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Topic ClosedPower fridge while driving - Event Date: 26 Feb 2016
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mesamie View Drop Down
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Posts: 35 		Direct Link To This Post Calendar Event: Power fridge while driving
    Posted: 26 Feb 2016 at 2:17pm
I have the 2016 R-pod 177 ( I think, still in storage). Only used 3 times end of last season. We are planning a long x-country trip this early summer. Can I keep food refrigerated in the fridge while we drive every day, and if so do I just need to turn on the propane to it and is that safe ? Or can my car battery charge the rpod battery, and therefore use it to cool fridge while driving ?
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Podster View Drop Down
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Posts: 1108 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Feb 2016 at 2:34pm
You will get mixed responses, however, the overwhelming majority travel using the 12v option. Just remember during extended stops you will need to switch to propane.  
Cliff & Raelynn
Ranger 4.0/178
(1/2 ton 5,800lb tow capacity)
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jato View Drop Down
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Posts: 3252 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Feb 2016 at 2:55pm
We have done it both ways.  As Cliff wisely advised, if you use the 12v option, switch to propane if you are leaving your TV for 4 or more hours, amazing how that fridge will discharge a battery!  Because I tend to forget I usually just leave mine on propane so I don't end up with a surprise.
God's pod
'11 model 177
'17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost
Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake
"...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."
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sailor323 View Drop Down
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Posts: 281 		Direct Link To This Post 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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Leo B View Drop Down
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Posts: 4517 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Feb 2016 at 4:26pm
We also use both depending  on the situation.
Leo & Melissa Bachand
2017 Ford F150
2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk
Previously owned
2015 Rpod 179
2010 Rpod 171
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mesamie View Drop Down
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Posts: 35 		Direct Link To This Post 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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techntrek View Drop Down
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Posts: 9062 		Direct Link To This Post 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.
Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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sailor323 View Drop Down
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Posts: 281 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Feb 2016 at 8:09pm
Originally posted by mesamie

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 ?


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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Posts: 6128 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 Feb 2016 at 11:00pm
Originally posted by sailor323

Originally posted by mesamie

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 ?


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.


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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Q7-retired View Drop Down
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Posts: 100 		Direct Link To This Post 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
Best regards, Jim
2015-RP178
TV 2015 Audi Q7 TDI and 2017 Ford F150
At home in "Our Pod"
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