Three Way Refrig - Which Method Cools Best?

ArkyDoodle · 07-03-2014, 12:18 PM

I understand the time when you run the AC on 12v (traveling) and propane (boondocking) and 110v (maybe at a full RV site)....Has anyone done any reseach on which method cools better or is more efficient / cheaper to run??? just curious.....

TrailManorMan · 07-03-2014, 12:23 PM

Ac : not on anything but 110 volt

Do you mean refrigerator? If so, cheapest would be electric if you already have electric paid for. Battery will run it down almost immediately and propane is not bad consumption for a frig.

ArkyDoodle · 07-03-2014, 12:31 PM

Yep, refrig not AC......

TrailManorMan · 07-03-2014, 01:10 PM

I use electric if I have it, propane if not. I notice very little performance change on either. My propane can last more than 30 days per bottle .

hillbillyhotel · 07-03-2014, 01:13 PM

jmo
frig works best on 110. by far,,
not bad on propane, takes a little longer but keeps the beer cold, and sorry, never tried the 12 volt on any of them, so I am no help at all there,

**rickst29** · 07-19-2014, 01:20 PM

Unless you're at a campground with 'brownout' voltage on the 120VAC connector. In that case, the AC heater won't work as well as the others.

But running 'DC' at the campground will cause the noisy fan on your power converter to stay on almost continuously - and that's not a nice thing. In camp, I used to use AC or propane. (I now have a totally different refrigerator, 2-way electric without propane, compressor instead of heaters.)

tentcamper · 07-19-2014, 09:21 PM

I have not on the TM fridge, but did on another fridge in another camper. What I found that the 12V had a heating element that was about 1/2 the watts of the 120V AC heating element. This would mean that the 12v fridge had about 1/2 the cooling capability.

I know on a hot day when traveling my ice cream gets soft to a serving temperature. After about 24 running the fridge on AC the ice cream is back to rock hard.

**rickst29** · 07-19-2014, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tentcamper

I have not on the TM fridge, but did on another fridge in another camper. What I found that the 12V had a heating element that was about 1/2 the watts of the 120V AC heating element. This would mean that the 12v fridge had about 1/2 the cooling capability..

Norcold N300.3 is ~ 130-160 watts both ways (linear, varying with the supplied voltage).