Bob Karr
Tucson, AZ
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Joined: 06/17/2001
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The current owner of a 200 Versatile RT tells me he has never driven down the road using DC to run the refrigerator. Says it will run the aux battery down. So, I ask him, isn't the house battery being recharged at the same time the juice is being drawn from it?
He said he never tried that and only ran it on propane until he hooked up at night to the AC.
It would seem to me that one would be OK running the refer running off the DC.
So, tell me, am I right in my thought on this or is he?
RT 200V
"Facts are facts, although opinions may differ." Anon.
"The road is long, life is short." Anon.
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rvten
Crossville,TN
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Joined: 11/30/2000
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Useing propane is working off the DC battery. No battery fridge will not work.
Even if he has a 3-way fridge. (propane, DC, AC power) Propane needs electric to make control work.
Tom & Bonnie
Crossville, TN.
Aspect 29H 2008
Class C passed Class A owner
Pontiac G6
There is NO such Thing as a B+
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Aikensbest
Aiken, SC. USA
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Joined: 04/02/2004
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there have been many posts on this subject, and a fair amount of disagreement. Yes the battery will recharge as you drive, but not as quickly as the dc is used by the frig. I personnaly use dc sparingly although I have two aux batteries as they do not keep the frig as cold as propane in really hot weather, and not hold up on a long trip If you use the propane remember to turn it off if you stop for fuel. Safety. We recently spent 2 1/2 weeks on the road and used propane most all the time. Actually the frig uses a surprisingly small amount of propane to stay cold
Aikensbest
2001 GreatWestClassic
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WilliamKorn
Bethany Beach, Delaware
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Joined: 05/20/2002
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A three way refrigerator does not have a compressor. The 12 volt setting uses a 12 volt heating element in place of the propane flame as the energy source for cooling. (I won't go into the physics of the system here).
A refrigerator using the above on 12 volt heater probably uses ten times the amps as a 12 volt compressor model refrigerator.
Therefore, when driving there should be no problem with the alternator providing adequate amperage. I would switch to propane almost immediately after turning off the engine. The propane usage for refrigeration is quite small so it is not a large issue.
Conclusion: Either way you want to do it!
William Korn
Bethany Beach, Delaware
williamkorn@msn.com
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Travelin' Bill
Vancouver, WA
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Joined: 07/27/2004
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I NEVER trave with the propane valve open. A small leak due to vibration or movement could be catastrophic. I travel on 12VDC, then switch to propane if stopping for more than an hour or two without access to 115VAC or switch to AC if available.
The Dometic 3-way in our RT C190P actually works very well on 12VDC, but, granted, not as well as on 115VAC or Propane. On AC or Propane I set the dial on 4. When I switch to DC I set the dial on 5 to 5-1/2. I don't really notice any change in the interior temperature with this procedure.
But, each frig tends to work slightly (or significantly) different under different conditions.
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Please keep your expectations fairly low . . . I'm an engineer.
2002 RT 190P Chev
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Davydd
Minnesota
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Our Pleasure-Way owner's manual says to run the 3-way fridge on DC while driving and switch to AC if electric hookup is available or propane when parked and to keep the propane turned off when driving. There are safety and legal reasons involved running with propane on. It is illegal to go through tunnels on roads with propane running. There is always a greater chance for fire hazards. Since the fridge was designed for DC why not use it? The alternator will charge the auxiliary battery more than the fridge will discharge it. At the end of a driving day my battery is still fully charged. If you have an electrical hookup at night then the auxiliary battery will remain fully charged for the next day. We might switch to propane when stopping for lunch or taking a site seeing tour while leaving the B parked for more than an hour. The electricity is restorable by charging everywhere. With propane you will eventually have to find a place to replace it and that can sometimes be a pain in the A.
Davydd
2005 Pleasure-Way Plateau Sprinter B Camper Van
Davydd is the Welsh spelling for David with an English twist using a v instead of an f.
See Our Pleasure-Way and my pork tenderloin sandwiches
Visited states in an RV
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Old Gringo
Wirtz Va
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Joined: 06/29/2005
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WE have a 2005 Roadtrek 190 popular and have traveled 36000 miles in the past 3 years spending about 8 months total in the Roadtrek. . We operate Reefer on 12VDc win under way. If stop for more than one hour switch to propane. When parked overnight utilize 120 volt AC if avaible, If not use propane. Have two coach batterys which have always remain charged when crusing. I have been advised to never use propane when under way due to fire hazard in the event of an accident. This procedure supports Travlin Bill's post. Our travels originate in Virgina and they have been down the east coast to Florida, Southwest to arizona, Northwest to Vancouver Canada, and Southwest to Mexico.
Glenn & Kay
2005 Roadtrek 190
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Bob Karr
Tucson, AZ
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Joined: 06/17/2001
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Thanks for the quick clear responses. I certainly see the range opinions on this, as Aikensbest wrote.
I've always heard and observed, since I was a young kid in my parent's RV, to not run the propane. And to turn it off when refueling! (My dad owned a service station, (if you remember those?).
My wife dislikes using gas, so it appears we'll be using the DC option when rolling, AC when stopped & available, and propane if stopped more than a couple of hours, when AC is not available.
Getting one day closer to finalizing the deal!
Bob
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wsfurrie
Arizona
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Joined: 09/14/2007
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The reason the fridge has a 12V function is so that you can use it while driving. It works very well. As the manual says, do not use it while parked, the battery will not last long. As to using propane while driving, lots of folks do, I do not. Mine is always turned off while moving. It's kind of like smoking, you might smoke all your life and not get lung cancer. I don't want to take a chance on it.
Wayne, the old curmudgeon
Wayne, the old curmudgeon
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karlstream
Gig Harbor, WA,USA
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Joined: 09/11/2002
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The last time I checked, the 12 volt heater in a refer that fits in the average Class B is rated at about 170 watts. If you do the math, that's about a 15 amp drain. Any properly operating van charging system should easily supply that.
karl
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