Question about 12v refrigerator and Rockwood 1640LTD

[TomMonger]

I have a dumb question about our new Rockwood 1640LTD. It came with an electric-only fridge. When I'm towing, will the fridge function at all? Or will it only function with the camper opened up and sink raised?
I have our camper stored and can't easily get at it to test.

Thanks!
-T.

 

[tombiasi]

Electric only meaning 120 VAC or 12 VDC?

 

[bill.s]

I have a 2022 1640 LTD. It is 12V only.

 

[tombiasi]

The safety switch the OP describes is usually just for the dome lights. Depending on how the fridge is wired it may work when the unit is closed. The battery won't last very long though. ( 1 -2 hours max)

 

[TomMonger]

The safety switch the OP describes is usually just for the dome lights. Depending on how the fridge is wired it may work when the unit is closed. The battery won't last very long though. ( 1 -2 hours max)

I was thinking I could leave it on while towing... using TV power (or solar) and put stuff in it. I guess I'll have to test it when I take it out of storage.

 

[tombiasi]

If you are connected to a running vehicle that has the DC line you would be OK.

 

[MNTCamper]

If it is a 12v compressor fridge, it's going to use between 40-50 amp hours per day. It will run off of a charged group 31 battery for a couple of days.

 

[TomMonger]

My main concern was if flipping the sink cuts of ALL the power to the popup while it's connected to the battery or myTV, or just the lights. I'm not sure if I will keep the fridge, or remove it and opt for a really good cooler.

 

[Sjm9911]

If its a newer fridge , and it is, they are supose to use a lot less energy. I can only assume that the saftey switch dosent cut off the electric, as it didnt on the older models. Only way to know is look it up in the manual. I wouldn't get rid of it for a cooler, but you can always carry an extra cooler. Your tv would need a 7 pin conection for it to charge while driving.

 

[davido]

I've never heard of an RV with a 12v only fridge. Is there a model number plate somewhere on the fridge so that we can look at the specifications?

If it is a 12v only fridge, it's going to be a considerable load within your overall 12v energy budget. So much so, that you will find it hard to carry enough battery power to last you three days. Nobody wants a fridge that lasts only three days before running down all your batteries. In fact, it would probably run you down in only a day, if you only have a Group 24 battery.

 

[Sjm9911]

They are the newer type. I said the same thing at first. Seems all new campers have them now. They cut costs. Some love them. Some dont. They are somewhat diffrent then the 2 way or 3 way. How , i dont know. But they are supose to last way longer on 12 v. Not as nice as having propane, but if thats the only option when buying you dont have a choice.

I've never heard of an RV with a 12v only fridge. Is there a model number plate somewhere on the fridge so that we can look at the specifications?

If it is a 12v only fridge, it's going to be a considerable load within your overall 12v energy budget. So much so, that you will find it hard to carry enough battery power to last you three days. Nobody wants a fridge that lasts only three days before running down all your batteries. In fact, it would probably run you down in only a day, if you only have a Group 24 battery.

 

[BikeNFish]

I've never heard of an RV with a 12v only fridge.

They are the newer type. I said the same thing at first. Seems all new campers have them now. They cut costs. Some love them. Some dont. They are somewhat diffrent then the 2 way or 3 way. How , i dont know. But they are supose to last way longer on 12 v. Not as nice as having propane, but if thats the only option when buying you dont have a choice.

I have a dumb question about our new Rockwood 1640LTD. It came with an electric-only fridge. When I'm towing, will the fridge function at all? Or will it only function with the camper opened up and sink raised?
I have our camper stored and can't easily get at it to test.

Thanks!
-T.

I have a Magic Chef 12volt only fridge/freezer in my TT. I love it because it is a compressor fridge. From warm, it cools down to normal fridge temps in just an hour or two once you turn it on. My freezer will go from 85F to 10F in just 30 minutes. No waiting the 24 hours that the old style fridges require you to do.

The new 12volt only fridge is highly efficient compared to the old 3-way fridges. The 12-volt only fridges run strictly off of the battery. As the tow vehicle drives, it charges your battery, but the vehicle does not directly power the fridge. As long as you have the fridge powered on, it will run until the battery dies. So at the campsite, you will either need to be hooked up to Shore Power or use a generator or a solar panel or two to replenish your battery every morning.

Even though the new 12volt fridges are far more energy efficient than the old 12volts fridges, they still need a decent amount of battery power to run. I do not know what the power consumption is in the smaller popup models, but mine needs a minimum of two wet cell group 24 batteries to make it through the night comfortably. My fridge uses around 70%-80% of my available battery reserve to run each night. I have solar on my roof that keeps the batteries charged. With good power management, I am able to dry camp or boondock indefinitely, but the batteries need a boost from a generator on cloudy days or I will over-deplete my batteries at night.

If you dry camp, you may want to consider upgrading to a LiFePO4 battery. If you always camp with Shore Power. you will have no issues.

I am now in the process converting to a lithium battery because our two wet cell batteries do not allow us to use much of anything else electronically after dark in order to conserve the batteries for the fridge. Once my lithium conversion is complete, the 12volt fridge power consumption issue will be moot.

 

[Annunzi]

Many new full size trailers are coming with 12v compressor fridges, however, they all have at least 200W solar packages to help keep the battery topped up from the constant draw from the fridge. I wouldn't be comfortable dry camping and running a 12v compressor fridge without solar or something else to top up the battery.

 

[davido]

I have a Magic Chef 12volt only fridge/freezer in my TT. I love it because it is a compressor fridge. From warm, it cools down to normal fridge temps in just an hour or two once you turn it on. My freezer will go from 85F to 10F in just 30 minutes. No waiting the 24 hours that the old style fridges require you to do.

The new 12volt only fridge is highly efficient compared to the old 3-way fridges. The 12-volt only fridges run strictly off of the battery. As the tow vehicle drives, it charges your battery, but the vehicle does not directly power the fridge. As long as you have the fridge powered on, it will run until the battery dies. So at the campsite, you will either need to be hooked up to Shore Power or use a generator or a solar panel or two to replenish your battery every morning.

Even though the new 12volt fridges are far more energy efficient than the old 12volts fridges, they still need a decent amount of battery power to run. I do not know what the power consumption is in the smaller popup models, but mine needs a minimum of two wet cell group 24 batteries to make it through the night comfortably. My fridge uses around 70%-80% of my available battery reserve to run each night. I have solar on my roof that keeps the batteries charged. With good power management, I am able to dry camp or boondock indefinitely, but the batteries need a boost from a generator on cloudy days or I will over-deplete my batteries at night.

If you dry camp, you may want to consider upgrading to a LiFePO4 battery. If you always camp with Shore Power. you will have no issues.

I am now in the process converting to a lithium battery because our two wet cell batteries do not allow us to use much of anything else electronically after dark in order to conserve the batteries for the fridge. Once my lithium conversion is complete, the 12volt fridge power consumption issue will be moot.

Though a 12v only fridge may be (1) simpler to operate, (2) less maintenance, (3) faster cooling than a 3-way fridge, putting one in a popup or aliner seems like a huge step backwards.

I carry two propane tanks, and two Group 24 batteries. I also have one 100w solar panel. If there were no other appliances on my popup except for the fridge, I could go 40 days running it on propane. Or I could go about EIGHT HOURS running a 12v fridge. Let's say the new ones are super efficient, only needing 5A to run (whereas 3-way need about 10A to run on 12v): I would still run my batteries down to half charge in 16 hours. Let's say it's super-duper efficient. At 2.5A/hr I would run my batteries to 50% charge in 32 hours. If I had LiFePO4 batteries and could run them all the way to 0% charge without damaging them, then my imaginary 2.5A/hr fridge would draw the batteries down in 60 hours, which 2.5 days.

Add a 100w solar panel, a furnace, fan, lights, cell phone charging, and so on. You're still going to run flat in a couple of days if the fridge magically only needs 2.5A to run. So you need 200W solar, and a generator to stay ahead of the fridge's needs .... or you could have a 3-way and a single propane tank.

 

[SteveP]

The 3 way is no longer an option for new popups.

Wanted: Dometic RM2150

Been a pretty minute since I’ve logged in. Looking for a 1.5 ft.³ Demerick three-way fridge for my 1993 Coleman americana Williamsburg. I haven’t been able to find any info on these fridges but they were offered as an accessory for my pop-up. Anything similar would also be accepted as well.

www.popupportal.com

 

[BikeNFish]

Though a 12v only fridge may be (1) simpler to operate, (2) less maintenance, (3) faster cooling than a 3-way fridge, putting one in a popup or aliner seems like a huge step backwards.

I don't disagree with you.

However, most RV manufacturers know that more 80% of all users will stay connected to Shore Power and will never need solar to keep a 12volt fridge running. So, for those users, the 12volt fridge isn't an issue and is the far better option. These new fridges eliminates the a long standing issue of under performing refrigerators and long cool down times.

But for those of us that don't stay connected, you have to go with "Plan B" - solar panels or generators to charge your batteries and/or lithium upgrades. For those that don't understand that, Plan B can be a shock and expensive.

Luckily, I understood before we purchase our rig that Plan B would be the better way to go, so I knew upgrades were coming. I just wanted to go through one camping season to test out all of the systems. Could we get by continuing with Plan A? Yes, but it limits us in using most of the other standard electronic equipment that came with the camper. We made the decision that we wanted 100% functionality and and no longer wanted to settle for less. Thus, lithium upgrades and updated solar.

On a side note, another fairly significant factor that led to manufacturers installing 12volt fridges over the last few years is that there was (and still is to a far lesser extent) a shortage on propane option fridges. So instead of slowing down production by waiting for the propane optioned fridges, they slapped the 12volt fridges in instead and are trying to call it the "next greatest thing".

 

[PointyCamper]

We got our 3way in the Aliner in 2012(?) and use the LP frequently and would replace it if required.
Net search show some available for $1000+
Dometic no longer makes them and Norcold just offshored.
We have had no problems keeping food cold but dont keep much meat in there. (dairy, cheese and veg)
I do put an outdoor thermometer sending unit in the fridge and keep an eye on the readout temperature. Ymmv

 

[TomMonger]

The fridge that came with our 1640LTD is an Everchill BC-47-04H, 12volt-only. It surprised me, because the info on the RV company's web site said it had a 3-way power fridge. But it's definitley not (no outside vents, either). So it must be the going trend with these TTs to only offer the 12-volt fridges. I do have the 7-pin trailer connection (power to TT) so that's good. Also, I have the solar kit installed. I dont plan on boondocking or dry camping any time soon, so I'm not too worried.