Help, 2003 Arctic Fox fridge isnโt staying cool when on DC
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โAug-21-2021 12:47 PM
We were hoping to run the RV fridge on DC electric while driving. We have 200 watts of solar panel and also had a dc/dc charger installed, with (2) 100 amp hr 12v LFA batteries in parallel (200 amp hrs 50% depth of discharge or 100 amp hrs without damaging the life span of the batteries) โฆ
Before we left Thursday afternoon, we had it plugged in on AC the day prior and it was up to temperature when we left. On propane and AC it stays cold (40 degrees F or better) and the items in the freezer remain frozen solid. But, while the freezer seems to be working fine on DC, the temperature of the fridge seems to be running warmer (mid to upper 40s or worse) - I even put one of the frozen solid water bottles in the fridge on the middle shelf, as the temp began rising (which also started to thaw, not surprisingly since it was less than 0 degrees.) But the temp still appeared cool in the fridge, and that frozen bottle didnโt thaw out significantly in the time frame it was on DC and in the fridge, but when we saw the temp on the indoor/outdoor thermometer start to rise towards 50 degrees, we turned it back to propane where it ran fine and we could even decrease the level of the refrigerator temperature (ie - from 9 down to 6.) It was 90 degrees F outside yesterday, but I wouldnโt think that would be the proverbial โstraw to break the camels backโ so to speakโฆ )
Therefore, my question is: Is this typical - or should it be doable to run this 3 way rv fridge on DC and have it work appropriately? (Prior to having the dc/dc charger installed, we had always run the fridge on propane when driving, but weโve been taking heed of the reasons why itโs not the best idea and hence why we installed the dc/dc charger in addition to the solar panels. And, just to clarify, we had no issue with keeping the batteries charged with the dc/dc charger and solar panels when we had the fridge running on DC power- we only switched it over to propane because the temp was implying that it was getting too warm in the fridge.)
Iโd love to hear others experiences regarding running their 2000 era AF fridge 3 way fridge off DC.
TIA!
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โAug-22-2021 01:06 PM
Buzzcut1 wrote:
for about $500 you can upgrade the Cooling unit to one of the Amish Built ones. My old cooling unit failed and I installed a new Amish one about 2 weeks ago. So far the performance of the new unit is substantially better on AC, DC and Propane. At 100F outside the Fridge stayed at 35 and the Freezer kept the Ice Cream frozen solid. I had it on DC while driving and Propane while dry camping
https://rvcoolingunit.com/Norcold-Cooling-Units-remanufactured-C4434.aspx
Thank you for sharing that.
2017 Heartland Torque T29 - Sold.
Couple of Arctic Fox TCs - Sold
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โAug-21-2021 09:49 PM
https://rvcoolingunit.com/Norcold-Cooling-Units-remanufactured-C4434.aspx
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โAug-21-2021 08:36 PM
riah wrote:
OK, thanks every one for your replies!
The biggest issue is voltage drop.
My 3 way fridge works GREAT on 12 volts--so long as I'm plugged into shore power. On batteries only--even though I have 556 amp-hours and 256 watts of solar it doesn't work well at all.
If you want to "fix" the problem, then add a dc to DC charger and set the voltage at 14.8.
My ride is a 28 foot Class C, 256 watts solar, 556 amp-hours of Telcom jars, 3000 watt Magnum hybrid inverter, Sola Basic Autoformer, Microair Easy Start.
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โAug-21-2021 08:15 PM
But, honestly we didnโt experience any issues with the batteries keeping up, as we have a DCDC charger PLUS the 2oo watts of solarโฆ. It was showing our batteries were at 100% with the fridge running on DC! That was my initial concern, that the batteries wouldnโt keep up.
I guess we will just have to keep an eye on it. )It was 90 degrees F so maybe itโs just too much to expect for such warm temps! I guess we can swap it back and forth if we need to.)
The reason I was trying to get away from running the fridge on propane is because we have the electric charging capability and the capacity apparently to run it off the 12v DC and itโs safer than propane; as well as already paid for and therefore free in comparison to the propane, since we planned it to use DC to run the fridge when weโre driving.
But the consensus appears to be that itโs typical behavior apparently to have it warm up over time, which is sort of a bummer as we apparently have the ability to power it well enough as far as the batteries are concerned!
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โAug-21-2021 03:38 PM
2020 Silverado 2500
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โAug-21-2021 02:32 PM
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โAug-21-2021 02:25 PM
Same camper as yours, the only time I ran it in DC mode was if propane had to be turned off, or as a default if the LP blew out going down the highway.
2017 Heartland Torque T29 - Sold.
Couple of Arctic Fox TCs - Sold
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โAug-21-2021 01:19 PM
The propane burner is probably around 1,500 BTh per hour which translates to about
440 watts, that is, nearly 50% more than what the DC element will do.
I have no idea how accurate these numbers are for YOUR particular fridge but there should be a plate on it somewhere giving all the details so you can do your own calculations.
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โAug-21-2021 01:19 PM
enblethen wrote:
Operation on DC will strain to keep it cold.
Why not run it on propane like most RVers?
Bingo!
Or get a compressor fridge like mine that's made to run on DC.
Chevy 3500HD, 6L V8
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โAug-21-2021 01:16 PM
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โAug-21-2021 01:15 PM
Traveling generally hasn't been an issue once the DC charge is resolved, but will run warmer as the day progresses, especially as outside temps rise. But have never lost food due to temps, once stopped returning to gas or shore brings temps down.
Our camper projects page http://www.ourelkhorn.itgo.com
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โAug-21-2021 01:02 PM
Why not run it on propane like most RVers?
Bud
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