Fridge Not Running Off Gas

[Proud_Dad]

Hi All,

Have a 2005ish Terry TT with a refrigerator problem. Fridge works fine when running off of shore power, but does not run at all if switched to LP gas. My batteries are shot and need to be replaced. I mean really dead. My theory (that is to say my hope b/c it would be a simple solution) is that there needs to be good DC power in order for the refrigerator controller to work correctly even with LP gas as the energy source, and that when I replace the batteries, the fridge will work just fine.

Am I just kidding myself, or is this likely to be a solution to my fridge situation?

[Old-Biscuit]

Almot wrote:

RJsfishin wrote:
Ya don't need a good battery for fridge on propane when hooked to grid.

Oh,....maybe I better read the previous posts before I give any more of my valuable secret info !
Duh:h :B

Duh...
Watch out, or you might get from the Old Biscuit what I've got - for agreeing with him 🙂

Yep. The OP post is missing crucial detail needed to answer it.

See.......

THAT's the problem with posts.........one can't judge inflection of voice, visual clues, body language.

My apologies.........I didn't read your post as agreeing

[Almot]

RJsfishin wrote:
Ya don't need a good battery for fridge on propane when hooked to grid.

Oh,....maybe I better read the previous posts before I give any more of my valuable secret info !
Duh:h :B

Duh...
Watch out, or you might get from the Old Biscuit what I've got - for agreeing with him 🙂

Yep. The OP post is missing crucial detail needed to answer it.

[RJsfishin]

Ya don't need a good battery for fridge on propane when hooked to grid.

Oh,....maybe I better read the previous posts before I give any more of my valuable secret info !
Duh:h :B

[Old-Biscuit]

Almot wrote:

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Does fridge run on propane when connected to shore power?

Duh :)...

Converter doesn't have to charge the battery when on shore power (in order to run the fridge in LP mode). It makes 12V out of 110V shore AC, and this is all that fridge controller cares about. If fridge doesn't run on LP while connected to 110V - then it won't run with a new battery either.

35 AH per 24 hours posted by Fred is on the higher side - about twice higher than what I see in my rig and many other. Fridge controller draws 10-15 AH a day. Other parasitic loads like CO and LP sensors draw under 5 AH a day. A pair of AA batteries in my CO sensor lasts for YEARS, if you re-calculate this into AH for a sensor hard-wired in trailer 12V, it would still be nothing.

Duh...

You missed the other part of my post

"If fridge operates on electric and propane when connected to shore power then YES new batteries will fix your issue of fridge not running on propane when NOT on shore power.

"But if fridge doesn't run on propane when on shore power........then you have other problems then just bad battery"

OP didn't make it clear if he had issues with fridge running on propane ONLY when on battery.


Now don't you feel silly 🙂

[Almot]

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Does fridge run on propane when connected to shore power?

Duh :)...

Converter doesn't have to charge the battery when on shore power (in order to run the fridge in LP mode). It makes 12V out of 110V shore AC, and this is all that fridge controller cares about. If fridge doesn't run on LP while connected to 110V - then it won't run with a new battery either.

35 AH per 24 hours posted by Fred is on the higher side - about twice higher than what I see in my rig and many other. Fridge controller draws 10-15 AH a day. Other parasitic loads like CO and LP sensors draw under 5 AH a day. A pair of AA batteries in my CO sensor lasts for YEARS, if you re-calculate this into AH for a sensor hard-wired in trailer 12V, it would still be nothing.

[Old-Biscuit]

Does fridge run on propane when connected to shore power?

As posted above.......
Fridge needs good 12V DC power to run on electric heater element or on propane.
If fridge operates on electric and propane when connected to shore power then YES new batteries will fix your issue of fridge not running on propane when NOT on shore power.


But if fridge doesn't run on propane when on shore power........then you have other problems then just bad battery

You really need to get a new battery......it is what supplies DC power to trailer brakes should trailer become disconnected from vehicle when towing.
By LAW it is required.

[Golden_HVAC]

Hi,

The propane detector will consume about 0.3 amps all day and night. While that might not seem like a lot, with the refrigerator and CO meter, the total is 35 amp hours per day, this is enough to discharge a pair of batteries in about 4 days.

Check the water level in your batteries, and add distilled water if required. Plug into shore power if at all possible, and after a few days the battery might start to hold a charge.

If the refrigerator works on shore power (on gas) then you have no worries. My guess is that the stove and water heater are also not working because the propane detector does not have enough power to turn on the propane, thus everything stopped working.

A pair of 140 watt solar panels will lead to very long battery life. SunElec.com sells 140 watt for about $229 the last time I checked. You want a panel with a aluminum frame, and 12 volt nominal output. Then you can make simple brackets to hold it on the roof, and use a in-expensive PWM controller - about $35 for a 20 amp model.

I ran my wiring down the refrigerator vent to the controller, then to the battery. I can camp for days without hookups, and actually lived in the RV without hookups for several months!

Good luck,

Fred.

[kaydeejay]

Proud Dad wrote:
.. My theory (that is to say my hope b/c it would be a simple solution) is that there needs to be good DC power in order for the refrigerator controller to work correctly even with LP gas as the energy source, and that when I replace the batteries, the fridge will work just fine.

Fridge controls work on 12V DC. They control the 110V AC circuit AND the propane side.

Your converter is providing the 12V when you are connected to shore power, but it will not charge a battery that is toast!

Batteries should solve your problem.

[Ivylog]

Yes it needs at least 11.7V to operate.

[southernkilowat]

Nope, no kidding. You need good 12 volts for the refer to work.

SK