Outside Refrigerator possibilities?

[RickLight]

Some basic electrical math is in order.

One amp at 120 volts is the same power as 10 amps at 12 volts. So starting a 6 amp load, means pulling 60A through the 12V system. That's some pretty fat wire!

As for charging from your truck, double check your wiring and fuses. All the trailer connections I've ever seen were 10A rated, so you would lose all system charging while driving. I've heard some folks use a separate connection with fatter wires, but it's worth looking at if you really want this.

[Calbar]

Thank you folks for your responses. They have started me thinking and doing some research.
A 2.6 CF refrigerator (which is bigger than what I have now, but would be what I would like to upgrade to when this one goes out) draws 1amp of electricity and may peak at 6 amps when the unit starts (according to one manufacturer). If I were to buy a 500w inverter that can supply 1000W of peak power, mount it in the compartment with the refrigerator with a small cooling fan, and run a 12v line to the fuse box, why wouldn't this work? When on the road, the truck would charge the batteries, when plugged in the converter would do the same. I could put a switch before the inverter, so that when I turn my main refrigerator on before a trip, I would flip the switch for the outside unit as well. Am I missing something or is this an affordable solution?
Jim

That would work too. The only issue that I see with this is that you would have to plug and un-plug the fridge from the inverter to the wall socket once you get to where you are going and have shore power. Not big deal if you want to do that. I thought of that too but then decided that I would automate the whole thing with a transfer switch like this one.

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This way I don't have to think about it. I can leave the inverter on all the time as it only draws about 7 W when there is no load. The transfer switch will switch automatically from shore power to inverter once shore power is lost and one less thing for me to have to remember. I will post a write up once I am done. Had to get some other parts today. Hopefully next weekend I will get this done so we can use it on our trip to Finger Lakes at the end of June.

Rob

[Jim Thornhill]

Brian,
I am not sure of the exact dimensions, but when the one I have goes out I would be sure and get as large as replacement as I could that would fit.
Rick, I could not find the exact power requirement of the inverter that I am looking at, but it is meant to plug into a cigarette lighter socket, so I am guessing I could run 10ga wire the 15 ft to the compartment and be OK. Most cigarette lighters I have seen are on a 15 or 20 amp fuse, and if I am not mistaken 10ga wire is rated at 30amps.
Jim

[Jim Thornhill]

Rob,
I am not sure why I would have to plug/unplug the refrigerator. If I wire it into the 12v side of the breaker box, why would it not function like any of my other 12v systems, like the furnace or water heater, and draw from the battery, which would be charged by the vehicle when moving or the converter when plugged in. There are many 12v systems in operation when the trailer is being towed, the electricity required to operate the refrigerator, the propane/CO2 detectors, lights, and probably a lot more that I don't know about.
Jim

[Calbar]

Rob,
I am not sure why I would have to plug/unplug the refrigerator. If I wire it into the 12v side of the breaker box, why would it not function like any of my other 12v systems, like the furnace or water heater, and draw from the battery, which would be charged by the vehicle when moving or the converter when plugged in. There are many 12v systems in operation when the trailer is being towed, the electricity required to operate the refrigerator, the propane/CO2 detectors, lights, and probably a lot more that I don't know about.
Jim

Jim you are right if you just leave it running on the inverter. I was overthinking what you wanted to do.

Rob

[jjinatx]

Hello all,
We have a Reflection 29RS with the outdoor entertainment option. So far, after 3 extended trips, we don't use this area, except for storage. The one thing we do use is the refrigerator. It's really handy for storing lunch/snacks to eat while on the road, or putting to go boxes in, so we don't have to get in the trailer, open the slides, ect. The problem is that it is on the 120v system, so it does not run while not on shore power/inverter, and only stays cool for a couple of hours after we unplug the trailer.

Jim

We took the TV out of ours and use the space next to the fridge to store the gas grill & hose and a Coleman folding aluminum table. We also have used the fridge for on the road lunch stuff. We stuff a couple of those gel bags you freeze in the mini freezer. While we are plugged in, the bags freeze. Then, when we disconnect and hit the road, the frozen gel bags keep the fridge cool, like an old fashioned ice box.

-jj

[romad317]

As a prepper I'm always interested in technology that I can use that I can run off batteries with the charge coming from solar panels. I have been watching a YouTube channel about a couple who are sailing their catamaran around world. The channel is called Gone with the Wynns. They did a review on a unit that runs on 12v/24v/120v. A chest type freezer/fridge made by a company called SnoMaster. I'm of the thought that if you can, you should stay with the voltage and type current you originate with, and not have to invert or convert, as it should save energy, and the chance of another breakdown event in the "chain" of power. While not very cheap, the unit's performance, and it's power conservation were extraordinary. I'm getting one to take with me on trips, and to have a "just in case" way to cool food using only a 12v battery. Plus it freezes ice cream so much better than the absorption unit in my 2500RL! Just a thought... https://www.snomasterusa.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft78rbv3i0E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pK0eLV4BGog&t=367s

[Jim Thornhill]

jj, what I brilliant Idea! Why didn't I think of that???
Ok, here goes the rear storage compartment remodel. First I took the TV and the fridge out of the space. I planned on reusing the platform the fridge was setting on, so I saved that as well. That left me with this:

Next I removed the small upper cabinet/shelf. I found out that If you will remove the skin that is on the shelf, both at the top and bottom, you can unscrew the cabinet and it comes out easily. You may need to cut it in half to get it out, I am not sure because I had done that before I learned how to remove it the easy way. I found ot that GD had 3 receptacles in this space, all feeding off of the same wire, so I shut the power off and removed two of them. Then I took the cable jack and plate off and stuffed everything back into the wall space below the radio (you see the back of the radio in the picture). The paneling on the right side of the compartment was paper thin and I damaged it a little when I removed the shelf, and the back and left wall were black and kind of scratched up, so I decided to use some ¼" birch I had in the shop and repaneled the walls. That ended up looking like this:

The next step, and the one that took the longest, was to build a set of drawers to put in the space. If you don't want to build your own, a trip to your favorite closet organizing store or amazon would have some good solutions. The finished project looks like this:

I've got room for my dutch ovens, shield, and chimney starter on the left, lot's of room in the drawers and the fridge on the right. Plus a tray for some long items on top, like marshmallow sticks, or some containers of outdoor cooking supplies.
Thanks folks for all the ideas, Jim