RV Fridge

Strange about the startup. The manual information below suggests 12.0V and perhaps suggests that mfgs can use rather small wire to the refer with a lot of voltage drop and the battery has to be 90% SOC. Don't know but requiring 90% SOC doesn't pass the smell test.

"+12VDC Battery or DC Voltage source to the refrigerator terminal block connection. This voltage can be
Filtered AC/DC nominally +12V or +13.8V. The voltage range is 9.0VDC – 15.4VDC."

CA Traveler wrote:
Thanks for the clarification. So that type of refer cannot be used for boon docking unless the battery charge is maintained at 90% SOC or greater. Ditto for starting after storage. Correct?

I would thing that that refer and any RV mfg that used it would have a very short existence except for some very special circumstances.

To me the essence of an absorption refer in a RV is that they use very little battery power and work on propane and discharged batteries within reason. And certainly 50% SOC and 12.1V for a flooded battery is reasonable.

Please post the refer make and model so that it can be avoided.

It’s a common Atwood RV fridge (HE0601, 0801) use in many trailers. The manual specifies that the control panel requires +12volts DC to operate. Once started and running the voltage level doesn’t seem to matter as much.

Thanks for the clarification. So that type of refer cannot be used for boon docking unless the battery charge is maintained at 90% SOC or greater. Ditto for starting after storage. Correct?

I would thing that that refer and any RV mfg that used it would have a very short existence except for some very special circumstances.

To me the essence of an absorption refer in a RV is that they use very little battery power and work on propane and discharged batteries within reason. And certainly 50% SOC and 12.1V for a flooded battery is reasonable.

Please post the refer make and model so that it can be avoided.

CA Traveler wrote:

camp-n-family wrote:
Is your battery good and charged? My fridge won’t work if the battery isn’t over 90% to start even when plugged into shore power. If I bring the tt home from storage the fridge won’t turn on until I charge the battery first.

I don't understand your post.

90% of fully charged? ie 90% SOC - State Of Charge
Is the battery dead or nearly so when you bring it home?

An absorption refer should have no problem starting with 50% SOC (12.1V) and even less. A fully charged battery is 12.7V.

Your posts may suggest you have issues that aren't related to this thread as best I can tell. If so perhaps start another thread.

Just because you don’t understand what I’m saying doesn’t mean it isn’t possibly related. My point was that some fridges may not start unless the battery is fully charged regardless if it is plugged in to shore power.

If the OP plugs his tt into shore power at home after it has sat a while, the battery may be slightly drained and the fridge may not start on any selected source. While travelling, the battery is being charged so by the time they arrive it is near full charge and allows the fridge to start.

Yes, it is odd but this is how some fridges work. I had a similar problem and after a lot of frustration and google searching it was determined that the battery needed to be near a full state of charge in order to turn on regardless if it was selected on gas or electric or plugged in to shore power or not.

camp-n-family wrote:
Is your battery good and charged? My fridge won’t work if the battery isn’t over 90% to start even when plugged into shore power. If I bring the tt home from storage the fridge won’t turn on until I charge the battery first.

I don't understand your post.

90% of fully charged? ie 90% SOC - State Of Charge
Is the battery dead or nearly so when you bring it home?

An absorption refer should have no problem starting with 50% SOC (12.1V) and even less. A fully charged battery is 12.7V.

Your posts may suggest you have issues that aren't related to this thread as best I can tell. If so perhaps start another thread.

Is your battery good and charged? My fridge won’t work if the battery isn’t over 90% to start even when plugged into shore power. If I bring the tt home from storage the fridge won’t turn on until I charge the battery first.

CA Traveler wrote:
Need clarification on what you are doing. Hopefully you have a 30A 120V RV and are using a standard 30A female to 20A male adapter plugged into a 120V household plug. If so then the adapter could be bad or no power at the plug and/or the plug is on a GFCI circuit that has tripped or the extension cord is bad. Or you are drawing over 20A and tripping the house CB.

If you are actually plugged into 240V then it tends to let the smoke out.If you are actually plugged into 240V then it tends to let the smoke out.

Instantly too.

Need clarification on what you are doing. Hopefully you have a 30A 120V RV and are using a standard 30A female to 20A male adapter plugged into a 120V household plug. If so then the adapter could be bad or no power at the plug and/or the plug is on a GFCI circuit that has tripped or the extension cord is bad. Or you are drawing over 20A and tripping the house CB.

If you are actually plugged into 240V then it tends to let the smoke out.

I hope you are not plugging into 220!
Hopefully you are plugging in the 30 amp shore power cord which is a 30TT 120 volt cord.
Since you are using a standard extension cord, I think you are not.
Batteries and converter working? Verify receptacle in the out side refer access for 120 volts. Use some type of appliance to verify(maybe an electric drill)
Good power to receptacle, check fuse on circuit board on refer.
No luck? post make and model of the refer. Label could be in refer or in outside access.

Has it worked at home in the past, or s this something that just started at home?

When you say 220, are you plugging into a normal 50 amp RV style receptacle, or plugging into a 220 welder style receptacle, or a clothes style receptacle?