TrailManor Owner's Forum - View Single Post - 3-Way Dometic Refrigerator During Long Travel

CnJ4TMs · 07-12-2022, 12:40 PM

I have a 2003 2720SL Trailmanor, and over time became frustrated with 3-way Norcold N300 temperature control, operational issues, energy usage, access and running issues when not using the TM overnight, etc,

Like Bill, I finally decided to go electric freezer/fridge. I bought a 35 liter cooler from BougeRV. It has 2 compartments: a deeper one for fridge items and a shallower one for freezer, both compartments have separate temperature control, with freezer temps of near zero easily maintained. We took it on a 25 day roundtrip from Iowa to California in May, and were pleased with its performance, even when boondocking for 3 days (used 100W solar panel to replace some lost capacity on our 12 volt 220AH RV battery in daytime). It draws about 5A max in DC, has ECO modes to save energy.

It does weigh 37 lbs, and has both AC adaptor and 12-volt DC modes.

Traveling. we kept it level on back seat of our pickup, with ample-length DC cord plugged in to the accessory socket on front dashboard. At rest and lunch stops, would keep truck ignition key in accessory position to keep the cooler running whenever possible. At camp, I transfer the cooler to the set-up TM, using AC adaptor if we have power, or DC cord if we are boondocking. For motel stays, I transfer cooler (has wheels and extending pull-handle) to our room and plug into AC.

The original 3-way is now used as an ambient temp food pantry!

Prior to the electric cooler, one solution involved a large food cooler with ice.
Now, the electric cooler eliminates having to deal with buying ice.
The significantly smaller capacity (vs the original 3-way capacity) has not been an issue. The superior overall performance is worth the extra bit of attention to meal planning, depending on length of our camping stays. This 68 yr old does use back and leg muscles properly when
transferring the loaded electric cooler in and out of our Tacoma and TM.

07-12-2022, 12:40 PM	#5
CnJ4TMs New Member Join Date: Mar 2016 Posts: 3	Dealing with 3-way fridge issues I have a 2003 2720SL Trailmanor, and over time became frustrated with 3-way Norcold N300 temperature control, operational issues, energy usage, access and running issues when not using the TM overnight, etc, Like Bill, I finally decided to go electric freezer/fridge. I bought a 35 liter cooler from BougeRV. It has 2 compartments: a deeper one for fridge items and a shallower one for freezer, both compartments have separate temperature control, with freezer temps of near zero easily maintained. We took it on a 25 day roundtrip from Iowa to California in May, and were pleased with its performance, even when boondocking for 3 days (used 100W solar panel to replace some lost capacity on our 12 volt 220AH RV battery in daytime). It draws about 5A max in DC, has ECO modes to save energy. It does weigh 37 lbs, and has both AC adaptor and 12-volt DC modes. Traveling. we kept it level on back seat of our pickup, with ample-length DC cord plugged in to the accessory socket on front dashboard. At rest and lunch stops, would keep truck ignition key in accessory position to keep the cooler running whenever possible. At camp, I transfer the cooler to the set-up TM, using AC adaptor if we have power, or DC cord if we are boondocking. For motel stays, I transfer cooler (has wheels and extending pull-handle) to our room and plug into AC. The original 3-way is now used as an ambient temp food pantry! Prior to the electric cooler, one solution involved a large food cooler with ice. Now, the electric cooler eliminates having to deal with buying ice. The significantly smaller capacity (vs the original 3-way capacity) has not been an issue. The superior overall performance is worth the extra bit of attention to meal planning, depending on length of our camping stays. This 68 yr old does use back and leg muscles properly when transferring the loaded electric cooler in and out of our Tacoma and TM.