Refilling Propane on the road?

Originally posted by Retroactive The fridge runs on propane? MIND BLOWN... as an engineer now I am compelled to go look at how that works...  I just assumed the fridge worked on TEC unit like a lot of the wine chillers people have now.

I had to look it up too, and I'm an engineer (electrical). It's really more chemical and thermo engineering, but it's interesting how you have to put heat into the system to get even more heat out of it.

As long as you can keep the 12v system topped off, or are very miserly with it, your limiting factors off grid are water, (and holding tank size), then propane. You give up a/c and microwave. But the pod is usable minus those two things, for as long as you can keep up with the other 2..

Absorption fridges can and will work on any heat source. Amish here run them on diesel..

Originally posted by Retroactive Originally posted by TheBum [QUOTE=Retroactive] I had to look it up too, and I'm an engineer (electrical). It's really more chemical and thermo engineering, but it's interesting how you have to put heat into the system to get even more heat out of it. It's really interesting that they can get the chemical reaction to keep regenerating, on a flame that is apparently about the size of a pilot light. I knew they had full size units for people in remote areas, I just had no idea they could pull it off on such a small scale and without dedicated venting - but the heat and CO it gives off must be negatable. Does the 12v mode run the compressor, or does it have a TEC unit in it?

The 12v mode is absorption also, same as the 110v mode. All three operate on the principle of heat to evaporate the ammonia which then is condensed and then evaporates again when it hits the hydrogen gas in the freezer section and refrigerator section. There is no TEC or compressor.

We found out that dual 6V batteries will be drained down overnight. It was not enough to kill them entirely, but enough so that the refrigerator started beeping. This was after about 5-6 hours. Running on propane, however, worked very well, and saved the batteries for more important use, such as running my CPAP machine.

I always have the windows open a crack (not near the bed) when it's cold out and I have to run the MrBuddy. No worries about condensation or CO asphyxiation. When it's cold (<40°F), the humidity levels outside are very low anyway. Most condensation will come from breathing. 

Oh yes, we get all sort of nasty wasps and stuff that love to crawl into everything. They have a way of always showing up somewhere new.