To keep refrigerator running

Sam Spade wrote:

WNYBob wrote:
Boy do posts get off track quickly!

Thank you to those who answered the question.

And that happens most often when enough information is not supplied with the original question.......so that we are not really sure what the question IS. ;-)

Sorry for derailing your post but I thought I was addressing your key points and thought I was on-topic.

WNYBob wrote:
I have always traveled with the tanks closed off.

And you've done right. Now you may consider traveling with the fridge door closed :)

I'm dead serious. If you don't open the door, it will warm up very slowly, giving you a few hours of cold without having to run either 110V or propane. Like a cooler.

WNYBob wrote:
Boy do posts get off track quickly!

Thank you to those who answered the question.

And that happens most often when enough information is not supplied with the original question.......so that we are not really sure what the question IS. ;-)

Boy do posts get off track quickly!

I already have the inverter properly installed with an isolator to protect my starting battery. And things worked fine with the TC (truck camper).

Thank you to those who answered the question. And I will be using the LP system while traveling in the future.

TakingThe5th wrote:
... but if you want to try an electrical solution why not supply a 12 volt heat source to the absorption frig and avoid the electrical loss and the cost of an inverter? 3-way absorption refrigerators used to be offered but you don't see them much anymore, I wonder why?

Simple - excessive current draw. That said, many of us who have owned a 3-way gas absorption fridge in our popups would run them on gas anyway as it's far more efficient, 12 vdc being the least. BTW, now you want the OP to modify a perfectly good 2-way gas absorption fridge with some sort of 12 vdc electric heating element which it was never designed to run on just to avoid the use of an inverter he already owns? :h

I agree with Ozlander - using an inverter to power a 2-way gas absorption fridge is a solution to a problem that does not exist. :R

I agree with others who use gas while traveling but if you want to try an electrical solution why not supply a 12 volt heat source to the absorption frig and avoid the electrical loss and the cost of an inverter? 3-way absorption refrigerators used to be offered but you don't see them much anymore, I wonder why? Have you looked at solar solutions? Many are doing that and it can work for you while traveling or at the campsite.

A solution to a problem that does not exist.

Bob,

I don't have an inverter in my truck, but I do run a generator in the bed sometimes, and have a 120v cord slung over the tail gate. My factory charge line only provides about 8-10 amps to the trailer, barely enough to overcome parasitic loads.

I'm not worried at all; if the trailer disconnects from the truck I'll have bigger problems then a 120v cord being ripped apart.

Besides, my generator and your inverter both have circuit breakers on the outputs, catastrophic damage to the cord would trip those breakers.

Regarding your question, I'm not sure about adding the second battery... Use the battery you have, and put the isolator between it and the inverter, such that when the engine is off, the inverter is unpowered.

WNYBob wrote:
Isn't it also scary to have gas lines charged while traveling. (lots of connections that could be damaged during a crash)

I have always traveled with the tanks closed off.

Not to me or millions of others. I don't mind using a system for what it is designed to do. Rigging stuff like your doing may make me a little nervous.

RoyB wrote:
Another item of concern for me would be the very large choice for the POWER INVERTER. A 2000 watt unit will want to draw around 160-170 DC AMPS CURRENT (or more) if fully loaded down and this will do a big number on your truck start battery system.

The 120 vac electric heating element in a 6 cu ft gas absorption fridge is ~ 300 watts which in turn means a 25 amp draw @ 12 vdc not including inverter loss ... worst case I'd expect the truck's electrical system would have to supply an additional ~ 30 amps max beyond it's normal load in order to run this fridge so there's no need to use a 2K inverter when a 1K would suffice nicely for this task. That said, I still don't see why the OP wouldn't just run the fridge on gas as it was designed to do. :h