12 Volt fridge

hondapro87 · 08-07-2021, 03:48 AM

We ordered a Sprinter 32 BH, with the 12 volt fridge. How well do they work? I am not thrilled about the how the gas/electric works in our present camper and hope the 12 volt preforms better.
Also we never boondock so I hope the 12 volt is the better choice

**chuckster57** · 08-07-2021, 03:51 AM

The few that I have encountered have worked excellent. They got cold a LOT faster.

NH_Bulldog · 08-07-2021, 05:17 AM

My brother has a new camper with the 12v fridge. We have camped together a few times this year (including right now). Boondocking as you might imagine is a challenge, but otherwise they love the fridge. It cools fast, and keeps things cold.

A couple of down-sides he has mentioned; compressor/fan runs constantly and noise can be annoying (his fridge is on the other side of the bedroom wall), even at the low setting, things in the back of the compartment can freeze, and if boondocking it sucks the batteries down pretty quick.

**chuckster57** · 08-07-2021, 05:35 AM

The non Keystone trailers I saw had solar on the roof to supplement battery life.

gearhead · 08-07-2021, 06:15 AM

Let's clarify exactly what type of refrigerator you have. The majority of RV's have a 110volt/propane refrigerator. It will run on 110volts from a campground, home, or generator source. If there is no 110volt source it will run on propane, but requires a 12 volt source for controls. The other type is what is commonly called a "residential" refrigerator. It runs on 110 volts from a campground pedestal, home outlet, or generator. It will run off 12 volt batteries through an inverter/converter that converts the 12 volt battery source to 110 volt.
However, there are some pure 12 volt refrigerators. They have a different style compressor, a Danforth. I haven't noticed any American RV major market manufacturer using them. Mostly European van conversions and a few American made truck campers.

NH_Bulldog · 08-07-2021, 06:23 AM

Most every new RV these days is either coming through with the 12v-only fridge as a standard feature or available as an upgrade (particularly Forrest River, Keystone, KZ, Grand Design, etc.) They are more common than you think and will only become more and more prevalent as time goes on due to efficiency of space, efficiency of energy, flexibility of installation location, no need for exterior venting, etc.

**JRTJH** · 08-07-2021, 07:34 AM

The "compressor driven 12 VDC refrigerator" is fast becoming a "standard feature" with the LPG/AC refrigerator becoming the option.

Currently, Keystone still installs the "gas/electric" as standard with the 12VDC compressor as the option. Some other manufacturers have already started making the "battery powered compressor refrigerator" the standard selection and buyers have to "select the optional gas/electric" if they prefer that type.

Here's two links to "the big two, but there are others" that are available in current model RV's:
https://norcold.com/product-category...refrigerators/
https://www.dometic.com/en-ca/outdoo...c4101-_-242458

xrated · 08-07-2021, 12:03 PM

I found a couple today, while searching the internet after reading this thread. Right now, I have an 18 cu ft. Norcold 2118 and that thing, to replace it is over $4000!! The biggest one I saw while looking today was a 17 cu ft and it was the 12VDC compressor style fridge....three door model....French door, with the freezer on the bottom and two doors up top for the fresh food area. Cost on that one was about $1800 and the compressor part of it only pulls about 4 to 4 1/2 amps....so in the 50Watt range. Separate controls for each area...the fresh food section and the freezer. Basically it is just like a residential unit only it is 12VDC. It was also made to be a free standing unit, so there has to be some clearance around the top and the sides. My Norcold compartment would be plenty big enough for it, but I would have to add some finish work (paneling or ???) to put it the original area and make it look finished.

I suspect, that the more popular they get, the larger sizes will start appearing too. I would love to have one, but as long as the Norcold that is in there works, I'll likely just keep it.....hmm!

hondapro87 · 08-08-2021, 03:32 AM

Thanks for the information,sounds like we made a good choice.We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our new Sprinter

NH_Bulldog · 08-08-2021, 04:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hondapro87

Thanks for the information,sounds like we made a good choice.We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our new Sprinter

and I just confirmed with my brother that it operates driving down the road much like our current gas/electric models running on gas…..so maybe safety is another selling point of the 12v DC refrigerators?

gearhead · 08-09-2021, 05:04 PM

I think some of y'all are talking about a 110 volt residential refrigerator running off the coach batteries when not hooked up to 110 volts at a campground pedestal.
Except maybe X Rated.
But whatever...

mcomeaux · 08-09-2021, 06:15 PM

Negative it’s a true 12 volt google it.

bcintx · 08-09-2021, 06:24 PM

Even Josh the RV nerd has changed his stance on residential / 12 volt refrigerators.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2KyRB5WUeE

**chuckster57** · 08-09-2021, 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gearhead

I think some of y'all are talking about a 110 volt residential refrigerator running off the coach batteries when not hooked up to 110 volts at a campground pedestal.
Except maybe X Rated.
But whatever...

The 3 I encountered in new units last year were definitely ONLY 12V and you had to remove a fuse from the DC panel to turn it off.

We have a Class B in the shop I am employed at is a Norcold that operates on 110VAC or 12VDC, no propane. Issue is it doesn’t operate on 12V.

gearhead · 08-09-2021, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuckster57

The 3 I encountered in new units last year were definitely ONLY 12V and you had to remove a fuse from the DC panel to turn it off.

We have a Class B in the shop I am employed at is a Norcold that operates on 110VAC or 12VDC, no propane. Issue is it doesn’t operate on 12V.

That's all I thought they were being used in..class B and a few truck campers. Didn't realize they were being made by Dometic and Norcold.
And I misspelled it. It's Danfoss.

**JRTJH** · 08-10-2021, 05:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gearhead

That's all I thought they were being used in..class B and a few truck campers. Didn't realize they were being made by Dometic and Norcold.
And I misspelled it. It's Danfoss.

Brent,

The links to both the Norcold and the Dometic are in post #7. All the technical specifications, 12 VDC amp draw, operating conditions, wiring requirements, etc are all in the manuals from both companies for their models.....

Furrion also makes a 12 VDC refrigerator, but with the "blue lights" they put on all their products and the reputation their antenna has, well.......

Ken / Claudia · 08-10-2021, 07:44 AM

Old school, was a 2002 AF truck camper with a Norcold 3 way refer. I tried it on 12v while traveling and it used up the batteries even with the truck putting out a charge in 1 day.
So, I don't remember how old the 2 12v batteries were or even their amp hours. That it showed me not to use the 12v, propane was much better traveling and dry camping.
Maybe the newer units are not as needy and or just using golf cart batteries would be fine. I am all in for better cooling just not at the life of the batteries daily.

**flybouy** · 08-10-2021, 08:04 AM

The "newer" 12 vdc fridges have come a long way. My SIL & her husband have an Rpod type camper with a small 3 way fridge. They initially towed it with a small SUV (Hyundai IIRC). The fridge running on 12 vdc wiped out the alternator 3 times during trips from Colorado to Maryland before they gave up on that option.

**JRTJH** · 08-10-2021, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken / Claudia

Old school, was a 2002 AF truck camper with a Norcold 3 way refer. I tried it on 12v while traveling and it used up the batteries even with the truck putting out a charge in 1 day.
So, I don't remember how old the 2 12v batteries were or even their amp hours. That it showed me not to use the 12v, propane was much better traveling and dry camping.
Maybe the newer units are not as needy and or just using golf cart batteries would be fine. I am all in for better cooling just not at the life of the batteries daily.

Ken,

The "old technology" 3-way refrigerators were "true absorption refrigerators" using the same cooling principles as todays AC/LPG refrigerators. They had a small "gas burner", a 120VAC heating element and a 12VDC heating element.

We had a 3.2 cuft Dometic "3-way" in a 9' cabover camper. We didn't have a separate camper battery at the time and the camper was powered by the truck battery (MISTAKE).... We stopped at McD's for lunch, had the refrigerator on DC and in the 30-45 minutes that we were there to eat and let the kids play in the "ball pit" so they'd be tired enough to take a nap when we started traveling again, the refrigerator "killed the truck battery". I wasn't real "savvy" on batteries at the time, and from then on, every time we stopped, I'd wind up having to be "jump started to get going again"... I never put 2+2 together to realize it was the heating element in the refrigerator that was killing the battery.

When I finally put it all together, we had to buy a new truck battery, a camper battery and I NEVER used the 12 VDC part of the refrigerator when parked or when camping again....

On the "best of days" if the refrigerator called for cooling and it was set to DC, the best we could get out of a fully charged GP27 battery was about an hour of operation on that heating element. It was almost like having a "direct short" on the battery.... TALK ABOUT A HUNGRY POWER DRAIN !!!!!

As an example, the 300 watt heating element in a Dometic refrigerator draws 2.5 amps on AC operation (120 VAC). That same 300 watt demand on a 12 volt system is 25 amps. Doesn't take long to drain a GP27 battery with a 25 amp demand.....

The new type "12 volt refrigerators" are compressor driven and much more efficient than the old type.

Ken / Claudia · 08-10-2021, 09:35 AM

Thanks John, that explains it great. I was hoping something had changed to make it work. I guess I was not the only one who killed the batteries to just run a refer on 12v.

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