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Old 10-06-2020, 08:19 PM   #15
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A 12v danfoss compressor fridge under 5 cuft will use less power than a propane fridge once you include master propane solenoid draw. Not sure about the energy draw on danfoss fridges larger than 5 cuft. Propane fridges don't keep food cold when it's hot, don't keep food cold when it's cold, don't work at altitude, don't work on angles, frost over instantaneously, take 4 years to cool down, require two huge energy wasting holes in the side of your rig.....

Get a second solar panel and a real fridge. You'll never look back.
I had J.C. Refrigeration redo my refrigerator. New cooling unit new fans new fin fan, Fridge cools in 4 hours, On #4 setting freezer -3 and box 34. This is the second motorhome I had done this way. 3year warranty, additional 3 years for $125.00
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Old 10-06-2020, 09:24 PM   #16
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Folks with propane fridges seem to think they run on fairy dust. They use a few amps to run the circuit board and another amp for the master propane solenoid. If you get a danfoss compressor fridge from isotherm or dometic or whoever, you get a fridge that is more or nearly as efficient as a propane fridge with none of the comprises. I'm not talking about a fridge you pick up at Kmart, but a quality danfoss compressor fridge. And, while expensive, they still cost less than a propane fridge.

So to buckmeister, what model 12V fridge will be in your rig? What size is it? And will your rig have a generator? I'm pretty sure I can find a compressor fridge that will outperform a propane fridge.
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Old 10-06-2020, 10:19 PM   #17
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Just to say: I appreciate this discussion and that its got my attention. Thanks for the thoughtful posts!
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Old 10-06-2020, 10:35 PM   #18
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A 12v danfoss compressor fridge under 5 cuft will use less power than a propane fridge once you include master propane solenoid draw. Not sure about the energy draw on danfoss fridges larger than 5 cuft. Propane fridges don't keep food cold when it's hot, don't keep food cold when it's cold, don't work at altitude, don't work on angles, frost over instantaneously, take 4 years to cool down, require two huge energy wasting holes in the side of your rig.....

Get a second solar panel and a real fridge. You'll never look back.
Hmmm ... the situation with my Norcold ~6.3cf propane RV refrig is about the opposite of what you list above. We've had our Class C with it's Norcold for about 14 years, and:

1. It keeps food cold when its hot - I just set the temperature switch higher above it's mid-range setting.

2. So how does it have to be (outside) before our Norcold won't cool? I don't know yet - but probably I could merely and temporarily block the outside wall vents during cold temps to keep it operating.

3. My Norcold has never quit at altitude yet - so far over 11,000 feet.

4. My Norcold works at any camping angle we can tolerate inside the coach. When driving, of course temporary road angles are a non-issue with a propane refrigerator. (I'd level the RV even if it had a compressor refrig.)

5. In about 14 years of use, I've NEVER had to defrost our Norcold.

6. Mine cools down in about 4 hours - about the same from scratch as our $5000 stick house dual compressor refrigerator.

7. The two exterior wall holes for our Norcold of course are closed off from the rest of the coach's interior - they only open to the back of the refrigerator in it's enclosed cabinet, so those openings don't waste any BTU energy coming in or going out.

For what it's worth, this guy thought highly of absorption refrigerator technology: https://www.wired.com/story/einstein...-refrigerator/
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Old 10-06-2020, 10:46 PM   #19
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X1 here..Thanks!...My 33yr old Norcold is still fine, just keeping my eyes and ears open..
I just took a computer fan and installed it in the back side of the cooling unit..
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Old 10-06-2020, 10:46 PM   #20
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Additionally, ff someone is using an unmodified electric propane valve they have other more serious problems than refrigeration power requirements and they had better have an extra 100aH of Lithium just to operate the propane valve if they are using stock equipment which comes with one of these ridiculous "features". For coaches with electric propane valves I recommend adding a special circuit that delivers a lot of current (normal amount) up front to pull the valve open and then switches to and idle current as the "hold current" which is much less amperage.cutoff valve by the tank and run that rod to the side or out the back where it could be manually operated, but that is only what I personally would do.

Actually - with the advent of that propane valve, it was clear that coach mfgs were dismissing boondockers long before they tossed the propane fridge out for the electric one. Follow the money is the best explanation on that.
I clipped the above from an earlier post of yours in this discussion thread ... and I'm curious:

What is a modified propane valve that can cut down on a propane refrigerator's hold-open-solenoid battery draw?

Is that something I can have my RV repair shop install?

Do I have to DIY one of these, or can they be purchased?
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Old 10-07-2020, 04:45 AM   #21
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My new fifth wheel came with a Norcold 12v compressor fridge. It's 10 cubic feet which is nice for space. It has a night mode which reduces load on the battery. Supposedly it draws 5.7 amps in normal mode and 3.7 in night mode. It lasts for 8 hours and is intended to be used overnight when dry camping. I would say it's a situation of how you camp whether the compressor fridge will work out for you. It's just a few weeks old so I have limited experience. I have 225 ah of 6 volt batteries and carry a generator. I found in the 2 dry camping trips we have taken thus far, running the generator about 2.5 -3 hours per day is working well for recharging after I changed the converter to a Progressive Dynamics with charge wizard. But we were camping where generator hours were restricted so that was a factor that had to be addressed and worked around for outings and such. As previous comments stated, for extended dry camping I would want a solar setup sized to handle the usage or stick with an absorption fridge. I did set out a 200 watt portable solar panel on our second trip but a shady campsite/weather negated any real benefit from it. We are pretty sparse on our usage (lights and furnace as needed). I ran the generator late each day until 7pm. (2 hours). This usually charged us to about 85%. My monitor showed a drop of 20-25% overnight to 9am the next morning. That was using the furnace some during the night.

I do like the fridge for space and operating characteristics but when dry camping will require a bit more generator run time than before and will have to be addressed every day to stay above 50% charge in my case. For our mix of camping it will probably work out ok. We have a week long dry camping trip planned so we will have more run time with it. Again, I have limited usage, but wanted to share my experience with it thus far.
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Old 10-07-2020, 04:32 PM   #22
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Here's a link to a 7 cuft 12V fridge from isotherm that uses approx 65 amps per day. My 5 cuft dometic three way used 60 amps per day on propane (1.5ah for the circuit board and 1ah for the propane solenoid). A comparable 5 cuft 12V fridge uses only 32 amps per day. It's a no brainier.

https://www.indelwebastomarine.com/u...combi-classic/
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Old 10-07-2020, 05:00 PM   #23
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Just got a sprinter with a 5 cf Norcold absorption fridge, electric element draws 250 watts so I can run it off inverter while driving or plugged in, or on propane when stopped. Best of both worlds. Freezer is -14.3 F on propane or electric. I am amazed.
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Old 10-07-2020, 06:10 PM   #24
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Just got a sprinter with a 5 cf Norcold absorption fridge, electric element draws 250 watts so I can run it off inverter while driving or plugged in, or on propane when stopped. Best of both worlds. Freezer is -14.3 F on propane or electric. I am amazed.
I think you're making my point. I assume that's 250w while running on 110v AC. Based on the little info I have, a 5 cuft 12v DC fridge would be more efficient than your three way fridge in all modes. What is the draw running on battery and what is the draw running on propane?
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Old 10-07-2020, 09:23 PM   #25
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I think you're making my point. I assume that's 250w while running on 110v AC. Based on the little info I have, a 5 cuft 12v DC fridge would be more efficient than your three way fridge in all modes. What is the draw running on battery and what is the draw running on propane?
Mine is not set up for battery dc operation, [would require a 12 volt electric element], but would probably be close to 225 watts, but the AC load on 120 volt element is 250 watts, no problem when driving because alternator charges batteries that supplies inverter. Same on SP or generator, 250 watts. When on propane, control circuit will require about .3 amps at 12 volts or about 4 watts. A 12 volt compressor fridge that size would draw about 4 or 5 amps, or 48 to 60 watts to run.
Fine if you have solar and bigger batteries, but for many smaller motorhomes and trailers with no solar and small batteries, extended boondocking will require you to run your generator to recharge the batteries. On my sprinter, 20 gallon propane tank and a small solar panel will allow me over 3 weeks running on propane with no generator. Of course my tanks will not allow that, but for pole to pole people or people with big solar, or people that like running their generator, a compressor fridge is fine.
Personally I like the redundancy of absorption fridges, got caught in a hurricane, and my generator ran out of fuel, but I still had cold beer
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Old 10-08-2020, 01:46 PM   #26
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Mine is not set up for battery dc operation, [would require a 12 volt electric element], but would probably be close to 225 watts, but the AC load on 120 volt element is 250 watts, no problem when driving because alternator charges batteries that supplies inverter. Same on SP or generator, 250 watts. When on propane, control circuit will require about .3 amps at 12 volts or about 4 watts. A 12 volt compressor fridge that size would draw about 4 or 5 amps, or 48 to 60 watts to run.
Fine if you have solar and bigger batteries, but for many smaller motorhomes and trailers with no solar and small batteries, extended boondocking will require you to run your generator to recharge the batteries. On my sprinter, 20 gallon propane tank and a small solar panel will allow me over 3 weeks running on propane with no generator. Of course my tanks will not allow that, but for pole to pole people or people with big solar, or people that like running their generator, a compressor fridge is fine.
Personally I like the redundancy of absorption fridges, got caught in a hurricane, and my generator ran out of fuel, but I still had cold beer
Well stated ... and my feelings exactly!

Considering what RV's cost, I wouldn't have one in the U.S. that's not fully self-contained enough for several days traveling and camping anywhere, anytime, in (about) any conditions ... that's including with or without the sun.

P.S. That 20 gallon propane tank on your Sprinter rig seems quite generous. And here I thought that the 18 gallon one on my 24 ft. Class C was a bit larger than usual for a relatively small rig.
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Old 10-08-2020, 02:16 PM   #27
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Well stated ... and my feelings exactly!

Considering what RV's cost, I wouldn't have one in the U.S. that's not fully self-contained enough for several days traveling and camping anywhere, anytime, in (about) any conditions ... that's including with or without the sun.

P.S. That 20 gallon propane tank on your Sprinter rig seems quite generous. And here I thought that the 18 gallon one on my 24 ft. Class C was a bit larger than usual for a relatively small rig.
That is on the 2020 Wayfarer, on the 2021, they went to a 12 gallon tank with a compressor type fridge, although absorption is available, but they kept the same 90 a/h usable batteries. Go figure.
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Old 10-08-2020, 03:23 PM   #28
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Well stated ... and my feelings exactly!

Considering what RV's cost, I wouldn't have one in the U.S. that's not fully self-contained enough for several days traveling and camping anywhere, anytime, in (about) any conditions ... that's including with or without the sun.

P.S. That 20 gallon propane tank on your Sprinter rig seems quite generous. And here I thought that the 18 gallon one on my 24 ft. Class C was a bit larger than usual for a relatively small rig.
I'm fully self contained, no generator, don't need sun but have a few panels anyway, 12v fridge, can last for 4 - 7 days without moving.
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