Author: StephenH
Subject: Shakedown weekend questions
Posted: 03 Apr 2017 at 12:27pm
There are some vehicles which can supply sufficient power to both charge the batteries and run the refrigerator on 12V. However, they seem to be in the minority. Unfortunately, you can't take someone else's experience with a different vehicle and apply it to yours. I learned that the Escape we had would not supply sufficient power. I have not tried with the Frontier we now have. I need to find a meter that can measure not just voltage, but current to see if sufficient power can be supplied before I will try running the refrigerator on 12V. Since Propane works great, I would much rather arrive at the campsite with fully-charged batteries. It is a learning experience for all of us. It is better to learn early before you arrive for a several-days of dry camping only to find out your batteries were not charged because you tried to run the refrigerator on 12V while en route.
Subject: Shakedown weekend questions
Posted: 03 Apr 2017 at 12:27pm
There are some vehicles which can supply sufficient power to both charge the batteries and run the refrigerator on 12V. However, they seem to be in the minority. Unfortunately, you can't take someone else's experience with a different vehicle and apply it to yours. I learned that the Escape we had would not supply sufficient power. I have not tried with the Frontier we now have. I need to find a meter that can measure not just voltage, but current to see if sufficient power can be supplied before I will try running the refrigerator on 12V. Since Propane works great, I would much rather arrive at the campsite with fully-charged batteries. It is a learning experience for all of us. It is better to learn early before you arrive for a several-days of dry camping only to find out your batteries were not charged because you tried to run the refrigerator on 12V while en route.