New TM Owner Check-In

[Larryjb]

My trailer plug provides AC power to plugs and fridge, and also to the converter which transforms the AC power into 12V DC. I don't have solar because solar panels would be horribly inefficient at 50°N, and it is quite expensive to install. I think one would require quite a big solar setup to run the fridge, and considering how well it keeps food cool during the day while travelling, I've never seriously considered finding a way to run the fridge while travelling.

My fridge has an AC, DC, and propane mode. If I plug my trailer in to my 120V outlet using the adapter, I can set the fridge to AC mode.

When you say you will put the fridge in the back of the truck for now, that confuses me because I don't know of any TM fridge that was movable like that. I believe all TM fridges throughout the years could run on propane, making it a permanent appliance.

[Szabo101]

Brand new owners of 2007 2720SL. This site has already been very helpful with our purchase and answer to our inquires, so decided to join.

[Bill]

Originally Posted by Larryjb

When you say you will put the fridge in the back of the truck for now, that confuses me because I don't know of any TM fridge that was movable like that. I believe all TM fridges throughout the years could run on propane, making it a permanent appliance.

Like Larry, I'm a little confused by the "put it in the back of the truck" thought. Do you have a portable refrig? That changes the discussion a bit.

There are two kinds of portable electric refrigerators. One is called thermo-electric, and it operates on what is called the Peltier effect. I've had a couple, and they are good because they are inexpensive ($100 range). But they are not very effective, and they are horribly inefficient. They draw something like 10 amps continuously, so if you don't have an external source of DC to run it, they will kill an ordinary battery in about 3 hours.

The other is a compressor refrig - use the Forum search tool to find a lot of good information and user comments about them. They are much more expensive than a thermo-electric refrig (think $700-$1000+), but they have a real compressor (like a household refrig), which makes them very good at cooling while drawing much less DC power.

Are you describing either one of these in your post?

Bill

[Expanderoo]

Originally Posted by TnP-2027

Quick follow up to that question, I would rather start the fridge on AC 110 "shore power", but I do not have an adapter for the unique cord on the TM.

You can get a 30 amp to 15/20a converter anywhere that sells RV stuff (dealers but also Walmart/Menards/etc). The cord on the TM is standard. Something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Camco-Dogbone...dp/B000BUU5YA/

Then you can plug the TM into your garage plug or similar and run things like the fridge. It won't deliver 30A of course so don't use high power devices like the AC unit but the fridge works great. It's nice to have the whole trailer having power as you can use the lights and the fan too.

[cjminear]

Originally Posted by Expanderoo

You can get a 30 amp to 15/20a converter anywhere that sells RV stuff (dealers but also Walmart/Menards/etc). The cord on the TM is standard. Something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Camco-Dogbone...dp/B000BUU5YA/

Then you can plug the TM into your garage plug or similar and run things like the fridge. It won't deliver 30A of course so don't use high power devices like the AC unit but the fridge works great. It's nice to have the whole trailer having power as you can use the lights and the fan too.

I put my hot water tank on its own beaker so I can run my fridge and A/C on a 20A Outlet. It also helps not to fry the water heater element when I am out of water and plug it in.

[TnP-2027]

Originally Posted by Larryjb

My trailer plug provides AC power to plugs and fridge, and also to the converter which transforms the AC power into 12V DC. I don't have solar because solar panels would be horribly inefficient at 50°N, and it is quite expensive to install. I think one would require quite a big solar setup to run the fridge, and considering how well it keeps food cool during the day while travelling, I've never seriously considered finding a way to run the fridge while travelling.

My fridge has an AC, DC, and propane mode. If I plug my trailer in to my 120V outlet using the adapter, I can set the fridge to AC mode.

When you say you will put the fridge in the back of the truck for now, that confuses me because I don't know of any TM fridge that was movable like that. I believe all TM fridges throughout the years could run on propane, making it a permanent appliance.

Originally Posted by Bill

Like Larry, I'm a little confused by the "put it in the back of the truck" thought. Do you have a portable refrig? That changes the discussion a bit.

There are two kinds of portable electric refrigerators. One is called thermo-electric, and it operates on what is called the Peltier effect. I've had a couple, and they are good because they are inexpensive ($100 range). But they are not very effective, and they are horribly inefficient. They draw something like 10 amps continuously, so if you don't have an external source of DC to run it, they will kill an ordinary battery in about 3 hours.

The other is a compressor refrig - use the Forum search tool to find a lot of good information and user comments about them. They are much more expensive than a thermo-electric refrig (think $700-$1000+), but they have a real compressor (like a household refrig), which makes them very good at cooling while drawing much less DC power.

Are you describing either one of these in your post?

Bill

I am sorry for the confusion I created!
Prior to buying our new-to-us TM, we have been using a electric compressor fridge in the back of our truck.
When we got the TM, my wife wanted to free up room in the back of the truck by leaving that fridge at home and solely using the fridge in the TM.
Once we realized I could not get the TM fridge cooling before our trip (and then running on 12v for the drive), I threw the electric compressor fridge back in the truck.
I hope that helps clarify!