Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Keystone RV Forums > Keystone Tech Forums > General RV Issues
Click Here to Login

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 04-02-2016, 01:28 PM   #1
hazer1mike
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Greensboro, NC
Posts: 2
Refrigerator Question AC - Gas - DC

I own a 2015 Keystone Bullet Premier TT with an Atwood Refrigerator. When driving I feel like the refrigerator used to run on DC when it was hooked up to my truck. Now the only way to get the refrigerator to run when driving is to use propane. Should the refrigerator run off of DC when driving?
hazer1mike is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2016, 01:46 PM   #2
hankpage
Site Team
 
hankpage's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Venice
Posts: 5,346
I have not seen a fridge with a 12v option come standard in years. Unless you ordered it special it is only 110v ac or propane ...... but both need 12v dc for control circuits.
__________________
Hank & Lynn
2007 Cougar 290RKS, E-Z Flex, 16" XPS RIBs ( SOLD .. Gonna miss her ... looking for new 5r)
2004.5 Dodge 2500 QC, LB, 5.9HO, WestTach gauges, Ride-Rite
hankpage is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2016, 01:46 PM   #3
Festus2
Site Team
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Fraser Valley BC Canada
Posts: 7,015
Most of today's RV fridges are two-way only: gas/propane or 110 VAC. When driving, many simply set the fridge to propane/gas and leave it on when travelling. The fridge does require 12DC for the control board to function but you also need either gas or 110VAC at the same time. It won't operate using 12DC only.
__________________
2008 Cougar 5th Wheel 27RKS
2005 2500 GMC Duramax
Festus2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2016, 03:58 PM   #4
Tbos
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Solomons
Posts: 3,874
A very long 40+ years we (my parents) had a 3 way installed in a tent camper. I wish 3 way was the standard but I don't know if they even make them anymore. I travel with mine on propane and shut it off when I refuel.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
__________________
Tom
2019 Alpine 3651RL
2016 F350 CC DRW
Tbos is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2016, 04:21 PM   #5
chuckster57
Site Team
 
chuckster57's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Modesto
Posts: 20,235
They do make them. Dometic IIRC, installed in Pleasure Way Class B RVs. Not big but they do the job.
__________________

2012 Copper Canyon 273FWRET being towed by a 1994 Ford F350 CC,LB,Dually diesel.
Airlift 5000 bags, Prodigy brake control, 5 gauges on the pillar.Used to tow a '97 Jayco 323RKS.

Now an RVIA registered tech. Retired from Law enforcement in 2008 after 25+ yrs.
chuckster57 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2016, 05:12 PM   #6
hazer1mike
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Greensboro, NC
Posts: 2
Anyone else have experience with Atwood fridge? It definitely has the 3 modes.
hazer1mike is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2016, 06:27 PM   #7
440justin
Senior Member
 
440justin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Silvis, IL
Posts: 262
I have the Atwood frig in my Passport and it is only a two way. Checking the Atwood website also shows their frigs are only two way. The large 8 cu. ft. Would never cool on 12volt or last very long if you only have one battery.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
__________________
2013 Passport Elite 23RB
2012 Ford F150 EcoBoost 4x4
440justin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2016, 06:37 PM   #8
chuckster57
Site Team
 
chuckster57's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Modesto
Posts: 20,235
Quote:
Originally Posted by hazer1mike View Post
Anyone else have experience with Atwood fridge? It definitely has the 3 modes.

Maybe your thinking the three modes are
Auto
110
L/P
__________________

2012 Copper Canyon 273FWRET being towed by a 1994 Ford F350 CC,LB,Dually diesel.
Airlift 5000 bags, Prodigy brake control, 5 gauges on the pillar.Used to tow a '97 Jayco 323RKS.

Now an RVIA registered tech. Retired from Law enforcement in 2008 after 25+ yrs.
chuckster57 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2016, 06:49 PM   #9
Festus2
Site Team
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Fraser Valley BC Canada
Posts: 7,015
Quote:
Originally Posted by hazer1mike View Post
Anyone else have experience with Atwood fridge? It definitely has the 3 modes.
If you still have the owner's manual for the Atwood fridge, it should specify in there what modes that particular model will operate it. If you don't have the manual, go to their website, search for the model number of the Atwood fridge and look up the specs for that model. It should be fairly simple to verify from the manual or the site whether or not it is 2 way or 3 way.
__________________
2008 Cougar 5th Wheel 27RKS
2005 2500 GMC Duramax
Festus2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2016, 07:38 PM   #10
gearhead
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Liberty, Texas
Posts: 5,021
I think 3 way fridges are still available in cabover truck campers. Most of them are fairly small though. So, they are around.
__________________
2018 Ram 3500 Laramie CC DRW LWB 4X4 Cummins Aisin 3.73
Reese Goosebox 20K
2018 Heartland Landmark 365 Oshkosh
2008 Bigfoot 25C9.4 LB Cabover
gearhead is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-03-2016, 07:47 AM   #11
JRTJH
Site Team
 
JRTJH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,841
Atwood produces two RV refrigerators, the HE-601 and HE-801. To the best of my knowledge, Atwood has never produced a "three way" refrigerator and I'm sure there is not a current production (within the past 5 years)Atwood "three way" refrigerator.

Here is the "cut and paste" power requirements explanation from Atwood:

"CONTROL PANEL
The refrigerator control panel is located between the fresh food and freezer compartments of your refrigerator. The refrigerator control requires +12 volts DC to operate. There are three pushbuttons.
POWER ON – Pressing this pushbutton turns the refrigerator on and off.
MODE – Pressing and holding this pushbutton cycles the mode selections from AUTO, manual GAS, and manual AC. Releasing the pushbutton selects the last mode displayed. The selected mode will be displayed for approx 5 seconds before all the mode indicators are turned off. The active mode can be displayed at any time by pressing and releasing the MODE pushbutton.
TEMP – Pressing and holding this pushbutton cycles the temperature settings from 1 through 5 with 5 being the maximum cool setting. Releasing the pushbutton selects the last temperature setting displayed. The selected temperature setting will be displayed for approx 5 seconds before all the temperature indicators are turned off. The active temperature setting can be displayed at any time by pressing and releasing the TEMP pushbutton.
AUTO MODE
When the refrigerator is in the AUTO mode, the control automatically selects the best energy source which is available. When a more efficient energy source becomes available, the refrigerator automatically switches to the more efficient source. AC energy is considered the more efficient energy source and is the first choice selected by the control. Propane gas is the second choice and is selected in the AUTO mode only when AC energy is not available.
GAS MODE
The GAS mode can be selected either automatically or manually. When switching to gas operation, the refrigerator control begins a 40 second trial ignition cycle. During this period, the control opens the gas safety valve and begins sparking the burner. If after 40 seconds the control fails to detect the presence of a flame, the control shuts off the gas safety valve and stops sparking the burner. The CHECK indicator on the control panel turns on indicating that the burner failed to ignite. The CHECK indicator can be reset by turning the refrigerator off and then back on again and a new 40 second trial ignition cycle begins. On initial start up or after changing a propane tank, it is possible that air in the gas supply lines will require 2 or 3 ignition trials before successfully lighting the burner. If after repeated attempts, the burner fails to ignite, stop and consult your local dealer or an authorized Atwood Service Center.
MANUAL MODES
The manual modes allow for selection of either the AC or GAS modes directly. If the selected mode’s energy source is not available, the refrigerator is turned off, the CHECK is turned on and the selected mode indicator flashes on and off indicating which energy source is not available."


Here are links to Atwood's reference material:
http://www.askforatwood.com/manuals/..._Reference.pdf
http://www.askforatwood.com/manuals/..._Manual_11.pdf

As previously stated, Dometic does produce small "three way" refrigerators for RV use. The largest is a 5 cuft single door model. There are no "double door three way" refrigerators in production for RV use.
__________________
John



2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
JRTJH is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 04-04-2016, 06:52 AM   #12
LaTundra
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: Broussard, LA.
Posts: 127
I leave mine on auto.
It switches from 110vac to l.p. when I unplug. And then back to 110vac when I plug in.

Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk
__________________
2011 Keystone Laredo 291TG
2010 Toyota Tundra DC 5.7L
Ragin Cajun Fan
1 very sweet Dear Wife
3 mean cats and a one-eyed dawg.

Previous campers/tow vehicles:
73 Apache Mesa hard side popup/74 Chevy Nova 350 cid 3sp m
96 Coleman Shenandoah popup/91 Toyota Extended cab 2.4l 5sp m
04 KZ Frontier 2101QSF/00 Toyota Tundra 4.7l 4sp a
LaTundra is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-10-2016, 12:59 PM   #13
chuckster57
Site Team
 
chuckster57's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Modesto
Posts: 20,235
As promised, here's the three way from Dometic. Found in Pleasure way:




__________________

2012 Copper Canyon 273FWRET being towed by a 1994 Ford F350 CC,LB,Dually diesel.
Airlift 5000 bags, Prodigy brake control, 5 gauges on the pillar.Used to tow a '97 Jayco 323RKS.

Now an RVIA registered tech. Retired from Law enforcement in 2008 after 25+ yrs.
chuckster57 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-10-2016, 06:50 PM   #14
Ken / Claudia
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Fruitland
Posts: 3,357
My 2002 AF had a 3 way refer. Used it in DC mode on one of the first few trips and never again. It used up the batteries I needed to start the genny even with a charge line from the truck. Think it was 6 cu. That was during hot summer temps. but, for me the propane mode has always been working great while traveling even back in the 1980s. Just be careful or turn it off around fueling stations. The auto mode is a nice thing and so far works as it should in the Keystone.
__________________
2013 24RKSWE (27ft TT) Cougar 1/2 ton series SOLD 10-2021
2013 Ford F350 4x4 CC 6.7 engine, 8 ft bed, 3.55 rear end, lariat package
Retired from Oregon State Police in 2011 than worked another 9.5 years as a small town traffic cop:
As of 05-2020, I am all done with 39 years total police work. No more uniforms for me.
Ken / Claudia is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-12-2016, 12:40 AM   #15
denverpilot
Senior Member
 
denverpilot's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 487
Quote:
Originally Posted by chuckster57 View Post

And there you see why they're not popular. 14A 12VDC is a pretty beefy load.
__________________
Pilot for fun, Computer geek for a living, and happy 5er owner who wants more time to go play in the camper!
denverpilot is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Keystone RV Company or any of its affiliates in any way. Keystone RV® is a registered trademark of the Keystone RV Company.


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 01:39 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.