Propane and Battery at same time - Fiberglass RV
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Old 05-01-2014, 09:46 PM   #1
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Name: Chad
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Propane and Battery at same time

So, can you run the fridge off propane and the lights off battery at the same time?
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Old 05-01-2014, 10:01 PM   #2
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On my trailer the answer is yes but my fridge is a dometic RM211 and does not use 12 volts for controls on propane. I would think that even on newer units you should be able to run both lights on 12 volts and the fridge on propane.
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Old 05-01-2014, 10:11 PM   #3
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Short answer YES, can't see a situation why not.

And, if it is also LP & 120VAC don't want to run the fridge on 12 VDC anyway. But, in any case, it's just another load on the battery.



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Old 05-01-2014, 10:45 PM   #4
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Yes you can run your lights and anything else off the battery while the fridge is running on propane even if the fridge you are running has some small 12v consumption due to its electronic or digital controls that some of the newer ones have.
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Old 05-02-2014, 07:49 AM   #5
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There is a selector switch on the power center (1990 Scamp) for 120V, 12V, and propane. Should I select Propane or Battery if I want to do this?
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Old 05-02-2014, 08:17 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chud13 View Post
There is a selector switch on the power center (1990 Scamp) for 120V, 12V, and propane. Should I select Propane or Battery if I want to do this?
the switches on the back of the fridge only pertain to the fridge and nothing else. You should use ONLY one switch in the "ON" position at a time, when the fridge is in use,
We almost never use the 12V option on our fridge when parked, each of the others is more efficient.
The fridge is just another load on the battery when in 12V mode, just like a roof vent fan or furnace fan or house lights. It uses no battery when the 12V switch is "OFF".
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Old 05-02-2014, 08:35 AM   #7
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Ah I see, the switch is only for the fridge. Thanks!
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Old 05-02-2014, 10:29 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chud13 View Post
There is a selector switch on the power center (1990 Scamp) for 120V, 12V, and propane. Should I select Propane or Battery if I want to do this?
If by the "power center" you are talking about the outside rear of the fridge its as Floyd described. I never use my fridge on 12V as it is a big battery drainer. The older fridges work better if you plug them in to 120V power the day before heading on a trip to cool them down first - can take them several hours before they cool right down.

In the Documents Center on this list there are manuals you can download for most/many of the appliances found in our trailers. The appliances are often common to different brands of trailers.
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Old 05-02-2014, 11:01 AM   #9
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Refrigerators that are both propane and electric (12 volt from battery or 110 volt from shore power) use a heat to drive the coolant. Heating elements of any kind draw a lot of power and are best avoided when talking about battery power.

Some people who have tow vehicle set up to charge the RV battery and provide 12 volt power from the tow vehicle charging system to the camper. They might switch fridge to 12 volt operation while traveling. This does require a set up that delivers sufficient charging power to camper to prevent running the camper battery down while running the fridge going down the road.

Others leave fridge on propane while traveling, and some just shut it off while driving figuring like an ice chest it will stay cool for the duration of that days travel. Couple of blue ice packs in freezer that are frozen overnight using propane or 110 volt from campground can help with that approach.

These type of refrigerators are slow to remove heat from inside the refrigerator, typically taking hours to get fully cold so as Carol pointed out so pre-cooling both the fridge and it's contents before heading out is a good tip.
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