Power fridge while driving - Event Date: 26 Feb 2016 |
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techntrek
Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9062 |
Calendar Event: Power fridge while driving Posted: 27 Feb 2016 at 9:02pm |
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GM doesn't, unfortunately.
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Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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techntrek
Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9062 |
Posted: 27 Feb 2016 at 9:01pm | |
Almost. I ran it from the lug on the fuse block under the hood where the factory wire originates from, back to the existing wire just before it runs into the Bargeman. No reason you couldn't run it from the battery.
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Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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sailor323
Senior Member Joined: 11 Jun 2015 Location: S Central KY Online Status: Offline Posts: 281 |
Posted: 27 Feb 2016 at 8:51am | |
Yes, this is true for all vehicles as far as I know, but since my bargman is not factory installed it was wired for lights only and there was no hot lead run to it, I installed it myself. It was simpler to parallel off the battery and run straight to the plug. I also ran a negative wire since the trailer light harness is very light gauge. Need to risk blowing signal lights fuse |
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Q7-retired
Senior Member Joined: 26 Dec 2014 Location: Pittsboro, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 100 |
Posted: 27 Feb 2016 at 7:49am | |
Doug, did you run your parallel wire from the battery to the car female plug, or all the way to the pod? this sounds like a good idea for me to emulate.
thanks, Jim |
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Best regards, Jim
2015-RP178 TV 2015 Audi Q7 TDI and 2017 Ford F150 At home in "Our Pod" |
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furpod
Moderator Group - pHp Joined: 25 Jul 2011 Location: Central KY Online Status: Offline Posts: 6128 |
Posted: 26 Feb 2016 at 11:00pm | |
Actually, if properly wired, a relay is in the circuit that shuts the connection to the pod when the tow vehicle is not running. Ford includes the relay and fuse in a little bag when you buy a new one. |
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sailor323
Senior Member Joined: 11 Jun 2015 Location: S Central KY Online Status: Offline Posts: 281 |
Posted: 26 Feb 2016 at 8:09pm | |
Properly speaking, the car battery does not charge the pod battery, the car's alternator does. If the car is not running and the car's battery is a higher voltage than the pod's battery, then the pod will steal charge from the tow vehicle as long as it is hooked up. There are devices on the market, battery combiners, that prevent this from happening. As long as the car's battery is below a certain voltage, nothing flows to the auxiliary battery. Once the car's battery exceeds that voltage, a charge is delivered to the auxiliary battery. This keeps the car's battery from becoming discharged even if there is a load on the auxiliary battery. |
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techntrek
Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9062 |
Posted: 26 Feb 2016 at 5:44pm | |
In most cases the factory wiring (car manufacturer or places like U-haul) running to the +12 pin on the Bargeman isn't big enough to handle the load from the fridge. It needs to be at a minimum 10 gauge and preferably 8 gauge, but usually it is 12 gauge wiring. I've run the numbers here before. As a result you get a voltage drop which forces the heating element to draw from the pod's battery. Within a few hours it drops too low and the fridge begins to warm up. We had this problem with ours until I discovered the wiring on our Suburban was 12 gauge. I ran a parallel 10 gauge wire which gave me the equivalent of an 8-9 gauge wire.
The problem is worse if the pod's battery is already low when you get on the road, like after a weekend boondocking. I always recommend running on LP unless you are sure you have 8 or 10 gauge wiring. Don't worry about turning it off when you are refueling, I've run through that here, too. Fume recapture systems, fumes heavier than air while the fridge is 2 feet off the ground, narrow flammability range, all mean you aren't going to blow up the gas station. As for your charging question, the Bargeman's +12 line charges the pod battery - but only if there isn't a voltage drop. Even with the fridge on LP, if your pod battery is very low and you only have 12 gauge wiring it will take a long time to get a charge into the pod battery.
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Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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mesamie
Newbie Joined: 23 Aug 2015 Online Status: Offline Posts: 35 |
Posted: 26 Feb 2016 at 4:48pm | |
thanks for all of the reply's so far.
But, does the car battery charge the rpod battery, or is this why I need to make sure the hitch is producing voltage ? |
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Leo B
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 13 Jan 2012 Location: Lyndonville, VT Online Status: Offline Posts: 4517 |
Posted: 26 Feb 2016 at 4:26pm | |
We also use both depending on the situation.
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Leo & Melissa Bachand
2017 Ford F150 2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk Previously owned 2015 Rpod 179 2010 Rpod 171 |
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sailor323
Senior Member Joined: 11 Jun 2015 Location: S Central KY Online Status: Offline Posts: 281 |
Posted: 26 Feb 2016 at 4:23pm | |
Also, make sure that your hitch plug is actually delivering voltage to the pod. Use a multimeter or 12 volt tester. The Positive contact in the lug is the upper right hand contact and the negative is the lower left hand contact.
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