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01-22-2013, 04:53 PM
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#21
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Senior Member
Name: Dave W
Trailer: Trillium 4500 - 1976, 1978, 1979, 1300 - 1977, and a 1973
Alberta
Posts: 6,926
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Hammel
Highly efficient 12v fridges use less than 3 amps while running. At 75-80 degree Fahrenheit it will run approx 30% of the time to stay ice cold. Approx 24 amps a day. With dual 6v golf cart batteries you can go several days without any sun. I had a single worn out deep cycle with no solar and went 2 days often.
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Sorry to be the grammar police, but I think you mean 24 A hrs. Or the equivalent of 1 amp for 24 hrs.
Now that it is corrected, this looks kinda silly.
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01-22-2013, 05:27 PM
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#22
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Senior Member
Name: Mon
Trailer: 13' 2008 Scamp...YAY!
Missouri
Posts: 243
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Hammel
Highly efficient 12v fridges use less than 3 amps while running. At 75-80 degree Fahrenheit it will run approx 30% of the time to stay ice cold. Approx 24 amps a day. With dual 6v golf cart batteries you can go several days without any sun. I had a single worn out deep cycle with no solar and went 2 days often.
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Steve, do you have the chest type fridge or the front door type? What company made it?
Mon
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01-22-2013, 05:36 PM
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#23
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Senior Member
Name: Mike
Trailer: 2012 Escape 19
Oklahoma
Posts: 6,020
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Low amp draw 12v fridges usually use a Danfoss compressor. I think Waeco is one brand you could look at.
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01-22-2013, 05:57 PM
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#24
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Senior Member
Trailer: Trillium 4500
Posts: 2,050
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Thanks David, DUUHHH! What was I thinking?
They are all open front like a regular fridge. My first 12v was a Norcold 2.7 cu ft. Loved it and it fit perfectly into the fridge space in my Trillium 4500. Next and current is a Waeco 1.7 cu ft. It is obviously very solidly built and works wonderful but I want something a bit larger. I am about to purchase a Norcold 3.2 cu ft. By the way they all run off the same size Danfoss compressor.
Here is an interesting link comparing the Danfoss compressor with the Japanese compressor used in the Engel fridges. The Danfoss is far superior.
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ges-55758.html
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01-22-2013, 08:01 PM
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#25
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Senior Member
Name: Norm and Ginny
Trailer: Scamp 16
Florida
Posts: 7,517
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Is it possible to live without propane. Yes, certainly depending on your camping style, particularly duration.
Long range campers will eventually find that propane is nice to have. It's inevitable that if you're on the road for a while that the sun won't shine and charge that battery. If you don't have propane the need for a generator becomes important for long term travel.
If you're a weekend or vacation camper you can get by without propane. However, it's a safe reliable source of energy. A single tank can keep you going for a few months if it's not the dead of winter providing convenience and permit access to some of the best camping spots.
It's a similar reason that no matter how many windmills one builds or solar panels one installs, traditional power plants are still needed, at least in the near future. Solar panels at best work 50% of the time and wind on average even less.
Propane permits independence and a source of energy difficult to replace without a 110 VAC plug.
__________________
Norm and Ginny
2014 Honda Odyssey
1991 Scamp 16
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01-22-2013, 08:19 PM
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#26
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Senior Member
Name: Francesca Knowles
Trailer: '78 Trillium 4500
Jefferson County, Washington State, U.S.A.
Posts: 4,669
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You know what's funny?
Practically nothing we ordinarily keep in our fridges requires refrigeration for preservation purposes, especially for the short times most of us go camping. The exceptions are raw meat and fresh dairy products. Even eggs will keep for a week or more if kept "cool", and in their original shells.
And I think we all know how useless the typical RV fridge is for produce...I'm sure that many of you have come to the same conclusion I have that the good old wet-towel/cardboard box is more efficient for vegetables than sticking them in a fridge with no air circulation...
Sometimes I question the necessity to fire up the cooling unit on my trailer fridge at all, once we've been out long enough to go through whatever meat and milk we brought with us!
Francesca
__________________
............... ..................
Propane Facts vs. Fiction:. Click here
Tow Limit Calculator: Click here
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01-22-2013, 08:52 PM
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#27
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Senior Member
Name: Norm and Ginny
Trailer: Scamp 16
Florida
Posts: 7,517
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Francesca. Our fridge is always full. Primarily with milk, half and half, eggs, butter, and bacon. We usually have one meat entree and one leftover. We sometimes carry a bag salad and always have fresh fruit but external to the fridge.
Propane is very important for the fridge, hot water, and cooking.
We usually shop every other 2-3 days.
I think it provides a level of normalcy, somehow that seems strange to write, during our long trips.
__________________
Norm and Ginny
2014 Honda Odyssey
1991 Scamp 16
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01-22-2013, 09:07 PM
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#28
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Senior Member
Trailer: Trillium 4500
Posts: 2,050
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I'm a teacher and live in my camper 3 months at a time during the summer. I love my propane and have had several propane fridges. They are okay for what they are, nothing more. To discount the latest 12v refrigeration technology out of hand without even trying it borders on plain stubbornness. 12v is an excellent long term as well as short term camping option. It is not a cheap 110v dorm fridge hooked up to an inverter. If you already have a propane fridge I would definitely not change it for the sake of changing it, but if you need a change 12v is an excellent option. If you need more convincing check out Robert Johans latest couple of custom builds. He uses 12v fridges.
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01-22-2013, 10:19 PM
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#29
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Senior Member
Name: Mon
Trailer: 13' 2008 Scamp...YAY!
Missouri
Posts: 243
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I just don't want to be shackled to campgrounds with hookups, want options. I LIKE solar, would like to use it, rather than a generator, as much as I could. Gradually.
Mon
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01-23-2013, 05:34 AM
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#30
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Senior Member
Trailer: Trillium 4500
Posts: 2,050
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The more options we have the better. LED over incandescent has been a boon to solar. As more energy saving technology comes along it makes solar and other alternative energy sources that much more feasible. Propane is awesome but it sure would be nice to never have to top off the tanks.
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01-23-2013, 12:20 PM
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#31
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Senior Member
Name: Francesca Knowles
Trailer: '78 Trillium 4500
Jefferson County, Washington State, U.S.A.
Posts: 4,669
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Is anyone besides me old enough to remember when propane was an "Alternative Energy Source"???
Francesca
__________________
............... ..................
Propane Facts vs. Fiction:. Click here
Tow Limit Calculator: Click here
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01-23-2013, 12:29 PM
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#32
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Senior Member
Trailer: Trillium 2010
Posts: 5,185
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles
Is anyone besides me old enough to remember when propane was an "Alternative Energy Source"???
Francesca
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Nope
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01-23-2013, 12:35 PM
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#33
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Senior Member
Name: Francesca Knowles
Trailer: '78 Trillium 4500
Jefferson County, Washington State, U.S.A.
Posts: 4,669
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Quote:
Originally Posted by P. Raz
Nope
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Whippersnappers...nothin' but whippersnappers!
Why, when I was your age....
Francesca
__________________
............... ..................
Propane Facts vs. Fiction:. Click here
Tow Limit Calculator: Click here
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01-23-2013, 12:48 PM
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#34
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Senior Member
Trailer: Casita Spirit Deluxe 2003 16 ft
Posts: 1,899
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I like the idea of solar but since I usually camp in forrested (i.e. shady) sites I haven't gone much farther than thinking about it.
I'm okay with the two 20lb bottles on the front. I'm not comfortable with refilling the 1 lb bottles so I've modded that area to allow me to run a quick disconnect hose back to where I have the grill. YMMV.
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01-23-2013, 01:06 PM
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#35
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Moderator
Trailer: 2009 19 ft Escape / 2009 Honda Pilot
Posts: 6,224
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles
Is anyone besides me old enough to remember when propane was an "Alternative Energy Source"???
Francesca
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I was not born pre WWII, so no.
Signed,
(Relatively) Young Whippersnapper
__________________
2017 Escape 5.0 TA
2015 Ford F150 Lariat 3.5L EcoBoost
2009 Escape 19 (previous)
“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” — Abraham Lincoln
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01-23-2013, 01:24 PM
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#36
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Senior Member
Name: john
Trailer: scamp 13
Michigan
Posts: 1,318
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Quote:
Originally Posted by monB
IF, I will not use the stove, heater, or fridge on propane, would I need propane AT ALL? Thinking I wouldn't miss that bottle, at all....
Mon
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the "EGG camper" made in michigan is an all electric,,,no propane on board. if you don't want gas,,, get rid of it. it is after all,,,your camper.
__________________
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so, some have entertained angels unaware.
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01-23-2013, 01:28 PM
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#37
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Senior Member
Name: Francesca Knowles
Trailer: '78 Trillium 4500
Jefferson County, Washington State, U.S.A.
Posts: 4,669
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Bennett
I was not born pre WWII, so no.
Signed,
(Relatively) Young Whippersnapper
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Thanks for the benefit of the doubt, Sonny...I'm willing to go with that extra " I"
Francesca
__________________
............... ..................
Propane Facts vs. Fiction:. Click here
Tow Limit Calculator: Click here
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01-23-2013, 01:39 PM
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#38
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Senior Member
Name: Norm and Ginny
Trailer: Scamp 16
Florida
Posts: 7,517
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We carry a single propane tank and one of the small bottles. We use the small bottle as a backup to our 20 lb tank. Two propane tanks seems unnecessary for our kind of travel, where we avoid really cold temps plus it increases tongue weight.
__________________
Norm and Ginny
2014 Honda Odyssey
1991 Scamp 16
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01-23-2013, 01:44 PM
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#39
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Senior Member
Name: Dave W
Trailer: Trillium 4500 - 1976, 1978, 1979, 1300 - 1977, and a 1973
Alberta
Posts: 6,926
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I went down the middle. Instead of two 20# bottles, I have one aluminum 33.5# forklift tank. I figure, if I need more, I could buy a 43.5# bottle.
Manchester Tank: Forklift & Buffer Cylinders
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01-23-2013, 01:59 PM
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#40
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Senior Member
Name: Francesca Knowles
Trailer: '78 Trillium 4500
Jefferson County, Washington State, U.S.A.
Posts: 4,669
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Quote:
Originally Posted by honda03842
We carry a single propane tank and one of the small bottles. We use the small bottle as a backup to our 20 lb tank.
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So do I- a one-gallon refillable! Ain't she cute?
They cost as much as a 20 pounder, but they sure are convenient!
Francesca
__________________
............... ..................
Propane Facts vs. Fiction:. Click here
Tow Limit Calculator: Click here
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