Refrigerator DC power

[jgeewa]

I've purchased a used Trailmanor and have questions about refrigerator DC operation in transit. I'm reading the frig manual and it states, "Operate the refrigerator on DC power only when the vehicle engine is running." So what should I do when traveling and want to make a stop at some attraction for three or four hours? Do I need to raise the trailer and switch to gas, disconnect battery, or what? Any help with this will be appreciated.

Johnny

[ThePair]

Been covered lots of times, search is your friend :)

There are a variety of solutions, depending on your interest/flavor/handiness. The fridge will run down the battery pretty quickly (within a few hours) if you leave it plugged in while stopped. Depending on the TV setup, that could also mean draining your TV battery if you do nothing but stop the engine and leave it be.

Many of us in this situation have put some kind of switch on the outside of the TM. Some have the switch disconnect the battery. These people will flip the switch and then unplug the TM from the TV, isolating both batteries and effectively turning the fridge "off" until the batteries are reconnected. As long as the door stays closed (naturally ;) ) the contents will stay cold for quite some time, like a cooler. Then, when you're ready to go, you can plug the TM back into the TV, flip the battery switch back on, and go.

For those who have a TV with an isolation circuit built-in, draining the TV battery is a non-issue. I have no such circuit in my TV, so I (and others that I know of) do the following: put a switch just for the fridge. When I stop, I can turn off the power to the fridge so there's no additional battery drain, and then flip it back on when I start my engine. Accomplishes the same goal (not draining batteries), just a different technique. Plus, I don't have to worry so much about my TV battery.

If I knew I were stopping for 3-4 hours on the road, I'd probably put some of those blue packs in the freezer compartment. That would keep things cool inside, even when the power was off.

[wbmiller3]

Before I figured out that our Expedition had an isolation relay, I used to unplug the trailer when we stopped. That's OK as long as I remembered to plug it back it. It's really surprising how much of a plug can be ground away in a couple hundred miles, and how little I missed having the trailer brakes.....

[ng2951]

The Tacoma I have and need to sell (buying a diesel) kills the DC power when you turn off the ignition. If your TV does that no extra action is involved.

The simple thing to do is unplug the trailer from the TV and develop the habit of placing the umbilical cord across the tongue so it cannot drag on the ground. You will also need to develop the habit to check the tongue area before you start too...

[mjlaupp]

I've purchased a used Trailmanor and have questions about refrigerator DC operation in transit. I'm reading the frig manual and it states, "Operate the refrigerator on DC power only when the vehicle engine is running." So what should I do when traveling and want to make a stop at some attraction for three or four hours? Do I need to raise the trailer and switch to gas, disconnect battery, or what? Any help with this will be appreciated.

Been covered lots of times, search is your friend :)
Search would be your friend if you were a Site Sponsor. Your access to the Technical Discussions expired in April 2008 after your trial membership period ended.

This link will get you started: http://www.trailmanorowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6107

[joshbw]

I have stopped for a couple hours and have not noticed enough drop in voltage to worry about. So now I never unplug unless it would be a stop over say 4 hours. I do have 2 golf cart batteries and the truck battery so that is decent capacity. Isn't the fridge only around 10 amps on DC?

[M&M Hokie]

My recollection is that the reefer/fan current draw is in the 12-13A range

[ThePair]

My recollection is that the reefer/fan current draw is in the 12-13A range

Ditto. I'm too lazy to go hunt for the post(s) now, but that's my recollection as well.

This does mean that for someone who doesn't have a huge battery bank, the fridge can knock down the battery to the "needs recharging: 50%" level in 3-5 hours.

[T and C]

I made the mistake of leaving the fridge on 12V once when I had a truck camper. After 3 hours the battery was dead, dead, dead. I did not even have interior lights or instrument power. Had to call AAA.

Tom