Oct-17-2021 04:29 AM
Oct-24-2021 05:06 AM
Oct-19-2021 04:02 PM
Oct-19-2021 07:55 AM
laknox wrote:Coach-man wrote:
That is the downer to residential fridges! If you stay put for long periods, and only move occasionally then they are great! Now, if your on the move a lot, your going to have to become an “expert” on batteries, and inverters. Starting with the alternators, yes plural. In your truck. Did your rig come with an inverter? What size is it, does it power more than the fridge? Perhaps, you need to upgrade it, or add one if not present? What is the amp rating on your house batteries? Typically, the factory ships their rigs without batteries, which are provided by the dealer at the time of sale. Again, they typically install the smallest, cheapest batteries they can get away with providing! Some people install a couple of 6 volt golf cart batteries, to ensure they are providing enough amps to run things! That would then require, looking at your charging systems, both in the trailer, and in your truck, keeping the batteries charged! Yep a residential fridge can become an expensive option, if you outfit your truck and rig to support it! Good luck!
Actually, 2 12v "marine" batteries will usually provide a few more amp hours of storage than the typical 6v golf cart batteries but will require more frequent charging to avoid damage. In my experience, it's usually 225-230 Ah for 2 12v batteries (voltage stays at 12v but Ah doubles when connected in parallel), but the typical 6v golf cart batteries are around 210 Ah and stay at that level when connected in series for 12v power. The =real= advantage to deep cycle 6v golf cart batteries is that they can be drawn down a lot further than so-called "deep cycle" 12v batteries without damage, and can do so many, many times.
Lyle
Oct-19-2021 07:02 AM
Oct-18-2021 02:07 PM
12th Man Fan wrote:laknox wrote:Diamond c wrote:
I just went out and checked and as I suspected the inverter is on. So I’m going to assume that it’s the truck that isn’t setup to charge the 5er. I’ll have my son-in-law to look at it again and if he can’t figure it out then I’ll take it to the dealership.
Make sure your battery disconnect is ON! I learned the hard way that if it's not on, my batteries wouldn't charge. Also, a single alternator will not charge up 2 batteries unless you drive all d@mn day long. Had my old FW plugged in for 5 days at my house and found that my batteries were well down before leaving for a 3 hour drive for our annual family boondocker, because the disconnect was OFF. Got to our site and batteries were still in the yellow so ended up having to run my truck for about an hour each day, on top of 45w of solar, just to stay in the yellow. My current KZ is the same way.
No an alternator will not charge two dead batteries but it will keep two charged batteries charged all day.
Lyle
Oct-18-2021 01:48 PM
laknox wrote:Diamond c wrote:
I just went out and checked and as I suspected the inverter is on. So I’m going to assume that it’s the truck that isn’t setup to charge the 5er. I’ll have my son-in-law to look at it again and if he can’t figure it out then I’ll take it to the dealership.
Make sure your battery disconnect is ON! I learned the hard way that if it's not on, my batteries wouldn't charge. Also, a single alternator will not charge up 2 batteries unless you drive all d@mn day long. Had my old FW plugged in for 5 days at my house and found that my batteries were well down before leaving for a 3 hour drive for our annual family boondocker, because the disconnect was OFF. Got to our site and batteries were still in the yellow so ended up having to run my truck for about an hour each day, on top of 45w of solar, just to stay in the yellow. My current KZ is the same way.
No an alternator will not charge two dead batteries but it will keep two charged batteries charged all day.
Lyle
Oct-18-2021 09:19 AM
Diamond c wrote:
I just went out and checked and as I suspected the inverter is on. So I’m going to assume that it’s the truck that isn’t setup to charge the 5er. I’ll have my son-in-law to look at it again and if he can’t figure it out then I’ll take it to the dealership.
Oct-18-2021 09:10 AM
Coach-man wrote:
That is the downer to residential fridges! If you stay put for long periods, and only move occasionally then they are great! Now, if your on the move a lot, your going to have to become an “expert” on batteries, and inverters. Starting with the alternators, yes plural. In your truck. Did your rig come with an inverter? What size is it, does it power more than the fridge? Perhaps, you need to upgrade it, or add one if not present? What is the amp rating on your house batteries? Typically, the factory ships their rigs without batteries, which are provided by the dealer at the time of sale. Again, they typically install the smallest, cheapest batteries they can get away with providing! Some people install a couple of 6 volt golf cart batteries, to ensure they are providing enough amps to run things! That would then require, looking at your charging systems, both in the trailer, and in your truck, keeping the batteries charged! Yep a residential fridge can become an expensive option, if you outfit your truck and rig to support it! Good luck!
Oct-18-2021 08:32 AM
Oct-18-2021 08:11 AM
Oct-17-2021 05:37 PM
Oct-17-2021 05:14 PM
theoldwizard1 wrote:
We are all just shooting in the dark until we know what make and model refrigerator you have. Or at a minimum, is it a true 12V DC refrigerator or does it run on 120V AC from an inverter.
Two things that will improve its operation while towing are 1) a DC-DC charger and 2) a better battery, like lithium ion.
Oct-17-2021 05:10 PM
Coach-man wrote:Cummins12V98 wrote:Coach-man wrote:
That is the downer to residential fridges! If you stay put for long periods, and only move occasionally then they are great! Now, if your on the move a lot, your going to have to become an “expert” on batteries, and inverters. Starting with the alternators, yes plural. In your truck. Did your rig come with an inverter? What size is it, does it power more than the fridge? Perhaps, you need to upgrade it, or add one if not present? What is the amp rating on your house batteries? Typically, the factory ships their rigs without batteries, which are provided by the dealer at the time of sale. Again, they typically install the smallest, cheapest batteries they can get away with providing! Some people install a couple of 6 volt golf cart batteries, to ensure they are providing enough amps to run things! That would then require, looking at your charging systems, both in the trailer, and in your truck, keeping the batteries charged! Yep a residential fridge can become an expensive option, if you outfit your truck and rig to support it! Good luck!
ONE alternator in my 15 RAM, two 6V batteries and one 1,000 watt inverter in RV. ALWAYS arrive with temps the same as when I left even on my 33 hour trip mentioned above.
One time I did arrive with temps up. Reason was the batteries were on their last leg. Trip to Costco and all has been well since.
That may well be true! There are options for two alternators on these vehicles! I was expressing to the OP what he “MIGHT” encounter going down this road. There are many variables, and you can not post on a particular situation and expect that to cover all alternatives! Congratulations on YOUR PARTICULAR situation, but it does not cover all situations. Not to mention all the alternative’s and allow the OP to think his situation and yours are identical is doing him a diservice!
Oct-17-2021 04:50 PM
Oct-17-2021 03:16 PM