Why consider 12v fridge for boondocking?

JRscooby wrote:

How long does the propane tank need to be in sun every day to replace fuel burned to power the fridge?

StirCrazy wrote:
what exactly are you talking about here?

JRscooby wrote:
My understanding is the most normal way for RVs to store electricity is 12 VDC. A residential fridge operates on 120 VAC. So to power the fridge off battery, (Stored 12 VDC) power must run thru a inverter. Every time you change the form some of the power is lost. Hell, when the compressor cycles off, fridge is not taking any power, the inverter is using power just waiting for demand.
The OP is talking about a fridge that uses power in the same form it is stored, so the changing is not needed.

and again, what does that have to do with the propane tank being out in the sun? its this whole topic has eveolved into somthing else, your last statment you don't boondock as the wife needs 120v power so great nothing wrong with that, I know lots of people who do and don't boondock and use colman capstoves and such for cooking as they like the old days where you cooked on the picknick table. I got over that by getting an outdoor kitchen but I still use the inside stuff also, but I would never knock some one who doesn't. but I don't understand why some one would rip part of there rv out, just don't use it.. mind you I camp in early spring to lait fall so a furnace is a bonus.

but going around this loup we are on, a 12V fridge is not the normal boondock rout but it can be with a tone of solar. the reasoning behind the propane is it is one less electrical load and covering that load with solar or got forbid a genny(nothing worse than hearing one of thoes flash up in the bush at 7am so some one can make there coffee......) anyways I digress. if you free up that power load it leave more power for things like the furnace, lights, radio, so you cn get through it spending less money one electrical upgrades.

for example. costco charges me 14 bucks CDN a bottle to totaly fill my propain (two 20lb bottles) if I go camping by myself they would proabaly last 1.5 to two seasons, if the wife is with me 1/2 a season haha. so lets say 21 bucks per season average. I spent 600 cdn for my totl power system in my camper which is 325 watts of solar, charge controler all the wiring a new power center and two 210AH 6V batteries. the fridge runs off propane and I can camp all season off thoes two bottles using the waterheater, fridge and furnace when needed, and never run out of power. (no inverter so it is basicly a 12V outlett for charging, lights, water pump, furnace, phantom for the fridge.) by noon every day my batteries are charged. if I were to add a 12v fridge I think the adverage consumption of the one I was looking at is 20 to 31 AH/day depending on temp.. so now I have just doubled my daily consumtion and one cloudy day and I am screwed for the second day. so to get back to where I was I would need to add more battery capacity and 1 more solar panel. so the panel would be about 240.00 and the batteries would be about 400, not to mention where do I put these batteries in a truck camper now.. so 640 say 15 bucks for some more wire and ends.. 655. devide that by 21 is just over 30. so it would take 30 seasons of camping to pay back that investment in propane savings... For me I would proably still do the upgrade, but instead of getting the 12V fridge I would also install an inverter so I have 120v power when I am camping and stick to the propane fridge.

Steve