Power for 12V Refrigerator

[PaulMears]

I am replacing the cooling unit on my 1292 Dometic side by side with a Dutch Aire (Amish) DC cooling unit.

I need 15 Amps of 12 volt power at the back of the refrigerator. I think I have a size 14 wire behind the Fridge that is powering the display panel.


I got some wiring diagrams from Gulf Stream, but not the drawings that show the size and location of 12 volt wires for the water heater or furnace. If these wires are size 10 I could pick up the required power there.


Gulfstream's drawings show an inverter providing 120 VAC from the house batteries.

Where would I find the inverter. My microwave does not work when the 50 Amp service is disconnected, so I don't think I have a DC to AC converter/inverter. The input side to the inverter might be a good place to pick up 15 Amps of 12 VDC for the new cooling unit.


Any help would be appreciated.

[Restorium]

I would run a new wire straight from the house batteries with a fuse inline that you can get to easily.

[PaulMears]

I would run a new wire straight from the house batteries with a fuse inline that you can get to easily.
My batteries are behind the rear wheels on the right side. The refrigerator compartment is on the right side in front of the rear wheels. I would have to penetrate the walls of closed compartments twice and find a place to attach the wire cover above the suspension.

Is that a good idea?

The DC is distributed from a fuse panel on the front side of the bed.

I think I can fish a 10 ga wire under the shower and thru the bottom of the lavatory cabinet in the bathroom.

Mabe I can then go through the floor above the waste & water tanks across the RV to under the furnace then up through the furnace compartment to the refrigerator compartment.

If this is possible, I would put the wire in a protected cover in the water compartments so it would not flop around.

I suppose I could ground to the frame in the Refrigerator compartment.

I would the attach the hot wire to an empty fuse in the fuse box and put in a 15 amp fuse.

This would’ve a 10 ha 20 foot run and should be able to handle At least 15 amps.

Thoughts are appreciated.

[Sudsy]

If your furnace is right next to your refrigerator why not tap the 12VDC line that powers the furnace. It should be heavy enough to handle the load.
I just reinstalled my furnace (it's right next to my fridge too) and I had about a 14 Ga. wire going to the furnace. The blower motor on the furnace draws quite a bit of current. I suppose the fridge unit will not pull a constant 15 amps but will spike up there and idle at about 5-7 amps. I am sending a link to a chart on wire size and current handling.



https://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm


I looked there. There is plenty of power at the furnace. I would maybe put a slow blow (or circuit breaker) to cover the wire in the case of the furnace blower coming on at the very same moment the fridge kicks on. Please let me know how your conversion goes. I'm interested.



Also don't look for an inverter very hard. I am sure they are refering to a system that is factory installed and would operate the microwave while unplugged. I don't have one. It's the only option I don't have.


Sudsy

[Restorium]

My batteries are behind the rear wheels on the right side. The refrigerator compartment is on the right side in front of the rear wheels. I would have to penetrate the walls of closed compartments twice and find a place to attach the wire cover above the suspension.

Is that a good idea?

The DC is distributed from a fuse panel on the front side of the bed.

I think I can fish a 10 ga wire under the shower and thru the bottom of the lavatory cabinet in the bathroom.

Mabe I can then go through the floor above the waste & water tanks across the RV to under the furnace then up through the furnace compartment to the refrigerator compartment.

If this is possible, I would put the wire in a protected cover in the water compartments so it would not flop around.

I suppose I could ground to the frame in the Refrigerator compartment.

I would the attach the hot wire to an empty fuse in the fuse box and put in a 15 amp fuse.

This would’ve a 10 ha 20 foot run and should be able to handle At least 15 amps.

Thoughts are appreciated.
You can also go straight up through the floor from your house battery compartment. Just make sure you seal the hole.

[Frutza]

Is that a Crescendo 8356? The inverter was on option and is aft of the battery compartment, I know in my fridge compartment if you look from the outside access its like a wire tray, there's cables running up and down, also pull out the drawer under the stove and you can see wiring running and it goes behind the furnace, you may find something usable there, does the manufacturer r3comend #10 wire? Seems like overkill to me

[PaulMears]

I ran a 10 ga hot wire from a new fuse in the DC distribution panel under the bed, under the lavatory base, down through the floor next to the factory DC wire bundle, across the top of the water storage tanks, up through the furnace floor, under the fridge, before I got to JC Refrigeration in Shipshewana, IN.


I stayed in an RV park next to a motel, right in town, 1 mile from JC Refrigeration. I could have boon docked at the factory, but with 20 degrees projected, I wanted to be hooked up.


JR and his son did a beautiful job in 2 hours, plus 1 hour for check out and test.

They installed a 12 VDC only cooling unit replacement for my side-side Dometic. In three hours I departed with a cold refrigerator, frozen freezer, and no more level to operate.


These are top professionals who are confident in their technology. They provide Norcold and Dometic cooling units, in either absorption, 12 VDC, or 120 VAC technologies.


They provide a 3 year warranty and I can buy 3 more years for $75 from their website. Just search for jr-refrigeration on the web. Or, call and talk to JR.


This is a neet little town with the biggest flea/antique market in the mid-west going on from May till Oct.

About boon docking with a 12 VDC fridge. It draws 6 amps, when operating. A 100 Watt PV battery charger will eliminate any negative discharge and provide me with more propane for hot water and stove. I thought that was a good trade off.


If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. I will update as appropriate.

[Fredeman]

Paul, I have been reading about the Amish Compressor Refrigerator conversion recently. What are your impressions so far? I see you chose the 12volt DC version. Why did choose the 12volt DC versus the 120 volt AC version. My understanding is that the 120AC version cools faster. I have also been reading about the EverChill compressor refrigerator. Did you ever consider that direction?

I am in the research phase and I would really appreciate your thoughts and experiences.

Frank