Fridges in Vans

[Pedro_The_Swift]

Theres an Elephant in the room.

By all accounts you cannot have your caravan fridge running on gas whilst towing(Fridge maunfacturers, gas suppliers)
so 12V it is,,
but these Dometic 90L things draw 15 amps all the time,,
no problem you say,, mighty Land Rover alternator will cope,, plus I still get 5A from the solar panel.

But But But,, All the Caravaners I've talked to online say they NEVER charge from the tow car. They say its impossible to charge batteries AND run a fridge---

This may be why all grey nomads only ever drive for two hours,,, thats the limit of their battery:p



oh,,

the Elephant?

thats running the fridge on gas while driving,,,

when was the last time you heard of a van blowing up from that?


and if I get ZERO voltage drop over the length of the D2,, through an Anderson plug surely that will be enough to charge batteries in a van???

[THE BOOGER]

I looked at a similar problem I was told that when driving the pilot light gets blown out with the vents for the fridge:)

[101RRS]

If you charge your batteries when driving your car and also run a fridge in the car at the same time why cannot you do it for your van. I will be.

The main reason I understand you cannot run your your fridge on gas when driving is because the breeze (gale at 100kph) will blow your pilot light out and turn off your fridge - remembering no pilot light means gas switches off.

Garry

[Pedro_The_Swift]

it must not be a big problem,,

I've read about lots of people that do it,, if windage was that big a drama I'd understand.

so what happens to the gas when the pilot light blows out?

[101RRS]

it must not be a big problem,,

I've read about lots of people that do it,, if windage was that big a drama I'd understand.

so what happens to the gas when the pilot light blows out?

There is a little thermo couple that switches the gas off when it cools. That is why when lighting the fridge you have to keep the gas button pushed for about 20 to 30 secs until the pilot light has heated the thermocouple up enough so the gas stays on by itself. If the pilot light goes off with the gas still on, gas continues to flow until the thermocouple cools - in reality is almost instantaneous.

Garry

[THE BOOGER]

The gas should shut off when the pilot goes out, but if it didnt that could be a problem:)

[Pedro_The_Swift]

I am towing it to Brizzy on Saturday,,
I might test it out,,,:whistling::angel::wasntme:

[PhilipA]

But But But,, All the Caravaners I've talked to online say they NEVER charge from the tow car. They say its impossible to charge batteries AND run a fridge---

I think a lot of caravanners don't know much about modern electrics and may be living in the past time of 30amp alternators.

If you run a large enough wire and earth to prevent voltage drop through an anderson plug you could do it, or run one of those 12v/12v chargers . How many caravans do you see with a couple of Gauge 4 wires connected by an Anderson plug. Very few IMHO.

My 130Watt headlights drag 260watts or 20 amps or so and the battery doesn't go flat at night.
Regards Philip A

[mowog]

I have a two door 3 way fridge in my van. On the move it runs on 12v I have a dedicated anderson plug for the fridge. I also have 2 80w solar panels these have no chance of keeping up with the fridge by themselves. There are 2 100amphr batteries on the van as well.

I have never had an issue with the fridge not being cold enough when travelling. I only use gas when we are parked. My fridge has an auto pilot light so the gas would restart if it went out anyway.

[Redback]

A very wise man once told me to connect a 300watt inverter to a 12v anderson plug coming from your car and then run your 3 way fridge on 240v while your travelling;)

Baz.

[weeds]

the main reason why you should not use gas while driving is that there is a chance that when the cylinders are full a change in temperture and or you go over a big bumb that liquid LPG could make it to the fridge in which case liquid expands at to 10? times it volume when it becomes a gas.........which means a good size fire

also.......

if you forget you are running the fridge on gas and drive into a petrol station you could also cause problems

in saying this you don't hear of too many caravan exploding....i'm sure plenty of you old farts drive while running the fridge on gas, short old farts do it more often i hear......................short old farts with beards, i wont go there

pretty sure it is also against the law.....but than again i don't always do things by the book..

having completed a gas installer course which included caravan installations i would never drive while running the fridge on gas

oh and yes, if the pilot flame goes out the gas solinoid will close and therefore stoppping your caravan from filling up with gas

[TerryO]

Hi Pete,

I'd listen to Baz on this, he seams to know what he is talking about re this topic.

Having said that the other forum you just joined would be perfect for this.

Its a good idea to always turn off your gas bottles when driving, sure you might be able to drive with the W/H on gas but if a leak started in that vicinity and it built up to reach the pilot light then you may find things getting a little interesting as most of the vans tries to overtake you in a ball of flame.

cheers,
Terry

[weeds]

the main reason why you should not use gas while driving is that there is a chance that when the cylinders are full a change in temperture and or you go over a big bumb that liquid LPG could make it to the fridge in which case liquid expands at to 10? times it volume when it becomes a gas.........which means a good size fire

also.......

if you forget you are running the fridge on gas and drive into a petrol station you could also cause problems

in saying this you don't hear of too many caravan exploding....i'm sure plenty of you old farts drive while running the fridge on gas, short old farts do it more often i hear......................short old farts with beards, i wont go there

pretty sure it is also against the law.....but than again i don't always do things by the book..

having completed a gas installer course which included caravan installations i would never drive while running the fridge on gas

oh and yes, if the pilot flame goes out the gas solinoid will close and therefore stoppping your caravan from filling up with gas

expansion rate of LPG should be 270 times

[adonuff]

Hi We dont use the 12V I just turn the fridge up as high as it goes the night before we leave. it will still be cold 4-5 hours later. Any longer than that I take the Waeco for the frozen stuff and put a frozen wine cask bladder (full of water) in the 3 way fridge.

Frozen stuff ok in the Waeco and the beer is still cold in the 3 way. Waeco runs all day on the van battery and the bladder can be re-frozen in the waco for the trip home.

Its a good idea to leave the bladder in the freezer on low at home for as long as possible prior to the trip and get it really cold this works for bags of ice too, they last a lot longer if you bring them home and drop them in the freezer for a few days before you need them. They ice people usually only freeze ice to the minimum to save on costs.

[101RRS]

A very wise man once told me to connect a 300watt inverter to a 12v anderson plug coming from your car and then run your 3 way fridge on 240v while your travelling;)

Baz.

That is a dangerous no no. Rescue people have been electrocuted (thankfully not killed) attending accidents where inverters were still alive sending 240v through the wreck. An inverter should never be used in a moving vehicle.

There is enough excess capacity in modern charging systems to power the car and provide power to 3 way in the van.

[feral]

So....

Why can I buy an ADR compliant Prado with 240v in the cargo area?

Just saying :angel:

[drivesafe]

A very wise man once told me to connect a 300watt inverter to a 12v anderson plug coming from your car and then run your 3 way fridge on 240v while your travelling;)

Baz.

Hi baz and sorry mate, the man was not wise, just very dangerous.

I’m in complete agreement with Garry, the use of 240vac while on the most is a disaster waiting to happen. Even though it is a very remote chance that someone could be electrocuted, it could happen and as there are far safer alternatives, there is absolutely no reason for it.

I carried out tests of different types of fridge/house battery wiring and even going to 3B&S twin, there were still problems with trying to charge low house batteries.

The optimum way to run a 3 way fridge and charge house batteries is to run two separate power supply cables.

Pos and neg 8B&S for the fridge.

Pos and neg 6B&S for the house batteries.

BTW, if you check your Dometic handbook, they too recommend two separate power supplies.

I’m working with another company right at this moment and we are experimenting using an 80 amp alternator to battery charger, but as a Battery to Battery Charger ( BBC ).

We are running 32mm2 twin cable from the cranking battery to the BBC, then the BBC charges the house batteries via one of the BBC’s outputs and runs the fridge off the other output.

I have only today had a discussion with one of Dometic’s technicians to make sure our set up will work with their 3 way fridges.

I should have more info on the set up early next year.

[drivesafe]

So....

Why can I buy an ADR compliant Prado with 240v in the cargo area?

Just saying :angel:

Hi Feral and there are a number of vehicles, including a few VWs that have factory fitted AC. It’s not illegal, but it’s bloody dangerous.

[Graeme]

Its a good idea to always turn off your gas bottles when driving
It is a legal requirement that van gas bottles must be turned-off whilst moving.

Also, the gas bottle(s) must be mounted between the towing and the towed vehicle (ie at the front of the van/trailer) yet I've seen camper trailers with their gas bottle mounted on the driver's side behind the wheels near the back of the trailer.

[austastar]

Hi,
I believe the biggest danger with driving with your fridge on gas is petrol vapour when refuelling.
The flame can ignite the vapour coming from the neck of the tank.

I have done it when we were having electrical problems and didn't want the battery drawn down any more than necessary.
BUT
I did put the petrol cap key in the cupboard with the gas bottle as a reminder to turn the gas off before I could refuel.

There was a nasty accident in one of the caravan parks (NT?) recently (18 months?) where dad was refuelling a generator (petrol) and nearby was a 3 way chest freezer on the ground, running on gas.
Major conflagration, van burned down, family burnt - very nasty.

cheers

[Hoges]

After almost 35 yrs I stopped taking gas on camping trips and for the CY trip last year bought a kero stove and lamp plus some LED torches ... don't know why I didn't do it years ago... Two fridges, Drivesafe's magic SC80 etc ...no worries...:p

[Tombie]

That is a dangerous no no. Rescue people have been electrocuted (thankfully not killed) attending accidents where inverters were still alive sending 240v through the wreck. An inverter should never be used in a moving vehicle.

There is enough excess capacity in modern charging systems to power the car and provide power to 3 way in the van.

No one has been electrocuted and NOT killed...

Suffered an electric shock perhaps...

But electrocuted is terminal...


"Where the Desert meets the Sea"
'Did I mention some great 4WDriving is just 5 minutes from home?'

[Tombie]

I'd suggest you don't..

4 years ago we buried my mates father after his bus blew up with him inside...


"Where the Desert meets the Sea"
'Did I mention some great 4WDriving is just 5 minutes from home?'

[101RRS]

No one has been electrocuted and NOT killed...

Suffered an electric shock perhaps...

But electrocuted is terminal...



Thanks Ron :)

[TerryO]

I was the so called wise man that Barry jokingly mentioned, it is a system that I had just told him about that is used by many experienced vanners so their three way fridges actually work properly while the van is being driving to its destination. Running a fridge on 12v and having it maintain a temperature below 4c is pretty hopeless at anytime let alone in summer.

At what stage did anyone say that the inverter being powered from the alternator was being used to charge house batteries?

It wasn't, it is a case of running a lead from the alternator through Andersons plugs then more lead to an inverter mounted near the fridge that is used just to run the fridge when the vehicle is being driven nothing else. Turn the engine off and the power goes off.

I'd bet there is a far greater chance of getting seriously sick from food poisening from a 3 way fridge that can't stay below 4c when being driven in summer then getting an electric shock from a system like this.

Has anyone ever heard of anyone getting electrocuted from a system like this?

Re charging house batterys in a van on the move or stationary, its simple, have a properly designed and set up solar and battery system and you have way more then enough charging power 99% of the time. We can last about four days without sunlight before the batterys get to low with normal useage, if we cut back then the batterys would have enough charge for about six days I reckon. In reality if we are free camping somewhere that it is raining constantly for more then four days then we would be packing up and heading somewhere else anyway.


cheers,
Terry

[Redback]

It is a legal requirement that van gas bottles must be turned-off whilst moving.

Also, the gas bottle(s) must be mounted between the towing and the towed vehicle (ie at the front of the van/trailer) yet I've seen camper trailers with their gas bottle mounted on the driver's side behind the wheels near the back of the trailer.

That was not the case when we bought our camper, the only law regarding carrying gas bottles (non bulk gas) was that the bottles were to be mounted within the confines of the camper (ie) did not protrude outside the lines of the camper, which includes behind or infront of the wheel arches.

Baz.

[Graeme]

My mistake, Baz.

The Vic Office of Gas Safety has provided their interpretation of AS 5601 but I failed to absorb paragraph C in the gas bottle location that allows it to be "in a fully open recess within the profile of the caravan and which is vapour-proof to the inside of the caravan". Hence, located in a recess between a mudguard and a front or rear panel is acceptable.