Common RV Refrigerators and Refrigerator Power Sources
Dave SolbergMany refrigerators on RVs run off one or multiple of three main sources of power, depending on type of vehicle (trailer, fifth wheel, motor home) and power capabilities as dictated by vehicle size. These common power sources for refrigerators on RVs include electricity via generator, on-board battery and LP gas. However, since the 1980s most manufacturers have started to only offer two of the three main power sources – LP gas and 120-volt electricity – as options to power refrigerator units on RVs.
In this quick video lesson, RV expert Dave Solberg gives you a rundown on RV refrigerators, explaining what’s probably on your unit and teaching you everything you need to operate, maintain and troubleshoot the fridge mounted on any modern vehicle. He pops open the exterior hatch on his demo vehicle’s fridge, which is a 4-door, 12-cubic-foot Norcold to demonstrate what you can expect out of your cooling unit. With Dave’s help, you’ll learn why it’s so important to get to know your fridge’s capabilities, power requirements, and components.
Getting to Know Common RV Refrigerators
In the past few decades, manufacturers of the most commonly equipped RV refrigerators, Norcold and Dometic, have gone away from using 12-volt battery power to fuel refrigerators and are now mostly offering LP gas and 120-volt systems. This is primarily because the RV refrigerators operating off of 12-volt would tend to drain the battery down after six to eight hours of use. And that’s for chilling food that is already cold, let alone food that’s at room temperature. That just wasn’t sufficient!
For larger units, it is still possible to use an on-board 8- or 12-volt battery bank to fuel RV refrigerators with the assistance of an inverter to give you 120 volts of power. This means that the refrigerator will run as if it were using electricity even though it is only using 12-volt batteries. Because of their marginal size, smaller RV refrigerators with the freezer incorporated inside the single door will easily run off of the 12-volt battery.
4-door RV refrigerators are a nice option to have on your vehicle particularly since only a limited amount of coolness is allowed to escape when opened. This is because you can select which door to open, and thus there is no need to open up the entire unit just to get a drink. Keep the cool inside as much as possible, and you save your wallet a lot of extra legwork!
Major Takeaways About Your Fridge
By the end of this quick lesson, Dave will help you to understand why it’s so critical to know the size and model of your RV refrigerator, especially when it comes to operating and troubleshooting. As with any other appliance, when your fridge goes kaput while you’re out in the middle of nowhere, there probably won’t be a certified technician nearby.
It’s on you to know what’s going on inside and outside your fridge, so it pays to be aware! Plus, this information is important for knowing which power source works best with your unit, so you’re well prepared before you even hit the road!
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24 Responses to “Common RV Refrigerators and Refrigerator Power Sources”
Over the years many different refrigerator companies and brands have come and gone in the RV industry. Today we typically have two models that are predominant. We have Norcold and Dometic. It's important for you to understand the model that you have, the size and the operation. This unit we have right here happens to be a Norcold.
It's a four-door, 12 cubic foot. This one will run off of LP power. We've got an LP line that comes in here. It'll also run off a 120 volt, we've got a heating element right up in the top here. And it will run off of a 12 volt battery power.
Now most of the manufacturers had a three-way refrigerator in the past years through the eighties a little bit into the nineties. But what they found is on that 12 volt side, is that it typically would maintain the temperature inside. If the food was already cooled, the inside was already cool but it would wear the batteries down or drain the batteries in probably six to eight hours. So most of the manufacturers went away from the 12 volt. They offer a two way now.
Which is the LP and the 120 volt electrical system. And some manufacturers will actually use the battery bank in your RV as an inverter. So on the larger units if you've got the eight battery pack, it's got the larger inverter it will actually invert and give you a 120 volt power. So the refrigerator's really actually working on electricity, even though you're using 12 volt battery power. Now the smaller little units will have just a freezer on the top and the refrigerator section on the bottom.
This one happens to be a four door. The advantage of a four door is I can open just one small section and get something out. And not open the entire refrigerator just to get a can of pop or something like that. You smaller units in some of your travel trailers your little class B's will also have a smaller refrigerator. That is just a one-off unit freezer will be kind of incorporated inside of it.
Some of those will actually run off a 12 volt because they are so small. So understanding the size, the model and the operation of your refrigerator is critical when it comes to not only operating it, but troubleshooting.
Thanks for the info. I have an old classic Get-Away RV on a 1990 G20 chassis which has an old Dometic RM 2192 3 way fridge. In checking appliances out, the fridge worked great on 120V, even quickly froze the small ice cube department. The 12V 95 watt heating element did not fare as well, it actually barely worked. I'm doing some work on the van front end and have it jacked up, so it could just be the angle of the fridge at close to 3 degrees off level. MY 120 volt test was more level, so I just put it back on 120 to see if it improves. I suspect lower voltage heating element may be going bad. 125 watt 12V heating elements are readily available, but I couldn't;'t find a 95 watt unit. There are is only a slight increase of amperage draw on the two, the two with the 95 watt drawing 8 and the 125 drawing around 10. I installed a 350 watt solar system charging a 100AH HighP04 lithium battery and have a high output alternator feeding a Renogy 40 amp DC to DC charger for the battery. So my electrical system can easily handle the increase in load for 8 to 10 amps when we are driving and during sunny days here in Arizona. I'm thinking the 125 watt might be an improvement in the boiler with it slight 25% increase in heat, since the 12V side has always been rated lower due to battery drain. What do you think? Would this be a good swap providing the board relay (if it even has one on such a small unit) can handle the 2 amp increase in demand? Thnak you for your time and hep. Marshall in Tucson
I have a trave trailer with a freezer on top and refrigerator on bottom . I started to have problems where when are asleep the refrigerator is goes off and in the morning I have to throw out all my frozen foods. The refrigerator worked get until I had this guy fix my roof and covered this piece up there staying it was a big hole could that been the vent. The trailer is A 1981 alfo
Can I.bypass my LP gas detector ? All I'm gonna be using it for is stovetop range
This is a nightmare. Recently moved into an RV and had trouble getting the appliances the refrigeration heating and air to work Even though plugged Into a mirror. The battery is being drained completely and I have to keep recharging it every few days in order for The refrigerator to operate. My refrigerator has an option auto which will defer to whatever is available I have gas available and I also have electric available but if the battery dies this prevents the refrigerator from working why is it the battery has to have anything to do with the gas or the electric? I am really frustrated at this by now I thought I would’ve had all of this down pat. I am not sure if I need a inverter or converter so that the battery can stop being drained by the camper and everything can defer over to the electric or the gas. Please help
Should the class a fridge in motor home run off electric only when plugged into electric or would it continue to run through inverter box to battery. 93 pace arrow model.
In boonies, fridge won't work
My fridge cools fine on AC but not on gas. Ive got flame but no cool.
We just bought a RV. We have a whirlpool refrigerator that does not have any control buttons other than the lighted display window for the icemaker, temp, etc. It appears to be a regular refrigerator and not a special RV version. The refrigerator turns on when we have the generator going or the house power is turned on when the engine is on. How do we switch it to propane when we are parked? We have looked all over the RV manual and there is no help. We also have looked in the guide for the fridge but it is a guide for use as a home fridge. There is no info for how to use it in an RV. Please help!
My Power button on top of refrigerator is lighting up and lighting up Auto, but it is not cooling the freezer or the refrigerator
i am new to caravans. i have a Dometic 3 way fridge model RFD218. i don't know whether the fridge selects the power sources and can see from fridge which source is being used. the operating manual provides nothing and frankly the Dometic website material aint any help that i can see. so any advice or help would be greatly appreciated