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Old 03-16-2019, 08:01 AM   #1
Winnie-Wise
 
Join Date: Nov 2018
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12V Refrigerator Option On Minnie Plus

Hi, does anybody have the optional 12V Fridge that's shown as a option on the Minnie Plus? How do you like it?
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Old 03-16-2019, 03:53 PM   #2
Winnie-Wise
 
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We had the 12 VDC option on our old trailer's fridge. I liked it as it allowed us to travel, which is what it is intended for, without having to use the gas to keep the fridge cold. Once at our campsite we would switch to AC or gas. The 12 VDC heating element does draw quite a bit of current so you will need a pretty heavy gauge aux line from the truck to trailer. That would be a 10 ga or 8 ga wire depending upon total length. I can't speak of other makes but on the 2015 and later F-150's that means you will need to run a separate line as the factory wire is too small at 18 ga.
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Old 03-16-2019, 05:21 PM   #3
Winnie-Wise
 
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I'm asking about the 12V only. Does not run on LP.
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Old 03-19-2019, 08:05 AM   #4
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The 12V compressor type fridge uses a lot less electric than a gas/elect fridge. However if you dry camp/boondock you need quite a bit of battery and ability to charge the batteries every day.
I understand they do work much better than the gas/elect fridges, more stable and colder freezer/fridge temps.
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Old 03-19-2019, 10:09 AM   #5
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I have a 12v-only compressor fridge in my ERA. If I crank the cooling to "7" (max setting) it will run down the house battery in a matter of hours, but if I leave it at a moderate "3" or "4" it works well with an hour or two of generator time per day.


Cools well, but not quite as well as a home fridge. If you leave food in there long-term it starts to look a bit pekid after a couple weeks... I think the temperature must cycle over a pretty wide range throughout the day.


Poor insulation, on a humid day I actually find condensation on the exterior of the freezer door.


All in all, for an RV fridge it's quite good, for for a fridge it's moderate.
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Old 03-19-2019, 12:14 PM   #6
Winnie-Wise
 
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We would be moderate on how much we put in it as it's just two of us. We prefer fresh food even though it might involve more frequent trips to a store.

I intend to go heavy with solar using a couple of Li batteries for the trailer with a gen. back-up when needed so the power consumption isn't much of a factor for us.

I also like the idea of not having to be so precise in leveling for the trailer and even though rare the increase fire risk of a elect/LP cross over fridge.
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Old 03-19-2019, 12:16 PM   #7
Winnie-Wise
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bigfatguy View Post
I have a 12v-only compressor fridge in my ERA. If I crank the cooling to "7" (max setting) it will run down the house battery in a matter of hours, but if I leave it at a moderate "3" or "4" it works well with an hour or two of generator time per day.


Cools well, but not quite as well as a home fridge. If you leave food in there long-term it starts to look a bit pekid after a couple weeks... I think the temperature must cycle over a pretty wide range throughout the day.


Poor insulation, on a humid day I actually find condensation on the exterior of the freezer door.


All in all, for an RV fridge it's quite good, for for a fridge it's moderate.
How does the interior size and capacity seem to you? Equal or less than a standard 8 cubic foot crossover fridge?
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Old 03-19-2019, 02:18 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ret.LEO View Post
How does the interior size and capacity seem to you? Equal or less than a standard 8 cubic foot crossover fridge?

I think mine is a 6 cubic foot model, but it's decently roomy. There's no really obnoxious protrusions into the cavity.


I like it much better than the 3-way models.


I will say, as delivered by Winnibago, the fridge had a 2-way controller that could run on 12v or 120VAC. Even though they had not plugged in the 120V power cable, the controller would "crash" from time to time and the fridge would stop working. This was a known issue with the vendor. They sent me a new control board, I installed it, and it worked fine ever since.
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Old 03-20-2019, 07:19 AM   #9
Winnie-Wise
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
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The spec sheets I looked at for Dometic and Norcold indicated current draw of 6 amps or so for the 6 - 7 cubic foot models. They did not state if that is the start up or running current so take it for what it is worth.


Edit: Hit submit to fast. Based on this I think you will still need a pretty heavy gauge aux line to run the fridge while driving.
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