i have just purchased a coromal 20ft 605 and find that the fridge does not work on 12 volts when parked up at home ,works perfectly on gas and 240
i have checked all of the fuses in the caravan and at the battery and found no problems
any smart electrical people out there know why this is happening
cheers rasa
landy said
09:18 PM Dec 13, 2021
Have you got it connected to the car with the engine running.
rasa said
09:33 PM Dec 13, 2021
hi landy
no the van is parked up at home ,not connected to car
i thought the fridge would still run off the van battery
Bobdown said
09:39 PM Dec 13, 2021
rasa wrote:
hi landy
no the van is parked up at home ,not connected to car
i thought the fridge would still run off the van battery
The battery will last 5 min if the fridge is running from it. 240V or Gas when parked up, 12V from car when driving only.
Cheers Bob
TheHeaths said
10:38 PM Dec 13, 2021
As others have said, 3 ways generally not set up to run off of house batteries.
It may not even be wired to the house battery, being on a 12 volt feed direct from the car.
Use 240v or gas when parked up.
If we free camp, we generally get 12 to 14 days from 9kg bottle, using gas for HWS, cooking and fridge (150 litre 3 way)
-- Edited by TheHeaths on Monday 13th of December 2021 10:40:49 PM
BAZZA44 said
05:45 PM Dec 14, 2021
It may have a "Fridge Switch" installed on the 12 volt wiring to the fridge. This turns the power off to the fridge when stopped so the battery is not flattened. This could be anywhere along the wire but probably behind the fridge with access from the bottom vent.
You could hook the van up in the yard and move it with someone inside to see if fridge turns on, if you can not find the switch if it has one. Google Fridge Switch to see what you are looking for.
Barry
landy said
06:00 PM Dec 14, 2021
rasa wrote:
hi landy
no the van is parked up at home ,not connected to car
i thought the fridge would still run off the van battery
First things first rasa just connect the van up too your car start the engine and try the fridge again. If it is one of the automatic fridges that are popular these days the fridge will change too 12 volts as soon as you start your engine. be aware though when you turn off your car there will be a delay ( normally about 20 minutes ) before the gas relights itself, this is to ensure it does not light while you are filling at the fuel browser. Good luck Landy
rasa said
08:18 PM Dec 14, 2021
thanks everyone for your input
tried the car on it today and it works on 12 volts
I asked the question regarding running the fridge on 12 volts when stationary as I thought I may have a blown fuse somewhere but it looks like the fridge only works on 12 volts when connected to the car
all good now so thanks
rasa
Whenarewethere said
02:04 PM Dec 15, 2021
12v in a 3 way fridge will use about 12 - 15AH every hour. It won't take long to drain your batteries. If stopped for a few hours you more than likely have enough thermal mass in the fridge if you have packed it correctly. The fridge should be ok for 24 hours.
My compressor fridge (modified) uses 9 - 12AH per 24 hours.
Either chuck the dated technology or cut open the fridge and add a compressor fridge kit, like they use on boats.
Cupie said
05:16 PM Dec 15, 2021
rasa wrote:
thanks everyone for your input
tried the car on it today and it works on 12 volts
I asked the question regarding running the fridge on 12 volts when stationary as I thought I may have a blown fuse somewhere but it looks like the fridge only works on 12 volts when connected to the car
all good now so thanks
rasa
All you need to do is to make sure that if you stop, say for morning tea or lunch etc. with the van connected to your Vehicle & switched to 12v, that you switch it off so that you don't flatten the car battery.
You can buy a motion detecting switch designed for that purpose. ie. it switches off the 12v feed from the vehicle when the van is stationary.
In my case, when I stop for a break I switch the fridge to gas. All I have to remember is to switch it back to 12v & turn off the gas when I move off.
Just to complicate the situation, I found that the fridge didn't run too well off 12v through the 7 pin plug so I rewired the fridge 12v input to an Anderson plug and where I choose to, I connect the 12v battery charging lead from the vehicle direct to the fridge.
In this arrangement the Vehicle battery is disconnected when the motor is not running.
The solar remains connected to the battery to keep it charged at all times.
I can of course change over the 12v from the vehicle to the van battery (which switches off the solar charging feed) but if I do this the fridge is not powered. I still switch over to gas during long stops.
Hylife said
07:51 PM Dec 20, 2021
depending on the fridge, the 12V heating element will draw from between 20 to 40 amps.
One hour and your battery is toast, this is why they are wired to run from the car.
Aus-Kiwi said
09:56 PM Dec 22, 2021
Plus in most cases the thermostat doesnt work . Its not efficient on 12v just hopefully enough to keep the cold temp it has from
Gas !!
hi everyone
i have just purchased a coromal 20ft 605 and find that the fridge does not work on 12 volts when parked up at home ,works perfectly on gas and 240
i have checked all of the fuses in the caravan and at the battery and found no problems
any smart electrical people out there know why this is happening
cheers rasa
hi landy
no the van is parked up at home ,not connected to car
i thought the fridge would still run off the van battery
The battery will last 5 min if the fridge is running from it. 240V or Gas when parked up, 12V from car when driving only.
Cheers Bob
As others have said, 3 ways generally not set up to run off of house batteries.
It may not even be wired to the house battery, being on a 12 volt feed direct from the car.
Use 240v or gas when parked up.
If we free camp, we generally get 12 to 14 days from 9kg bottle, using gas for HWS, cooking and fridge (150 litre 3 way)
-- Edited by TheHeaths on Monday 13th of December 2021 10:40:49 PM
You could hook the van up in the yard and move it with someone inside to see if fridge turns on, if you can not find the switch if it has one. Google Fridge Switch to see what you are looking for.
Barry
First things first rasa just connect the van up too your car start the engine and try the fridge again. If it is one of the automatic fridges that are popular these days the fridge
will change too 12 volts as soon as you start your engine. be aware though when you turn off your car there will be a delay ( normally about 20 minutes ) before the gas relights itself, this is to ensure it does not light while you are filling at the fuel browser.
Good luck Landy
thanks everyone for your input
tried the car on it today and it works on 12 volts
I asked the question regarding running the fridge on 12 volts when stationary as I thought I may have a blown fuse somewhere but it looks like the fridge only works on 12 volts when connected to the car
all good now so thanks
rasa
12v in a 3 way fridge will use about 12 - 15AH every hour. It won't take long to drain your batteries. If stopped for a few hours you more than likely have enough thermal mass in the fridge if you have packed it correctly. The fridge should be ok for 24 hours.
My compressor fridge (modified) uses 9 - 12AH per 24 hours.
Either chuck the dated technology or cut open the fridge and add a compressor fridge kit, like they use on boats.
All you need to do is to make sure that if you stop, say for morning tea or lunch etc. with the van connected to your Vehicle & switched to 12v, that you switch it off so that you don't flatten the car battery.
You can buy a motion detecting switch designed for that purpose. ie. it switches off the 12v feed from the vehicle when the van is stationary.
In my case, when I stop for a break I switch the fridge to gas. All I have to remember is to switch it back to 12v & turn off the gas when I move off.
Just to complicate the situation, I found that the fridge didn't run too well off 12v through the 7 pin plug so I rewired the fridge 12v input to an Anderson plug and where I choose to, I connect the 12v battery charging lead from the vehicle direct to the fridge.
In this arrangement the Vehicle battery is disconnected when the motor is not running.
The solar remains connected to the battery to keep it charged at all times.
I can of course change over the 12v from the vehicle to the van battery (which switches off the solar charging feed) but if I do this the fridge is not powered. I still switch over to gas during long stops.
One hour and your battery is toast, this is why they are wired to run from the car.
Gas !!