Inverter

[Banjopicks]

I have a 2016 High Country which I live in full-time. We bought in October and so far haven't lost power but there's a bad storm heading our way in RI. My question is, can I turn the Inverter on while plugged in? Will it automatically kick in if the power goes out?

[chuckster57]

Your inverter is for the fridge right? If so you don't have to turn it on and leave it on. If your refer is closed it will stay cold for a few hours. We live in a stick/brick house and our power went out once for 4 hours. Everything in the refer/freezer was fine, we just left the doors closed. Personally I wouldn't turn it on until you know you lost power.
I'm not familiar with how the inverters in the Montana are set up.

[Banjopicks]

Thanks. I went ahead and turned it on to test it. No problem. BTW, for me it's more important to keep the heat going.

[chuckster57]

If the power goes out and the inverter is on, it's eating away at your reserve in the batteries. The furnace needs good strong batteries for the fan to spin fast enough to complete the circuit for LP ignition.

Depending on how cold it is and how long the inverter is on, you may have to choose between frozen foods and warm toes.

[Banjopicks]

I have generator coming today. It would be nice if I could get a few hours out of the Inverter and 2 batteries before starting the generator.

[jtrevill]

Just for my own knowledge and I'm a bit confused... The fridge will run off the inverter? Why not let it switch over to propane rather than run off the batteries? My fridge will run forever on the amount of propane I have. But I'm making this comment with very very little knowledge about your setup :) LOL

[Steve S]

Just for my own knowledge and I'm a bit confused... The fridge will run off the inverter? Why not let it switch over to propane rather than run off the batteries? My fridge will run forever on the amount of propane I have. But I'm making this comment with very very little knowledge about your setup :) LOL

I was wondering the samething about your fridge. Why would you want to run it off 120 when you can just let it run on LP?:confused:
Also I came home once to the power off for about 7 hrs and the fridge and freezer were cold as ice. I guess when I was cleaning I must of hit the auto switch off and it never switched over to LP.:nonono:

[canesfan]

Just for my own knowledge and I'm a bit confused... The fridge will run off the inverter? Why not let it switch over to propane rather than run off the batteries? My fridge will run forever on the amount of propane I have. But I'm making this comment with very very little knowledge about your setup :) LOL

My first guess is it has a residential style fridge in it that doesn't run off of propane.

[JRTJH]

I believe the refrigerator that the OP is asking about running on the inverter is a "house type" refrigerator, not a Dometic/Norcold RV refrigerator. As such, it is built like the one in your home, operates on 110 VAC and is "compressor driven" not "LP/12VDC driven".....

Two different refrigerator types. His has no LP operation capability. It's strictly a "home type reefer".....

[sourdough]

We just returned from FL. I drive varying times each day, the longest was 7 1/2 hrs. Sometime before we left something must have blown because when we hooked up to leave and I disconnected shore power my fridge did not shift to LP. In fact, no light came on. The slides worked just fine without AC but the fridge and lights didn't so I'm assuming I have a blown fuse somewhere around the batteries - got to figure that out. All that aside, we ran each day, up to 7 1/2 hours without the fridge working on anything and when we parked each afternoon the fridge and freezer were just as if they had been on all the time. The milk and cold drinks had no "sweating" or anything, didn't even know it was off. OP should be OK unless it is a really prolonged outage.

[JRTJH]

sourdough,

Open the lower vent on the outside of your refrigerator. In the left lower corner is a black plastic cover. Remove the cover and you'll find two glass cartridge fuses. One (I think) is 5 amps and the other is 3 amps. You'll find one or both of them bad. Replace that and you should be back in business....

Don't forget to unplug the refrigerator from 110 VAC (behind the refrigerator) before you remove the black cover because there is "high voltage" on that circuit board. You wouldn't want to "fry your fingers" trying to get the fuse out.... Just disconnect the trailer from shore power or alternatively, unplug the reefer and you'll be "good to go"....

[jtrevill]

I believe the refrigerator that the OP is asking about running on the inverter is a "house type" refrigerator, not a Dometic/Norcold RV refrigerator. As such, it is built like the one in your home, operates on 110 VAC and is "compressor driven" not "LP/12VDC driven".....



Two different refrigerator types. His has no LP operation capability. It's strictly a "home type reefer".....



Oh wow... didn't realize they did that. Something for dry campers to watch out for I guess!


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[Steve S]

I believe the refrigerator that the OP is asking about running on the inverter is a "house type" refrigerator, not a Dometic/Norcold RV refrigerator. As such, it is built like the one in your home, operates on 110 VAC and is "compressor driven" not "LP/12VDC driven".....

Two different refrigerator types. His has no LP operation capability. It's strictly a "home type reefer".....

All these yrs of camping and I thought that every fridge could run on LP, I guess that I've just learned something new! I remember having a truck camper that actually had a fridge which ran off 12 volt as well. I also remember a trailer with a water heater that only ran on LP and no 120.
I couldn't imagine having a fridge which only relied on 120. I spend way too much of my time camping off grid.:)

[sourdough]

sourdough,

Open the lower vent on the outside of your refrigerator. In the left lower corner is a black plastic cover. Remove the cover and you'll find two glass cartridge fuses. One (I think) is 5 amps and the other is 3 amps. You'll find one or both of them bad. Replace that and you should be back in business....

Don't forget to unplug the refrigerator from 110 VAC (behind the refrigerator) before you remove the black cover because there is "high voltage" on that circuit board. You wouldn't want to "fry your fingers" trying to get the fuse out.... Just disconnect the trailer from shore power or alternatively, unplug the reefer and you'll be "good to go"....

Thanks John. It didn't work. I'll start another thread.

[PARAPTOR]

We just returned from FL. I drive varying times each day, the longest was 7 1/2 hrs. Sometime before we left something must have blown because when we hooked up to leave and I disconnected shore power my fridge did not shift to LP. In fact, no light came on. The slides worked just fine without AC but the fridge and lights didn't so I'm assuming I have a blown fuse somewhere around the batteries - got to figure that out. All that aside, we ran each day, up to 7 1/2 hours without the fridge working on anything and when we parked each afternoon the fridge and freezer were just as if they had been on all the time. The milk and cold drinks had no "sweating" or anything, didn't even know it was off. OP should be OK unless it is a really prolonged outage.

Interetsing, If I understand "frig and lights" do not work, I assume you mean all lights?? If all lights would not think multiple fuses blew at same time. You did not happen to turn the battery by pass switch. On shore power converter would have feed your lights frig etc but would not charge the battery bank, Off shore power you lights, frig any thing else powered from the power distribution panel which would need that switch positioned to connect battery bank to Power Distribution panel. If I recall those slides by pass the panel and are fused/hooked directly to battery bank, Fuse in battery compartment

EDIT: OOPS looking at wrong Page, ie not last post, time for a rest

[instymp]

Like everyone said, they stay cold for a long time. If you were to lose AC power for many hours, is it cold outside?

[sourdough]

Interetsing, If I understand "frig and lights" do not work, I assume you mean all lights?? If all lights would not think multiple fuses blew at same time. You did not happen to turn the battery by pass switch. On shore power converter would have feed your lights frig etc but would not charge the battery bank, Off shore power you lights, frig any thing else powered from the power distribution panel which would need that switch positioned to connect battery bank to Power Distribution panel. If I recall those slides by pass the panel and are fused/hooked directly to battery bank, Fuse in battery compartment

EDIT: OOPS looking at wrong Page, ie not last post, time for a rest

Thanks anyway. I didn't mean to hijack this thread and started a new one in the repairs/maintenance? section.

[Banjopicks]

Seems I missed some of yesterday's discussion even though I thought I subscribed. Oh well. Yes I have a residential fridge.

We didn't lose power as the storm wasn't all the weathermen said it would be. Surprise!