Use a 110 V fridge in RV ??
can we use a regular 110V fridge in our RV for use a campgrounds w electricity. The small dorm, home type ones. Walmart has some for under $200. The reason Im asking is because of the jolting down...
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scottyboy28422 wrote:
can we use a regular 110V fridge in our RV for use a campgrounds w
electricity. The small dorm, home type ones. Walmart has some for under $200. The reason Im asking is because of the jolting down the road and also unplugging the fridge each time we leave a campground.
Yes, you can. Inside your trailer you can install anything you want.
Outside, as a portable - don't know. Unless you have a really big company in your trailer, for a short stay a standard 6 cu.ft propane fridge is roomy enough. I personally wouldn't want to lift and move around even a small 110V fridge, even when it's empty.
Walmart has small fridges much cheaper than $200. Though it depends what you consider a "small".
One thing I don't understand is how unplugging it for travel is the benefit of 110V fridge. Propane fridge you don't have to unplug - its 12V circuit will work just fine through the 7-pin connector to truck. There are debates sometimes as to whether it's safe to drive with propane fridge running, this is a separate issue. In any event, 110V fridge you HAVE to unplug when leaving the camp.
As mentioned, a very small 110V fridge can be run off a single solar panel ~200W. But it has to be very small, a few cu.ft. Cheap mid-size fridges from Walmart, say, 10cf and larger are not the most efficient, and inverter adds another 10%-15% loss. Some of them are too wide, designed for home kitchen, not trailer closet.
I'm not so sure that many new RV's come with 110V fridges, or that this is a good idea for everyone. Big motorhomes with a monstrous alternator and on-board generator - probably so. A typical 30 ft trailer or 5-er - I doubt. Unless you are always on camps with electrical hookups, a 10cf or 15cf 110V fridge will require an hour of daily generator run, - this is for the fridge alone, not counting your other needs. And a decent inverter with substantial battery bank. Because you don't normally run the fridge off generator - you run fridge all day and all night from the battery, and then need to recharge the battery, and this involves losses too.
