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Old 01-22-2013, 04:53 PM   #21
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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.
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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Old 01-22-2013, 05:27 PM   #22
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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.
Steve, do you have the chest type fridge or the front door type? What company made it?

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Old 01-22-2013, 05:36 PM   #23
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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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Old 01-22-2013, 05:57 PM   #24
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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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Old 01-22-2013, 08:01 PM   #25
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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.
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Old 01-22-2013, 08:19 PM   #26
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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
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Old 01-22-2013, 08:52 PM   #27
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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.
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Old 01-22-2013, 09:07 PM   #28
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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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Old 01-22-2013, 10:19 PM   #29
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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.

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Old 01-23-2013, 05:34 AM   #30
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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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Old 01-23-2013, 12:20 PM   #31
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Is anyone besides me old enough to remember when propane was an "Alternative Energy Source"???

Francesca
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Old 01-23-2013, 12:29 PM   #32
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Is anyone besides me old enough to remember when propane was an "Alternative Energy Source"???

Francesca
Nope
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Old 01-23-2013, 12:35 PM   #33
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Nope
Whippersnappers...nothin' but whippersnappers!

Why, when I was your age....

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Old 01-23-2013, 12:48 PM   #34
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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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Old 01-23-2013, 01:06 PM   #35
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Is anyone besides me old enough to remember when propane was an "Alternative Energy Source"???

Francesca
I was not born pre WWII, so no.

Signed,
(Relatively) Young Whippersnapper
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Old 01-23-2013, 01:24 PM   #36
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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
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.
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Old 01-23-2013, 01:28 PM   #37
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I was not born pre WWII, so no.

Signed,
(Relatively) Young Whippersnapper
Thanks for the benefit of the doubt, Sonny...I'm willing to go with that extra "I"

Francesca
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Old 01-23-2013, 01:39 PM   #38
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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.
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Old 01-23-2013, 01:44 PM   #39
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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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Old 01-23-2013, 01:59 PM   #40
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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.
So do I- a one-gallon refillable! Ain't she cute?

They cost as much as a 20 pounder, but they sure are convenient!




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