| Author | Message | ||
| jim mci-9 (209.240.198.60) Rating: N/A |
sounds kinda odd???/ ive got a domectic 2 way.. propane or 110 elec.... im running on elec now... freezer works great, but refrig part wont cool..... spoils food....the heat element works..i know cause the freezer is freezing stuff..only 1 set of controls.. so what gives??? its a manual control... any ideas??/ | ||
| frank allen (152.163.252.163) Rating: N/A |
clean all the coils in the back and blow compressed air in the burner, may have to clean the burner , mine did the same thing ok now Frank Allen | ||
| Geoff (Geoff) (66.238.120.55)
Rating: N/A |
If you can't fix it buy a 120v apartment refer-- we won that argument last week. --Geoff '82 RTS CA | ||
| Dale MC8 (66.81.137.127)
Rating: N/A |
If you crank it all the way cold it should freeze water in the refer compartment. Sounds like you need a new cooling unit. be cheaper most times to replace it. If you can manage a household refer you are ahead of the game. Dale MC8 | ||
| Don KS/TX (65.150.144.121)
Rating: N/A |
Yeah Geoff, I told him the same thing when I spoke with him tonight. The RV stays pretty well parked in an electricity furnished park, so it is a natural for the switch. Cheaper, more dependable, colder quicker, more space, etc. | ||
| FAST FRED (67.75.113.47) Rating: N/A |
And when he leaves the park for some pleasant camping, NOTHING !! But DEAD batts and enjoying the taste of warm beer while a genset grinds away endlessly.UGH! House stuff is GREAT for power post living , hardly a choice for a real camper. Pick what is YOUR WAY and equip accordingly ! FAST FRED | ||
| Don Ks/Tx (65.149.4.253)
Rating: N/A |
Durn it Geoff, we just got to buy Fred one and let him see what it is like to live the really good life. Too much time on the water Fred, I guess they don't have RV parks out there with elec outlets. You got to admit though, Fred does know how to live, with a DD powered boat yet! | ||
| Ross Carlisle (Ross) (66.238.216.98)
Rating: N/A |
I have to agree with Fred. With household appliances you are tethered to a power pole. I think an RV should be mobile and not be reliant on a power pole to function properly. I suppose a electric fridge would work if you had the battery capacity, but at that point, you'd have 2000lbs worth of batteries and will have spent just as much on them as you would on a nice LP fridge. I just don't see the logic in making an RV all electric. DD's in boats.....They are a fairly popular choice. I had twin 6V92 turbos in the boat I used to live on. 671's are very popular in commercial work boats. Ross | ||
| Don KS/TX (65.150.144.139)
Rating: N/A |
You do realize Ross, that when you are in that MOBILE mode you (and I) speak of so fondly, that you have enough 120V power to run an entire bus full of house refrigerators AND recharge the batteries. Running the genset now and again is not the terrible thing some would make it out to be, in fact is good for the genset! I agree fully that it depends on how you intend to use it of course, but MOST bus people don't seem to need an RV fridge, I sure didn't. If you want to park your bus on the seashore for a week or two away from power while you are boating for instance, DEFINITELY get the high priced, troublesome, inefficient, propane smelling, ammonia cycle job and learn to enjoy soft ice cream and warm beer. That is what I just did for my stick and staple plastic palace RV because of its intended use. (After living in Germany for 10 years, I learned to LIKE warm beer!) | ||
| Geoff (Geoff) (66.238.120.52)
Rating: N/A |
Don, I guess all the information on successful use of a household frig is not being read by some people. Even with a propane refer I would still have to run my generator once in a while because of my microwave and lights. Having the 120v apartment refer would make very little difference in my need to recharge my house batteries if I was boondocking. Also, isn't it kind of scary to leave propane appliances on when you aren't there to monitor them? --Geoff '82 RTS CA | ||
| Frank Allen (64.12.96.235)
Rating: N/A |
Gen sets are dangerous too , i nearly was barbecued by mine, i use that thing very little. as for the refridge its worked fine for me for 15 years except once when i had to clean the coils. Frank Allen 4106 | ||
| Ross Carlisle (Ross) (66.238.216.233)
Rating: N/A |
I realize that you have all sorts of power available while you are moving. What about when you stop. You are either running the genset (either to charge the batteries or run the fridge directly) or looking for a power pole. Just a hunch, but I'll bet I get far fewer complaints from nearby RV's from my propane fridge than I do from my diesel genset. Despite what PowerTech says, I wouldn't say it is exactly quiet. The genset would have to run anyway for lights and microwave, but the lights and microwave don't run 24/7, the fridge does. I've had experience with propane fridges before and have never had a problem. In one case, it froze ice cream so hard that you had to leave it out for a few minutes before scooping. As far as inefficiency, propane fridges are regarded as being more efficient than electric. I guess it's like anything else, they need to be properly maintained. I'm building my bus to be self supporting with as little need for external power as possible...and as little dependency on the genset as possible. This means propane appliances. I'll be able to leave my bus out in a field and come back two weeks later to a cold fridge and a battery bank that is still about 60%. FYI....My bus will never see a campground as long as I own it. I'll go to airshows, bus rallys, scuba diving trips, things like that. I hate camping. That's why I'm building a bus. The biggest reason for doing a bus is so I can travel and stay in remote areas in comfort...without feeling like I'm "camping". For someone just looking to go campground camping, the needs would be entirely different. Ross | ||
| Geoff (Geoff) (66.238.122.11)
Rating: N/A |
Ross You seem to forget that you need an inverter along with the household refrigerator. I can run my 120v refer off the inverter and 4ea Gr 31 batteries for at least 3 days without getting to the 50% discharge reading, probably more-- I haven't tried it for more. I also have a low battery automatic start feature on my Trace inverter/charger I could use if I had to leave it longer (but that is as scary as leaving the propane on). But if propane works for you fine-- most of us don't plan on leaving a bus conversion alone in a field for two weeks with the refrigerator on. | ||
| Ross Carlisle (Ross) (66.238.216.182)
Rating: N/A |
I don't know why leaving propane on scares you. The tank regulator is set up so that if you break a propane line it stops flow. Most appliances are also set up so you would have to do something stupid like leave the stove running to cause a problem, and for the real worry warts, there are propane sniffers with automatic shutoff valves. Propane is very safe if installed properly. How many propane explosions do you see in the RV industry every year? Considering the average RV'er is cluless as to the "systems" in thier rig, if there were a safety issue, RV's would be exploding by the dozens. Ross | ||
| jim mci-9 (209.240.198.60) Rating: N/A |
wow...... all i asked was how to fix the 1 ive got....lol.....i am going shopping for a house style refige this evening..... i full-time .... and electricty is free!!!!!!.... i can run the gen if i want a/c or refrige while on the road.... its gasoline.. and that costs.... thanks all.....jim | ||
| Geoff (Geoff) (66.238.122.11)
Rating: N/A |
My propane is shut off when I leave the bus. The only thing I need it for is my two burner cooktop. I was just thinking if I set my Trace up to automatically start the generator up to charge the house batteries when they were low (and automatically shut the gen off after charging them up to float level-- between one to two hours time with 130 amp 3-stage charger), with a full tank of diesel I could theoretically leave the bus by itself running the 120v refer for a year! It takes 1 gal (or less) of diesel every three days to run the generator and charge up batteries for two hours, which adds up to 10 gallons a month, 120 gal a year. Realistically, when I boondock I run my generator for an hour every morning to charge up the house batteries and make coffee, warm something up in the microwave, and heat up 10 gallons of water with the electric side of the hot water heater. Unless I want to run my roof airs or convection oven the generator stays off the rest of the day, and the inverter runs the 120v refrigerator. I don't think that is a bad system, and my generator is pretty quiet with a roof exhaust so as not to disturb others. What makes me have to move the bus is running out of water-- that could be three days or two weeks depending on how I use the water. --Geoff '82 RTS CA | ||
| Ross Carlisle (Ross) (66.238.216.132)
Rating: N/A |
It's not worth arguing about Geoff. You'll never convince me that any appliance you can buy at home depot belongs in a bus.  I went propane on everything and it works well. LP heat, on demand water heater, cooktop and fridge. I wanted the appliances to consume as little electricity as possible. To me, that seems like the most efficient use of energy in a mobile application. Ross | ||
| jim mci-9 (209.240.198.60) Rating: N/A |
i'm not interested in effiency..... i'm kinda cheap... and electricity is free in the rv park i'm in... so i'm gonna use as much as i can...lol... seriously, ive looked at the multi use types....and i decided to go to the al electric type.... my gen is in good shape.. but i live in my rv FULL TIME... i stay parked for months at a time.... if i traveled, i'd consider something different... but this will work for me.... home depot..here i come!!!!!!! | ||
| David Anderson (66.90.195.238) Rating: N/A |
Jim, half say , half say electric. It's your choice. I can't comment on the because I have a Home Depot refer and can run almost 3 days in a field before genny auto start fires and charges the batteries. One thing I found out in my application, I have a Trace SW2512 that has a wattage search mode. I cannot leave it in search when the refer is running because the defroster timer motor on the refer doesn't use enough wattage to kick on the inverter; therefore when I have to leave the bus for a side trip with the refer on I just put it into inverter mode. Uses a bit more power but has always worked for me. | ||
| David Anderson (66.90.195.238) Rating: N/A |
I meant to say, "Half say propane, and half say electric." Sorry for the phat phingers | ||
| jim mci-9 (209.240.198.60) Rating: N/A |
i replaced the gas water heater with an al electric from home depot in 3 yrs ago... electricity is free.... dont cook inside unless its in an electric skillet or on the electric griddle... electricity is free again...have to buy propane... dont realy do any/enough dry camping to worry about the generator use...looked at home depot....if i can get another 1/2" to spare. i'll buy!!!!.. did i mention electricity is free?? | ||
| FAST FRED (67.75.111.165) Rating: N/A |
"did i mention electricity is free?? " So here's the solution , if your coach use is only living in a place plugged in , "lectric everything is as close as K mart. For those that need the ability to go CAMPING for a while PROPANE EVERYTHING is the way to go. Everything else is a compromise. I wonder how Geoff heats his home , doesn"t leave an auto start oil furnace self operating when he is out ? Heck of a way to start a fire when no ones home, This comment is for the folks that see terror with the thought of automatic anything. Propane like any other fuel is as safe as YOU make it. Phred Tinseth did write a great article about his U Haul truck conversion. With a good genuine RV DC fridge , and solar pannels , he came back to a truck he had stored 9 months before , to find , stale but ICE COLD beer! Proper parts selection and instalation can get great results , but full operating ability doesnt come cheap. FAST FRED | ||
| Scott Whitney (66.82.9.48) Rating: N/A |
Geoff lives in California. No need to heat his home! : ^ ) Scott | ||
| skandragon (65.116.191.40)
Rating: N/A |
I thought I had read everything Phred Tinseth had written but I must have missed that one, any idea how I can find a copy ? | ||
| Geoff (Geoff) (66.238.120.88)
Rating: N/A |
I live by San Francisco, so we do need some heat in the winter. I have central heating and cooling in my home, but use a wood stove in the winter due to the high natural gas prices around here (plus I like the heat better). Anyway, the CB nickname of SF is "shaky town"-- and I would dare say that if we felt the kind of jolts around here that we encounter on the road with a bus we would be doing gas leak testing on all the lines before we ever turned on a gas appliance. So I have gas in my home-- I am not afraid of propane like some people, but just the same I prefer electrical as it is better suited for my conversion and much cheaper and safer to use. For heat I have the option of heat pumps, 120v portable heaters, or a Webasto. For hot water I have an RV water heater that works off the engine/Webasto heat exchanger, propane, or 120 volts. For cooking I have a mirowave/convection oven and a two burner propane cooktop (TBI). And with propane costing $2.00 a gallon (plus tax) around here I am saving a lot of money by using as little propane as possible. And yes, I spend the majority of my time plugged into electrial outlets in parks so the electricity is already paid for (or free, if you look at it that way). And finally, I can boondock just as long as anybody who uses propane, and cheaper. Are we through? I have to leave, I'm going camping-- isn't this what it's all about? Building your rig to suit your needs and USING it? See ya! --Geoff '82 RTS CA (on his way to Oregon for the weekend) | ||
| FAST FRED (67.75.113.74) Rating: N/A |
"I thought I had read everything Phred Tinseth had written but I must have missed that one, any idea how I can find a copy ?" Phred writes a lot for the Escapees , was a member years ago & it stuck in my simple mind. You might wish to contact the Escapees and see if they have back issues on line. He has great Camping info!! FAST FRED | ||
| two dogs (67.30.23.100) Rating: N/A |
Jim....is this the Jim in Houston ? can I have your propane ref......it costs about 3.00 a month to run..... TWO DOGS dosdogs1@juno.com | ||
| Don KS/TX (66.82.9.45)
Rating: N/A |
Hey dog guy, it is tits up, that is what this conversation was started about. I am sure he will give it to you though. | ||
| two dogs (67.30.23.95) Rating: N/A |
pardon me....guess I made a mistake..I thought he said it wouldn't run on ELEC.....My elec. part quit 10 years ago,still runs fine on propane..can you ever forgive me DON GUY | ||
| Scott Whitney (66.82.9.41) Rating: N/A |
You should be able to get a new electrical element for it. Scott | ||
| jim mci-9 (209.240.198.60) Rating: N/A |
its still freezing.... just not working in the refrige section....the elect element is geting hot... and the pilot light will light too... ive got another fridge just like it...in the holiday rambler travel trailer i'm using for storage..... | ||
| Don KS/TX (66.82.9.45)
Rating: N/A |
Hey Two Dogs, I think I lost your email address, would you send me one at donald.schwanke@us.army.mil or DonGeneda@direcway.com | ||
| Tom Caffrey (Pvcces) (64.114.233.144)
Rating: N/A |
Jim, in compressor refers, this is a common kind of failure; the freezer is cold, but not the chill section. Home refers send freon through a capillary tube, into the freezer and then into the chill section. The thermostat is in the chill section. If anything reduces the amount of freon coming through the capillary tube, the chill section never gets cold enough to satisfy the thermostat, and it runs all the time. This happens if the compressor gets worn out, if something obstructs the capillary tube, or most often if the freon charge is too small. I think that you have the same situation in the RV refer, but instead of the compressor running all the time, the heat would stay on at the bottom of the coils. If the refer starts burning and stops burning on its own and the chill section isn't getting cold enough, that sugggests a bad thermostat. If it stays on all the time, that suggests too little refrigerant flowing through the system. Ours will always refrigerate if it runs; sometimes we have nuisance shutdowns where the check light comes on. Good luck with whatever you try. Tom Caffrey PD4106-2576 Suncatcher | ||
| HenryMC7 (142.59.71.18) Rating: N/A |
I've just caught up on this thread. Very interesting reading. I haven't noticed anyone offering the suggestion of "burping" the fridge though. Over time it seems this system gets less efficient. I had a fridge that would work, but it would take forever and never did get cold enough. What I was told to do as a last resort was this, take it out and turn it upside down. You will hear all kinds of gurgling. Leave it in that position for at least 1 hour, then turn it back upright. I was told to do it a couple of times. The fridge worked fine after that. Just a thought, Henry | ||
| jim mci-9 (209.240.198.60) Rating: N/A |
it works now!!!!!!!!!after it "fell out" of the door of the holiday rambler, and i dragged it over out of the way, i plugged it in.... and now its working.... guess i shook loose whatever had the refrigerator part stopped up..... i'm gonna cannibalize it for parts....shelves..heating element.... | ||
| Duh (66.81.133.227)
Rating: N/A |
Jim, you might want to rethink the 'cannibalizing' and see what you can get for the whole thing, now that it work$. A working refer in the hand, etc. Seems I even remember Fast Fred wanting a working refer. FWIW Dale MC8 |