Leeann wrote:
12V is only for the road. No ignition, no 12V supplied by the alternator/battery.
Propane is for dry camping, 120V is for plug-in camping.
My apologies. As I said, I was tired so I wasn't clear. (I should have kept my mouth shut.)
Leeann is correct in terms of when to use propane or 120VAC. I was speaking in terms of how well refrigerators keep things cool or frozen, without regards to which is the better energy source to use and when.
When we were living off the grid, and had a propane refrigerator in our house as well as in our motorhome, we had to keep an eye on the propane supply to be sure to change tanks when one ran out.
120VAC is more reliable and hassle free because it's always available. (Unless you trip a circuit breaker or there's a power outage.)
TreeSeeker wrote:
It doesn't make sense that the refer would be getting it's 12v from the ignition system. It needs the 12v to run the control board whether it is running on gas or 120v. So if the ignition is off the refer is off.
Don't confuse this with the refer running the cooling system on 12v only. This refer doesn't have that capability according the manual.
So, I would just try running some jumper wires from the board's 12v inputs to the 12v house battery to see if that solves the problem.
Since this is not the original fridge, who knows how it was wired.
Likewise, TreeSeeker is clearer and more correct than I was.
His last sentence is important. Whoever installed the replacement refrigerator could very well have made questionable choices, not read and understood the manual completely, or was relying in general experience rather than focusing on the specific task at hand.
His second to last sentence is the most appropriate way to troubleshoot. However, I would isolate the refrigerator and battery to make sure nothing else interferes with the troubleshooting. Specifically, your test should consist of the refrigerator 12v terminal block, a positive jumper wire, a negative jumper wire, and a battery, with nothing else connected to the battery or the refrigerator. I'd also make sure the refrigerator is not connected to 120v by unplugging the refrigerator or, preferably, the motorhome.
TreeSeeker is perfectly correct in pointing out I was confusing things by discussing RV refrigerators in general rather than Maya's case specifically. (And, unfortunately, Leeann followed suit.)
Finally, I keep typing "refrigerator" because I grew up in the '60s and early '70s ... a "refer" was something people smoked and a "refrigerator" (or just "fridge") was something people used to keep their beer cold.
