New camper without 12 volt fridge
We are considering downsizing our camper. We have a 28 foot fifth wheel now. Wife really wants a smaller travel trailer. Problem we are having is that everything we see has a 12 volt fridge. We do a f...
Forum Discussion
Grit dog wrote:
That’s really sad if LP fired camper fridges are now in short supply.
Although supply and demand I suppose. What % of RVers actually need the LP side of a 2 or 3way fridge? (Used to be all 3 way fridges not so many years ago, then 2 way)
I’d like to say I’m that guy but if I’m honest, I need LP less than 50% of the time.
So the real issue is are the camper mfgs setting up the power and charging (solar) to handle a DC only fridge for an acceptable amount of time?
Doubt it. So there’s a required upgrade right outta the box!
3 way never made a lot of sense as the 12vDC option was always a looser. At upwards of 30amps, even plugged into the truck while towing, the batteries were still going to get drained. Simpler just to leave it closed for a few hours while driving.
The real catch is what is an "acceptable amount of time". I'm betting off grid use represents less than 5% of users. At maybe 4amps@12v while running, the truck pigtail is more than enough to cover the fridge while towing and then it's on to shore power.
Somewhere around 100-150w of solar and a couple basic 100amp-hr batteries will handle a 12v fridge. Most who do a lot of off grid camping are already installing substantial solar/battery systems, so the 12v fridge fits nicely.
