Swap 12v for 120v Fridge Element? UPDATE 2
EDIT--it turned out you can't swap them--they are not the same and it would fry things if you applied 120v to the 12v element ---------------------- UPDATE 25 Jan--12v is cooling down the freezer....
Forum Discussion
BFL13 wrote:
So the results are in--the 12v worked overnight, but did not keep the freezer cold.
Yesterday I had the freezer down to - 20C on gas and switched over to 12v. (The freezer gets colder than that when camping--don't know what the deal is here--perhaps the fridge needs to be in a heated space like with a res fridge?)
12v did not come on right away and temp started back up. Left it, and this morning after 13 hours, the Kill-A-Watt is showing that the 12v heating element is drawing power at approx. 135w as per 13.6v from earlier testing.
Freezer temp is now +3C near ambient, so despite whatever the 12v has done, it was not enough. Even if it all did work better if the fridge were in a warmer place, the scenario for day-before-camping use would be with the RV furnace off, the rig at ambient.
So that was a bust. Probably why they don't even bother with 12v in newer RV fridges.
As I stated, the 12 volt is for in transit ONLY. To MAINTAIN the existing temp. In Transit, most use LP. 12 volt was never a popular option in the "old" days. The OEM's had to wire the refer as per the heavy gauge guidelines and very few wanted/would do that. 12 volt is still popular on B and B+ motorhomes, Doug
