Using Dometic refrigerator on 12 volts

[Darral T.]

Do what Tom or any others suggest. But I too have the 3-way and have used the 12volts since I purchased the Scamp new in 2010 without ONE issue. I'm running a 4 cyl Nissan Frontier but I DO have the 7-pin with the hot wire running from the battery so it charges my onboard battery going down the road.

I've stopped at Cracker Barrels to eat breakfast leaving the unit hooked to the truck- STILL no problem. I dont have an over-sized alternator OR battery...just all standard equipment. Just make sure you run it on electricity to get it cold and have everything you put in it cold as well (even frozen as Tom suggested...all of that helps).

I've never ran propane going down the road. I dont feel safe with it and wont use it UNLESS it was an emergency or something. But then, why should I when my 12v works PERFECTLY. It may be different with the larger fridges but not so on the 1.9's.

Again, I DO have the heavy 12v charge wire running to my 7-pin connector!

Originally Posted by nigeleccleston

Thanks, everyone, for the advice. Since I'll be starting from Minnesota, the fridge will be cold to start with (and too cold for some items). I'm going to use the fridge as a cooler as suggested by TomK and use the propane option if needed - definitely not 12 volts. I'll be doing a lot more camping than travelling, all with electrical hookups, so I think I'm all set!

[WizWid]

Originally Posted by Neto

Pumping fuel i to your tow vehicle with a propane flame burning in your fridge could prove to be distarious should fumes co e in co tact with the flame. You say, My tow vehicle is quite a distance from the flame but you need to consider the person on the other side of the pumps and that distance to the flame.

So presumably since the exhaust system on your tow is well above gasoline ignition temperature, you stop well short of the pump, wait for your exhaust to cool then push the combination to the pump before dispensing fuel?

[Glenn Baglo]

Weren't we advised not to park on tall dry grass after several fires caused by catalytic converters? Takes a while to cool down.

[Darwin Maring]

It is called being safe not sorry.

Cool down the fridge a day B 4 you depart, freeze some water bottles and put in the fridge and it helps to keep the fridge cool and supplies drinking water. It is that simple.

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by Darwin Maring

It is called being safe not sorry.

In that case, you should stay home.
Nope, that won't work either. Most accidents are in the home.

[penderpaul]

I did exactly that, Glen. The whole article runs to a full page, but suffice it to say that both the law and the RV dealers are absolutely clear: running with the propane fridge on in British Columbia is against the law.

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by penderpaul

I did exactly that, Glen. The whole article runs to a full page, but suffice it to say that both the law and the RV dealers are absolutely clear: running with the propane fridge on in British Columbia is against the law.

What can I say? I have read the regulations ( BC Motor Vehicle, not some website ) and your interpretation is wrong.
Jim Bennett wrote to superintendent of motor vehicles in every province across Canada and none had a regulation against running with propane on.
Where in that RV dealers chart do you see that it's not legal to run with propane on?

[Darwin Maring]

We had this same discussion several years ago and people researched it and even posted pictures of campers that caught fire at the fridge propane area.

I have one of those fridges and I do not use the propane option, ever.

I dont care if you use your propane I just think you should not bad mouth those that consider it unsafe. It is a personal decision.

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by Darwin Maring

I dont care if you use your propane I just think you should not bad mouth those that consider it unsafe. It is a personal decision.

If you are talking to me, I'm not bad-mouthing anybody. I am asking for evidence of regulations that prohibit running with propane on. If you find that evidence, and it is a government site ( not just somebody's opinion ), please post the link so it can be verified.
I don't care if you run on propane or not, but I do prefer that the information people find here is correct.

[Jann Todd]

[QUOTE=Ziggy;678003]While traveling with propane on is legal in every state in the U.S. and it's commonly done, it is restricted in a few areas in Canada.

The main restriction I see is you need a cut off valve in one province. We have traveled extensively in BC with a motorhome and the only time we had ours checked was getting on a ferry. We've crossed the BC and AB with US borders many times and AB and BC borders. The big thing it seems is to make sure you have a cutoff in case of an accident.

[Neto]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Darwin Maring View Post
It is called being safe not sorry.
In that case, you should stay home.
Nope, that won't work either. Most accidents are in the home.
__________________

There is no good reason for you to say things like this. You are just wrong.

[WizWid]

Originally Posted by Neto

Quote:
Originally Posted by Darwin Maring View Post
It is called being safe not sorry.
In that case, you should stay home.
Nope, that won't work either. Most accidents are in the home.
__________________

There is no good reason for you to say things like this. You are just wrong.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/...isk-nhs-doctor

https://www.rospa.com/home-safety/ad...s-and-figures/

[Neto]

The facts are true about acidents at home.
The thing is, you were being rude towards Mr. Maring when he said be safe not sorry. Telling him to just stay home - Well that was uncalled for.

[rbryan]

Originally Posted by penderpaul

Running with the propane on is a bad idea.

I keep seeing this opinion expressed from time to time, despite all evidence to the contrary. If you think it's unsafe, don't do it. But if you want to claim it's unsafe for all, at least have some evidence to back it up.

If it's unsafe to run your fridge on propane while towing, then it's also unsafe to run it on propane when you're not towing. Thousands upon thousands of people tow with their fridge on propane without incident, and have done so for many decades. Yes, I've seen the videos of RV fires, burning on the highway, the gas station, etc. I have yet to see any of them where the proximate cause of the fire was the flame from a normally operating propane fridge.

There are some places where it's prohibited, like tunnels and ferries and certain fuel stations. In such a case, we turn it off. Even then, we don't shut it off because it's dangerous, but because it's required.

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by Neto

The facts are true about acidents at home.
The thing is, you were being rude towards Mr. Maring when he said be safe not sorry. Telling him to just stay home - Well that was uncalled for.

It's called humour.

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

If you are talking to me, I'm not bad-mouthing anybody. I am asking for evidence of regulations that prohibit running with propane on. If you find that evidence, and it is a government site ( not just somebody's opinion ), please post the link so it can be verified.
I don't care if you run on propane or not, but I do prefer that the information people find here is correct.

There is no restriction in the US except for certain bridges, tunnels and a couple of cities that I've heard of.

[Glenn Baglo]

Tunnels and ferries I've heard of.
What cities, and what restrictions?

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by rbryan

I keep seeing this opinion expressed from time to time, despite all evidence to the contrary. If you think it's unsafe, don't do it. But if you want to claim it's unsafe for all, at least have some evidence to back it up.

If it's unsafe to run your fridge on propane while towing, then it's also unsafe to run it on propane when you're not towing. Thousands upon thousands of people tow with their fridge on propane without incident, and have done so for many decades. Yes, I've seen the videos of RV fires, burning on the highway, the gas station, etc. I have yet to see any of them where the proximate cause of the fire was the flame from a normally operating propane fridge.

There are some places where it's prohibited, like tunnels and ferries and certain fuel stations. In such a case, we turn it off. Even then, we don't shut it off because it's dangerous, but because it's required.

Always shut off all appliances when fueling up. The gas fumes could cause an explosion if a flame is near or if the striker comes on to light the pilot. It is easy to shut off the fridge and relight it. Much easier than recovering from burns if you survive the explosion. It is not the fuel that explodes but the fumes and they can easily get trapped in the fridge compartment. I lit a match one time to light a campfire that I had put a little gas on. The fumes blew up on me. I was lucky not to be burned bad but it scared me to death.

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by nigeleccleston

There may be an existing thread for this question that gives an explicit answer, but I haven't found one and I'm finding the math confusing.
How long can I run my Dometic fridge on 12 volts when travelling in my recently acquired 1997 Scamp 13? Alternatively, should I NOT run it on 12 volts because I have a four-pin trailer electrical hookup? (I don't think this provides any charging to the battery)
I have a new deep cycle battery, 130 RC, understand it should not be run below half charged. The Dometic manual says it draws 10.5 amps and is rated at 25 watts. I'll be in Florida next week, with temps in the 70's so I figure the fridge compressor will be running at least half the time it is on.
Thanks!

No compressor on absorption fridges. We run with fridge on propane all the time and have for 40 years unless it is cool outdoors and then we run on 12V if we will be at a campground with electric in a short while. We've had several RV's from Casita's to Class A motorhomes. Some say it is dangerous and some say it isn't. The fridges take to long to recover if you shut them off and use ice to keep stuff cold. It takes a few hours. We keep a remote thermometer in our fridge and can watch the temp go up or down. Our vehicle can handle the battery drain if not for to many hours. You should have cut off valves in case of an accident. Always and I can't say that strong enough always shut off all pilots and strikers when fueling your vehicle. The fumes of gas are very explosive and a breeze or hot still weather could send them into the fridge compartment to the pilot or striker if it tries to light. Gas fume explosions are not a pretty sight.

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

Tunnels and ferries I've heard of.
What cities, and what restrictions?

I wish I could remember for sure the cities but they were in the east so I didn't care. I think but don't hold me to it I believe one was NYC. I will try Googling it to see if I can find them.