15 replies to this topic

[Green_Rino]

hi there,
on a 95 10' cabover, does anyone know what the illuminated toggle switch does mounted next to the thermostat? is it 3-way fridge related?
 
thanks
flyboykev

It turned on the computer fan on the outside vent. It will automatically turn on when the temperature gets high enough to warrant more airflow.

[JoeKan]

I still have my original frig. It was working fine last summer but for some reason, it has stopped. I have 110v going through to the controls but not sure if something is burned out or not? I'm really needing it now but I guess a cooler is better than nothing. The frig is very small too. Not going to get much in there so I may just stick with a cooler. 

[2Z Bundok]

My understanding of the 3 way fridge is different than I read here:

About the best that can be achieved is a delta 40 degrees F and 30 is more realistic.  

The reason they need to be level is to return the condensed ammonia mix back down the swirly tube without creating a liquid trap.  The toss and turn of moving unit is enough to clear the tube of liquid.

The performance should be the same with LP, 12V or 120V as the limitation is in the refrigerant. 

In our unit the flame will not stay lit in high wind (like driving down the road).  Safety dictates having LP off at tank when driving.

It is a good idea to have a small fan on the exterior fins to help cool them for max temp differential.  Ours is on a 90degF thermostat.  Check for that thermostat and a fuse "Wagoneer".  

Sometimes I will spritz water on those fins when we stop in the hot desert afternoon.

Recently talked to an all electric Van life guy who uses his 2000w inverter and a 120V college dormitory size fridge ~$200.  Says with solar and 200 Ahr he can go 3 days without engine charging help. 

[fuzzymarindave]

I have a 3-way dometic in my 2015 Hawk and it does work fine still.  My previous Hawk was a 2006 and the 3-way was fussy.  I used to use LP when driving because the 12v fridge draws lot of current.  However now that I have a 100 ah Lithium battery along with my 100wat solar and DC/DC charger, I've gone back to using 12v when driving.

[Beach]

Ditto on the above comment about using compressed air to clean the burner orifice. I do it prior to any trip, weekend or long term. Going to add a can of dust off to my tool kit before my summer trip

[hugho]

My understanding of the 3 way fridge is different than I read here:

About the best that can be achieved is a delta 40 degrees F and 30 is more realistic.  

The reason they need to be level is to return the condensed ammonia mix back down the swirly tube without creating a liquid trap.  The toss and turn of moving unit is enough to clear the tube of liquid.

The performance should be the same with LP, 12V or 120V as the limitation is in the refrigerant. 

In our unit the flame will not stay lit in high wind (like driving down the road).  Safety dictates having LP off at tank when driving.

It is a good idea to have a small fan on the exterior fins to help cool them for max temp differential.  Ours is on a 90degF thermostat.  Check for that thermostat and a fuse "Wagoneer".  

Sometimes I will spritz water on those fins when we stop in the hot desert afternoon.

Recently talked to an all electric Van life guy who uses his 2000w inverter and a 120V college dormitory size fridge ~$200.  Says with solar and 200 Ahr he can go 3 days without engine charging help. 

I build tiny houses and my normal install is a chinese fridge with a separate freezer compartment. This  is important. I have 2-4 solar panels on the roof charging a LiFe PO4 100 AH battery running a 2000 watt Aims inverter. I think the fridge only uses 70 watts to get 34-38 deg fridge temps and subzero freezer temps.With just lites and the fridge we easily keep the battery fully charged. When we run our 1500 watt electric heater there is a big draw on the battery. 2 batteries would fix that but so far the $700  is too steep.