Running a residential fridge on 12 volt power?

[mrad]

My wife and I are getting close to purchasing our first 5th wheel 2 of the models we are looking at have residential refrigerators. A friend of mine said he intentionally avoided a residential because on days he Pulls the 5th wheel to work so he can head straight to the campground, he is worried the fridge would drain the battery on the RV as well as possibly draining his TV batteries.

About how long could I expect 2 12v batteries in an RV to last before the fridge would drain them?

I know depends on the reserve capacity of the batteries, but I'm wondering if they would be drained in a 9 hour period.

[MrWizard]

Boy oh boy
Replies all over the place
All he wants to do is keep the fridge cool during one day of work, so he can leave after work and go directly to the campground,
Answer is usually Yes
One pair of deep cycle batteries can handle the load for the day, plug in at home overnight, start the day with a cold fridge and fully charged batteries, if possible park the RV So the afternoon soon is Not shining on the wall behind the fridge

[pianotuna]

ktmrfs wrote:

Lwiddis wrote:
With an adequate solar system this issue would disappear....batteries, panels, wire and controller.

adequate solar AND SUNLIGHT. A few days of cloudy skies or a shaded campsite can put a real damper on batteries.

Just another reason I'll be going to SiO2 chemistry next summer.

[ktmrfs]

Lwiddis wrote:
With an adequate solar system this issue would disappear....batteries, panels, wire and controller.

adequate solar AND SUNLIGHT. A few days of cloudy skies or a shaded campsite can put a real damper on batteries.

[AllegroD]

BTW, OP, Will your work let you run an extension to a 15/20 amp circuit for a couple hours?

[AllegroD]

theoldwizard1 wrote:

AllegroD wrote:
OK! I will start with questions.
1. Is your charge line between truck and trailer adequate? If so, then getting to work and from work to camp site is not an issue.

Regardless of the size of the wire between the tow vehicle and the trailer, it is impossible to FULLY charge a discharged battery bank from the vehicle. It will prevent the house battery from discharging below acceptable levels.

Well ya got me here. I do not know what part of my post you are talking about. I did not say he could get a full charge.

[theoldwizard1]

AllegroD wrote:
OK! I will start with questions.
1. Is your charge line between truck and trailer adequate? If so, then getting to work and from work to camp site is not an issue.

Regardless of the size of the wire between the tow vehicle and the trailer, it is impossible to FULLY charge a discharged battery bank from the vehicle. It will prevent the house battery from discharging below acceptable levels.

[Cummins12V98]

valhalla360 wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:
Drove from SoCal to DFW, TX with three two hour stops with engine running and upon arrival Residential Frig was 38 and freezer 0 degrees. Truck charges RV batteries to provide power to Frig.

I believe the OP is intending to park at work, turn off the engine and then 8-12hr later after his shift is done, start up and head to a campground.

I doubt he wants to leave the engine running the entire time he is at work.

Did my speed reading!

No way will batteries be fine that long in warm to hot weather......unless you add some solar panels.

[valhalla360]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
Drove from SoCal to DFW, TX with three two hour stops with engine running and upon arrival Residential Frig was 38 and freezer 0 degrees. Truck charges RV batteries to provide power to Frig.

I believe the OP is intending to park at work, turn off the engine and then 8-12hr later after his shift is done, start up and head to a campground.

I doubt he wants to leave the engine running the entire time he is at work.

[time2roll]

The battery will be fine at work for 10 hours. Same as the battery (near full charge) will be fine overnight while you sleep. If your generator can start and run both A/C the fridge will be a minor blip. Worst case the included inverter will start/run the fridge direct if you turn the breaker off to the branch circuit that feeds the fridge.

Depending on your experience and usage patterns you may want to eventually add solar and another pair of batteries.

If the RV comes with a WFCO converter you might need upgraded charging sooner than later. WFCO is notorious for a slow charge at 13.6 volts and not going to boost mode (14.4v) when expected. If you are running the A/C 12+ hours a day this is less of an issue.

[AllegroD]

OK! I will start with questions.
1. Is your charge line between truck and trailer adequate? If so, then getting to work and from work to camp site is not an issue.

2. What inverter is in the rig? What RR is in the rig? Look at the data plate. My Samsung RF18 sips at 3 amps. Some do sip a little more.

Our MH has the 2 GC2s at 230ah and a Tripp Lite rv1250ulhw inverter/charger.with nothing running but the RR (and parasitics), we last 10-12 hours, with outside of 75 degrees, in the sun. Fridge stays 34 and freezer at -2.

New batteries should be no problem. If work day exceeds 10 hours then maybe go out at lunch, check and run the engine or gennie for an hour, if possible.

Have fun. It will work.

[Cummins12V98]

Drove from SoCal to DFW, TX with three two hour stops with engine running and upon arrival Residential Frig was 38 and freezer 0 degrees. Truck charges RV batteries to provide power to Frig.

[valhalla360]

Keep an eye on how far down you are dragging the voltage...If you get below 50% charge, expect your batteries to have a very limited lifespan.

[Lwiddis]

With an adequate solar system this issue would disappear....batteries, panels, wire and controller.

[wowens79]

The batteries will be fine, especially if the fridge is cold with cold food in it. Our driveway is sloped, so we will level up in the driveway and load up at night, the after loading I’ll move to the street an use batteries overnight for a quick getaway the next morning.

Like said above, get 2 6v golf cart batteries.