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Topic: Running a fridge on caravan battery

Frankies family

18/5/2014 at 9:46am
Location: None Entered
Outfit: Caravan

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Hi
We had to replace our fridge last year with what was supposed to be the same but as it was a newer model the connections were different (also has no light so hard to gauge when on or off without electrical tester which we do have).
In short it runs on mains when the caravan hook up is plugged in but nothing else. My husband has juggled the connections so it now also runs off the caravan battery but it doesn't run when plugged into the car ( engine off and engine on).
We do need to get this looked at properly but the vans not being serviced for a few weeks and so looking for some inspiration from anyone please.
We plan to take it to France over the summer so will have a uk drive of approx 4 hrs then an 8hr ferry crossing and another 4 hours drive in France so how do we keep the fridge going during transit both on the road and the ferry. I 'm assuming we aren't the only ones to have ever done this? Would rather stock the fridge in uk at least with essentials for the first few days.
Aware we also shouldn't run the battery right down so prob only have around 8 hrs avail?
Many thanks K

neil and lena

18/5/2014 at 10:18am
Location: Dumfries
Outfit: 2022 CoachmanVIP 2022 Pilote P696GJ

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How do you plan to run your fridge on the ferry ?
First of all you CANNOT run it on gas as its totally illegal to do that in the confines of a ships hold .
And lastly your fridge is designed to only run on 12volts when your car is running and will not work direct of the battery .
If your fridge was altered to work directly of your leisure battery which it shouldn't be it would totally flatten it within 3-4 hours .
Your best option is to fill the fridge with frozen water bottles to keep it cool and dont open the freezer compartment and it should remain frozen for 8 hours

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old chap

18/5/2014 at 10:26am
Location: Sitingbourne
Outfit: baily champaign

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I cannot help much, but the fridge should never run off the caravan battery. The 12volt setting is purely for running off the car & only when the engine is running , this is to prevent the car & or the caravan battery being depleted in a matter of hours.
It is also important that the cable sizing from the car battery to the plug in connector is correct as voltage drop over the cable length could be sufficient to prevent the relays from operating & the fridge will not work on 12v
Have you managed to get it to work on gas as well as 240volts??

G7ACU

18/5/2014 at 10:29am
Location: West Mids
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Quote: Originally posted by Frankies family on 18/5/2014
... it runs on mains when the caravan hook up is plugged in ... husband has juggled the connections so it now also runs off the caravan battery ...

I have to echo neil and lena's reply too, although to be fair you don't say you plan to run the fridge during the crossing itself.
The fridge is designed to run off 240v when connected to EHU, and you confirm this is the case.
You should have a gas supply too (normally).
As for 12v operation, it should not be allowed to run from the caravan battery at all (as has been stated above); the 12v operation is purely intended for the running of the fridge while the caravan is connected to the car and the towcar's engine is running above a certain speed.

Not wishing to appear rude, but if your husbands skills only amount to "...juggled connections", then you need to enlist someone in to do this work professionally, especially if there's question over the operation via gas.

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Paul

Every day's a school day!

Frankies family

18/5/2014 at 12:30pm
Location: None Entered
Outfit: Caravan

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Hi Thanks for your replies all comments noted.
Just to assure everyone we have no intention of running the fridge off the gas during the ferry crossing- in fact we never run it on gas anywhere.
Hubby juggling was more of my phrase as he is a fully qualified electrician of many years but in fairness we haven't had a caravan before and have limited information on both the fridge and the caravan.
Thanks again for the advice: we will not be running it on the battery now and it does make much more sense re the wiring now this has been confirmed but think we will get our service guy to sort so we know its right.
Cheers K

G7ACU

18/5/2014 at 5:20pm
Location: West Mids
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Fair play K, please let us know how you get on.
Given the issue is with the 12v supply for in-tow use, it would be best to get your service guy to attend to this as the wiring could prove difficult to sort otherwise.

Hope the France trip goes well.

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Paul

Every day's a school day!

robert/julie

18/5/2014 at 5:38pm
Location: Ivybridge Devon
Outfit: Bailey Pageant Burgundy series 6

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Just a thought on running the fridge from your car. You said it doesn't run whether the engine is running or whether it is switched off. Does your car have 2 electric sockets on it ie a black one and a grey one Fridge will only run on 12v from car if you have twin sockets as needs to be connected to the grey socket unless you have the newer 13 pin socket then it should work

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