How Does The Everchill RV Refrigerator Work When Hooked Up To 30 Amp Service

Question:

How can this be plugged into 30amp service? 2019 Wildwood 171RBXL we bought the camper new and 1st trip out the brand new fridge died!!!! We got it replaced but now this issue?!?! These 12v refrigerators have to be the worst idea ever on a camper!!!! Cant really dry camp now because even with my dual battery setup they wont last a weekend trip!!! I miss my old Jayco with 3 way fridge.... Gas is the only way to go but that one could run off 110 and the 12v setting was only good for emergency use only.... That alone should say enough about 12v refrigerators!!!

asked by: Mike U

Expert Reply:

The Everchill RV Refrigerator w/ Freezer # 324-000119 is designed to work off of 12v DC power so that you can go off grid and run off of your batteries instead of needing shore power. Typically if someone was off-gridding we recommend adding up the energy consumption of every appliance they plan on using for the day and getting the correct sized battery bank to handle the consumption.

Typically we'll also recommend solar power system capable of recharging the battery bank based on the energy consumption to extend the length of the trip. This does require a bit of testing and a lot of thought as to what you'll actually use.

While hooked up to 30 amp service the fridge will still be running off of your battery. Typically campers have a converter installed which will take the 30 amp service and convert it from AC to DC to charge your battery so that you never run your battery dead.

If you don't have a converter on your trailer or would like to look into possible solar power systems to increase the time you can spend boondocking then I can help explore some options.

expert reply by: Kevin C

Joe D.

5/19/2024

Hello, I have the Ever Chill 12 volt refrigerator as described above in a Forest River Vibe on a seasonal site. The unit runs fine while we are there, when we leave the camper to come home we leave the refrigerator on. When we return the refrigerator is warm and the temperature control is blinking. This happened the first two weekends this year, the third weekend the refrigerator was cold when we returned to the camper. There are only two cables to the battery, positive and negative. No cables from a charging source. The camper has a 30 amp controller. I will say that the battery always shows fully charged. To get the refrigerator running again I turned off the main breaker and the battery. Waited about 20 minutes then turned on the main breaker and then the battery. Do I have power issues? What would cause the refrigerator to stop cooling? Does the 120 volt power source keep the refrigerator running by charging the battery? There is also a solar panel that is supposed to charge the battery.

Kevin C.

5/20/2024

@JoeD There's a lot of factors that contribute to power draw for your fridge so there is the possibility that the fridge is draining the battery just enough to error out and turn off. Then with no load the battery recharges from the solar while you're gone. That being said, there's a very small chance that's happening without something else acting weird or giving you issues. Have you noticed anything else not functioning as it should? Are you connected to 120v shore power or is the trailer sitting with just solar power recharging the battery? We've noticed in the past that running the negative/ground to the battery instead of to the closest portion of the trailer frame can cause issues so I would start by moving your ground since it's the easiest fix.

Joe D.

5/20/2024

@KevinC I will look for the ground. The camper is always plugged into shore power. This is my first camper but I believe everything is running ok. Thanks for a quick response.

Kevin C.

5/21/2024

@JoeD If you're plugged into shore power the whole time and you have a converter to recharge the battery then it's not dropping below 90% and the issue is with just the fridge and not power-related. Everchill got bought out by Lippert so I'd try giving them a call and see if they've heard of anything else that could cause this because with a full battery it shouldn't be shutting off.

John

6/11/2024

I have a gas/electric refrigerator that I want to replace with an everchill 3.3 cu.ft. 12vdc . Can I use a circuit in my existing wf 8735 power converter or do I have to run new wires to battery

Kevin C.

6/11/2024

@John Yes, you would just need to run the wiring from the Everchill RV Refrigerator w/ Freezer # 324-000119 to one of the DC fuse ports on your WF-8735 power center and use a 20 amp fuse. You'll want to run the ground to the closest part of the chassis instead though.