Fifth Wheel RV Refrigerator hooked up to inverter

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if your fridge runs on propane, you don't need an inverter. Our Dometic used to switch over to propane when campground power would go out. We wouldn't have a read-out on electric settings, but the fridge would still run and stay cold just from the converter in the 5th wheel.

We found while driving 4-6 hrs, the RV fridge would stay cold enough unless it was 90d outside. So we always felt safer turning it off along with the propane tanks when we move.

Now with a residential, like we have now, to run it while driving, we'd need an Inverter to go with the 2-6v batteries. The Converter alone wouldn't keep it running.

hitchup wrote:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but if your fridge runs on propane, you don't need an inverter.

Re-read the OP.

Turned fridge off in El Paso Texas, drove to San Diego no food spoiled, turned fridge in San Diego, it takes a lot longer for food to spoil and thaw than one day, we just do not open the fridge or the freezer while on the road.

You are making life to difficult for you.

navegator

run the 12v/Propane Refrigerator while moving

I must have missed something. Does safrog have a fridge that runs on 120V? He/she mentions 12V/propane. If that is the case, there is nothing to do. It will run on battery while driving.

Shutting refrig off will not do any good ! You must shut off gas at tank to be safe ! Myself , I would not worry about it .

I run my fridge on propane while driving, it will run on the inverter power but I'm pretty sure the fridge will use more power than the vehicle can supply in return... Eventually you will run the batteries down..
I made the mistake of forgetting to turn the selector switch to propane instead of auto and 2 GC-2 batteries lasted about 14hrs before the low voltage alarm on the inverter went off... What a pain to try to charge batteries with the gen when you can only run the gen during a 2hr window. Made for a interesting camp with teen age kids that want to charge every electronic device known to man..

TMBLSN wrote:

run the 12v/Propane Refrigerator while moving

I must have missed something. Does safrog have a fridge that runs on 120V? He/she mentions 12V/propane. If that is the case, there is nothing to do. It will run on battery while driving.

Must be a typo. All those RV fridges are 2-way, 120V/LP. They don't run on 12V, other than ~0.5A @12V drawn in LP mode to power the thermostat.

OP - you've heard the people. Shut your frig off and treat it as a cooler while on the move. You better don't open the door while on the road, because these fridges are very shallow front to back, and will instantly fill with warm air.

I don't understand the suggestion that shutting the frig off "won't do any good". There is an OFF button on the frig, when it's off it's off. Though for safety reasons, unless I intend to use a propane stove during a lunch stop, I would shut the propane tank too.

Depending on your towing rig, the other way to attack this is to put the inverter in your car near the battery to minimize the high amperage run then extension cord back to the trailer zip tied along the bottom. You could also get really fancy and install an inlet near the front of the trailer that goes to a transfer switch at the panel. Either way, since you're running the long leg at 120V you can carry the same wattage on lower gauge wire with less voltage loss (Same reason the power company uses very high voltages for transmission lines). For the fridge you could even get away with a cheapo 16 gauge cord since it's only pulling 3ish Amps at 120V.

safrog wrote:
Has anyone installed an inverter in an fifth wheel or trailer to run the 12v/Propane Refrigerator while moving. On my model the propane line from the tank to the unit is exposed in the event of a tire blowout and to dangerous to keep the tanks open when moving. I am thinking of installing an inverter to run the refer while moving. I think my truck wiring to the trailer has one wire to charge the battery in the unit but don't know if it will be enough to charge the battery (yes only one) to keep the inverter going. Anyone has experience in this area?

You need about 400 watt inverter and I think you will be fine with a prechilled fridge. Probably need to plug in or run a generator to charge the battery at the destination.

I have run mine on the inverter on a four hour drive but I have solar and a large battery. My Dometic fridge pulls 28 amps from the battery through the inverter when the cooling unit is cycled on. I had to do this because my propane failed to light and we were leaving right then. Fixed the igniter after arrival.

If you are not comfortable with propane then add the inverter without worry.