for a couple nights, then you would know for sure how long the batteries will last.

MikeyG · 03-22-2021, 06:55 PM

Uvalde Kid:
We dry camp a lot and our DS is all electric. I run the house and basement refers all night during the summer with no problem. As DS Don said, make sure your batteries are topped off before quiet hours. I'll run the generator a couple hours in the morning and a couple hours in the early evening.
I upgraded my Magnum remote to the ME-ARC and added a BMK to the house battery bank so I can monitor the battery bank by percentage or state of charge (SOC) instead of by volts. You can also set your AGS to start the genny based on SOC. Its much more accurate than monitoring just the voltage. There are a few good threads on that upgrade on this site. Here is one DS Don posted. https://www.irv2.com/forums/f103/inv...gs-426608.html