2022 Imagine 2600RB Refrgerator Design Change

Roicle

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Joined
Feb 6, 2022
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4
We are about to receive our 2022 Imagine 2600RB and are excited about the adventures ahead.Grand Design has changed the refrigerator for our travel trailer to a 12 volt design versus the previous propane/12v combination in 2021. We enjoy boon docking camping at some more remote sites here in the Rockies where tree coverage might not allow for full sun battery charging. Seeking members feedback for this change to a non propane style fridge.
Thanks
Russ Oicle
 
We have done 1 night in rest area with 1 stock battery no problem, fridge has night mode to help. I have upgraded to 2 - 75 amp hour agm batteries which will help with our trip to Quartsite in a few weeks. We have the 8 cu ft. Norcold 12 volt and love it.
Congrats on the new Imagine 2600rb!
 
You're probably going to need more battery storage than what came with your trailer. We have the larger 12-volt refrigerator and added 800 Ah of LiFePo4 batteries to handle extended boondocking in the shade.
 
I'd love to have that 12v fridge. I guess we bought our tt 1 year to early. Question is how long do you boondock? Can you run a geny? Depending on your answers, maybe look at different battery storage. 2 x 6v maybe or lifepo4. Also maybe look at increasing your solar panels maybe also add suitcase style so that you can move them in the sun.

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I have a cheap solar setup of 4x100w Grape Solar panels (Home Depot) running through a Victron controller. When my TT sits at my house I can run my 12V fridge 365 without the 4 GC 6V lead acid batteries going below 12.41.
The biggest issue is the other 12V things you may run. Theoretically I could go unplugged for ever with what I have as even on cloudy days I still get enough charge to maintain the 12V fridge and batteries.
When we do camp I run a 2000W inverter, a Dish receiver and a 12V Jensen TV. The TV is on for about 5 hours from morning to later in the evening. So not all day by any means. The inverter and Dish receiver stay on 24/7 so the Dish won't lose it's setup connection.
Doing the above I can only make it into the 3rd day before I need to fire up my gen. This is with good sun draw also.
IMO if you have a good shot at the sun and are using at least 2 6V GC batteries along with 200W of solar and don't use any other 12V except for the water pump and some LED lights I think you should be able to get several days easily without needing a gen to recharge the batteries.
When we are in spots where we only get about 4-5 hours of peak sun we can't make more than 2 full days and need to run the gen around dinner time for a couple hours.
Again, we run a bunch of other 12V stuff along with the fridge and that's what really drains the batteries the most.
My Norcold tanked and since we already had the solar and batteries it was way cheaper to go the 12V route. So far we love our 9.8 cu.ft fridge. More room inside is the best part.
 
Here's my opinion on these and you know what that's worth .....

The solar and solar charger were added just to maintain these new 12v fridges for traveling or short stops or whatever. The solar wasn't added to help with dry camping. So, if you needed to use solar or a generator or whatever to dry camp in the past, I believe you still will. I think there's a lot of misunderstanding regarding these changes.

And GD isn't the only manufacturer doing this and none of them are trying to imply the solar "package" is to improve dry camping capability. Uninformed salespeople may be saying it is but that isn't their design and it's not the case.

If you're a big-time dry camper, you should invest in more and better battery banking and develop your preferred way to keep them charged just like you would have before. If all you do is drive from one full hookup campground to another, these will perform perfectly.

That's what I did in our 2022 22MLE by adding 800 watts of rooftop solar and 412 amp hours of lithium batteries.

AGAIN, they added a solar package to just get these new setups to be compatible with the units that have 12v/electric/propane fridges and not to make them great for dry camping.

I've got to add that I absolutely love our 12v fridge. It's got 2 cu ft more space inside the same box as a 8 cu ft gas/electric model, it cools down unbelievably faster, and it keeps the food a perfect temp. We couldn't be happier.
 
I'd love to have that 12v fridge. I guess we bought our tt 1 year to early. Question is how long do you boondock? Can you run a geny? Depending on your answers, maybe look at different battery storage. 2 x 6v maybe or lifepo4. Also maybe look at increasing your solar panels maybe also add suitcase style so that you can move them in the sun.

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I've had some excellent feedback from Jeff Moerchen of Grand Design this week:
- the TT electrical system will charge the batteries when on shore power; also run the fridge and anything on the 12 volt system.
- the fridge has a setting for off grid when boon docking
- it appears that we should be able to boon dock for approximately 3 or more days on battery power and solar panel charging ( we will start with two 6 volt AGM batteries)
- we will consider a generator if we want to boon dock for longer periods, or add a suitcase panel as mentioned.
- also found out that if we ran out of battery power, we can manually retract the electric stabilizers and slide. (but not so for the awning)
Thanks
 
I've had some excellent feedback from Jeff Moerchen of Grand Design this week:
- the TT electrical system will charge the batteries when on shore power; also run the fridge and anything on the 12 volt system.
- the fridge has a setting for off grid when boon docking
- it appears that we should be able to boon dock for approximately 3 or more days on battery power and solar panel charging ( we will start with two 6 volt AGM batteries)
- we will consider a generator if we want to boon dock for longer periods, or add a suitcase panel as mentioned.
- also found out that if we ran out of battery power, we can manually retract the electric stabilizers and slide. (but not so for the awning)
Thanks
It seems like it going to work out for you. [emoji3]
Unless your awning is different you can crank it in manually via the motor head. If you have the Schwintek slide system (top and bottom rails on the exterior sides of the slide) there's no manual override. You can always hook it up to your TV and power it from it.

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We have a 2022 model 2600RB ordered and am expecting it any day now (we hope). I went to the dealership and spoke with a tech yesterday because I was considering upgrading to a lithium battery. I was told that our TT would come with one AGM battery. I asked the tech if I went with a lithium battery would the charge controller need to be upgraded. He said the charge controller in the 2600 would charge the lithium without needing to change anything. They wanted $1,400.00 for the Battle Born battery so I went online and ordered one for $799.00. I'm considering adding another battery and an inverter in the future, but thought we would test things out with the one battery first. A second solar panel is another option I'm considering.
I was also told that the solar panel is 165 watts. It will be interesting to see if that will keep the one battery charged enough for the frig, dish, tv and a couple of lights.
 
We have a 2022 model 2600RB ordered and am expecting it any day now (we hope). I went to the dealership and spoke with a tech yesterday because I was considering upgrading to a lithium battery. I was told that our TT would come with one AGM battery. I asked the tech if I went with a lithium battery would the charge controller need to be upgraded. He said the charge controller in the 2600 would charge the lithium without needing to change anything. They wanted $1,400.00 for the Battle Born battery so I went online and ordered one for $799.00. I'm considering adding another battery and an inverter in the future, but thought we would test things out with the one battery first. A second solar panel is another option I'm considering.
I was also told that the solar panel is 165 watts. It will be interesting to see if that will keep the one battery charged enough for the frig, dish, tv and a couple of lights.

I'm not a Lithium expert but it's my understanding that the WFCO charger in 99% of RV's won't peak out high enough to gain maximum charging capabilities for a Battle Born battery. I think you need around 14.2-5V at bulk and the WFCO won't go any higher than around 13.8 or less even though their literature says 14.5 or so.
 
Your probably correct, based on research I've done. I guess I was just hoping that I didn't have to bleed any more money right away. I'll probably be ordering the smart charger from Battle Born. When I ordered the battery I got an email saying that will not ship the battery until they call and speak with me 1st. I'll be asking them questions when they call.
I told my wife I was expecting to spend 1k for the battery, since I got it for 799 I figure the extra cost will put me at my original budget, so all should be good, I hope.
 
Your probably correct, based on research I've done. I guess I was just hoping that I didn't have to bleed any more money right away. I'll probably be ordering the smart charger from Battle Born. When I ordered the battery I got an email saying that will not ship the battery until they call and speak with me 1st. I'll be asking them questions when they call.
I told my wife I was expecting to spend 1k for the battery, since I got it for 799 I figure the extra cost will put me at my original budget, so all should be good, I hope.
You can still use your BB. Your stock charger might just be able to charge it up to 80% instead of 100%. So you don't need to change your charger right away. You just won't be getting 100% of your BB but you'll still be getting more ah the a LA.

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A comment was made that “you can use the TV” to power slides etc if the battery is depleted. Unfortunately this doesn’t apply to all TVs. My 2019 F150 will not provide that much power is the battery is low. Know your vehicles capabilities.
 
A comment was made that “you can use the TV” to power slides etc if the battery is depleted. Unfortunately this doesn’t apply to all TVs. My 2019 F150 will not provide that much power is the battery is low. Know your vehicles capabilities.
I guess it would depend how low the battery is. We have a 2019 and 2 seasons ago our batt was to low. Plugged it in the F150, turn on the head lights and was able to bring it in. Maybe if you let it run for a little while it could help. I also carry a NOCO 70 but haven't tried it to bring the slide in.

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I guess it would depend how low the battery is. We have a 2019 and 2 seasons ago our batt was to low. Plugged it in the F150, turn on the head lights and was able to bring it in. Maybe if you let it run for a little while it could help. I also carry a NOCO 70 but haven't tried it to bring the slide in.

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I would agree here with what has been said, variables depending on the tow vehicle capability and the life left in RV battery. I can tell you what happed to us, unbeknown to us our converter went out and the RV battery was really low to the point where the interior lights were dim, the electric leveling system would not work and we had problems with the slides. We were on the road at the time, I plugged the RV into our truck and ran the engine, this along with whatever charge was left in the RV battery, helped us get the slides in, the leveling system retracted and the RV connected. Now our truck has a 200amp alternator and the truck wires going back to the 7 way plug on the RV were adequate enough to help get some amps back to the RV, and the RV battery had some charge left. We still had some 300 miles to go to get to our final destination. Our truck charged the RV battery enough over 300 miles for us to get unhitched, set up and slides out. Then we immediately got a new converter and installed it. problem resolved. Some may not be so lucky

As to batteries, I'll hang on to our single lead acid batt until it goes out then make the decision on what to replace it with. We don't do extended boondocking but do occasionally spend an overnight unplugged.
 
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We have a 2022 model 2600RB ordered and am expecting it any day now (we hope). I went to the dealership and spoke with a tech yesterday because I was considering upgrading to a lithium battery. I was told that our TT would come with one AGM battery. I asked the tech if I went with a lithium battery would the charge controller need to be upgraded. He said the charge controller in the 2600 would charge the lithium without needing to change anything. They wanted $1,400.00 for the Battle Born battery so I went online and ordered one for $799.00. I'm considering adding another battery and an inverter in the future, but thought we would test things out with the one battery first. A second solar panel is another option I'm considering.
I was also told that the solar panel is 165 watts. It will be interesting to see if that will keep the one battery charged enough for the frig, dish, tv and a couple of lights.

It's around $200 to update the WFCO to a model that supports an MPPT charge profile and adequate voltage to charge the Lithium batteries to full. However, the included solar controller DOES have an MPPT charge profile to support lithium. So, in theory, the WFCO should get you 70% of the way there and the solar panel on the roof can handle top-up duties.
 
In April 2022 we purchased the 2022 Imagine 2600 RB TT with solar powered fridge, no propane back-up. We "upgraded" to 2 6v lead acid batteries and had the dealer add a second solar panel to the roof. We only boondock since we don't like crowded private campgrounds. What we've found is that our 12v - 10 cubic foot solar only fridge is a power hog. Solar is great when we have direct sunlight as long as we are extremely careful about using our lights, pump, heater, etc. We also have to use our generator the allotted 2 hours/twice daily allowable time. Once on a rainy weekend our fridge stopped producing cool air and we had to throw out our food. We often have to use our battery lantern to move around around at night....
We replaced our batteries 3 weeks ago because they were damaged (spent too much time below 50%)
Bottom line....the power needs of this trailer are not supported by our solar panels and batteries.
 
In April 2022 we purchased the 2022 Imagine 2600 RB TT with solar powered fridge, no propane back-up. We "upgraded" to 2 6v lead acid batteries and had the dealer add a second solar panel to the roof. We only boondock since we don't like crowded private campgrounds. What we've found is that our 12v - 10 cubic foot solar only fridge is a power hog. Solar is great when we have direct sunlight as long as we are extremely careful about using our lights, pump, heater, etc. We also have to use our generator the allotted 2 hours/twice daily allowable time. Once on a rainy weekend our fridge stopped producing cool air and we had to throw out our food. We often have to use our battery lantern to move around around at night....
We replaced our batteries 3 weeks ago because they were damaged (spent too much time below 50%)
Bottom line....the power needs of this trailer are not supported by our solar panels and batteries.

So sorry to hear about your food loss. Just wanted to correct one misconception. The 12-volt refrigerators are not "solar only", they are 12-volt electric powered. When you're plugged into shore power, your converter/charger supplies the 12-volt power. When you're "off-grid", the frig depends on your batteries. How much battery power you need depends a lot on how you camp. Since you "boondock" exclusively, you're going to need a battery bank that supports your camping style. Many on this forum have gone to a LiFePo4 battery bank for the type of camping you do. In my own case, I built a battery bank with 800 Ah (4 200 Ah batteries wired in parallel) which supports 4 to 5 days of camping off-grid even with limited or no solar (we also have a 12-volt frig that draws about 100 Ah per day).

One way to get better results would be to come up with an energy budget. Add up what your frig needs along with the other uses you have such as lights, pump, and heater. From that subtract what your solar adds given the constraints of your location (we often camp in the woods where there isn't much solar potential). That will give you a pretty good idea of how much battery capacity you're going to need to not run out of power.

While not the only route, LiFePo4 batteries charge faster and can be discharged below 50% without damage. They cost more and your stock converter/charger probably won't fully charge them, but they last a long time and perform well for the type of camping you do.
 
Our 2021 2600RB came with a Dometic propane/AC 8cu.ft. model. It eats through batteries (we have 600Ah LiPo and 1500W of panels) or propane. Plus the door handle broke! I would love to slide something a bit more boondocking-friendly into that wall...
 
Our 2021 2600RB came with a Dometic propane/AC 8cu.ft. model. It eats through batteries (we have 600Ah LiPo and 1500W of panels) or propane. Plus the door handle broke! I would love to slide something a bit more boondocking-friendly into that wall...
I've never heard of an absorption fridge eating up batteries.
 

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