Res fridge not working oon batteries

[Dobie dogs]

Correct me if I’m wrong.
Shouldn’t the fridge work off the inverter when shore power is disconnected?
I have checked the inverter and it’s on. I have 120v output at the inverter. The cord is plugged in. Is there anything else I need to check?

My intention is to run fridge while rolling

Thanks, Bob

[RMcNeal]

If you have 120 VAC at the outlet from the inverter, then the fridge should be running. Does the light inside come on? The inverter should show you the voltage supplied and the amps being used. When mine is good and cold, it cycles very little and uses very little juice. Unless I forget and leave the ice maker on.
I guess it could be that the transfer switch is not working. It should be the next thing in line that the plug from your inverter is going to. Make sure you get 120 VAC out of that.

[DadsHemi]

Are you checking at the receptical

[Dobie dogs]

Originally Posted by DadsHemi

Are you checking at the receptical

The receptacle is fine. the fridge works on shore power.

[DadsHemi]

Understood, but on the inverter power at the plug.

[Dobie dogs]

Originally Posted by RMcNeal

If you have 120 VAC at the outlet from the inverter, then the fridge should be running. Does the light inside come on? The inverter should show you the voltage supplied and the amps being used. When mine is good and cold, it cycles very little and uses very little juice. Unless I forget and leave the ice maker on.
I guess it could be that the transfer switch is not working. It should be the next thing in line that the plug from your inverter is going to. Make sure you get 120 VAC out of that.

I’ll try to find the transfer switch and check that. To add to my confusion the inverter doesn’t show the out put voltage (maybe because there’s no load) but I have 120v using a multimeter at the outlet of the inverter itself
Thanks, bob

[phillyg]

If you have 120v at the converter outlet that the fridge plugs into, the problem may be the fridge.

[DutchmenSport]

Run an extension cord directly form the inverter, around the camper, inside the door and plug directly into your refrigerator. See if the refrigerator powers up. If so, then I would suspect the transfer switch.

Did the refrigerator work off the inverter in the past, or is this the first time you are trying it?

[jcurtis934]

Have you checked to make sure the gfci outlet on the inverter isn't tripped?

[masterdrago]

The digital display indicates dc volts and then power as in watts but the display for watts is truncated. The image is showing 50 watts

[RMcNeal]

Dobie Dogs, If you have 120 VAC at the outlet on the inverter and the fridge doesn't get power, then the problem is most likely the transfer switch. If you can read 120 VAC on the inverter's outlet, then the GFCI is not tripped. The only thing in the circuit is the transfer switch which is apparently not flipping over when shore power is removed.
Incidentally, if the fridge is good and cold, it may not need to run the compressor for a while, in which case the inverter may not show any draw. Easiest way to test if it has power is to open the door and see if the light comes on. These Samsung fridges are very efficient and use a minimal amount of amperage. I was amazed with ours.

[DadsHemi]

120/110 voltage on a 15 amp breaker is 1800 AC watts for a single current

So that is wattage being used, if you unplug it will it go to zero ?

[jeffba]

I agree it sounds like the transfer switch if the Inverter is workin.

For grins have you plugged something into the inverter and verified that it works?
Something as simple as a night light....

[Dobie dogs]

I probably should have posted what I found sooner
Here goes
First from the inverter there’s a cord that goes to a box I assume is the transfer switch. From there there is a plug connector. So with the cord from the inverter to the transfer switch plugged into the inverter I checked for voltage on the output side of the transfer switch at the plug on the output side of the transfer switch. . I can get 120vac across the black(hot) with the green(grd) but not across the hot and the neutral (wht). All this is with the shore power not connected. So I guess as some expected it’s the transfer switch.
Would have added pictures of what I was looking at but I haven’t found how to upload pictures yet. Sorry

Bob

[jwengermt]

My unit is propane or electric. It will only run on electric when on shore power. Once i unplug it automatically switches to propane and works while I'm running. Does not run on battery.

[jeririgged223]

I know of a handful of Montana dealers that have stopped ordering and will NOT order any units any more with residential fridges. They said they are the #1 problem that they spend all of their time and resources working on especially while the rig is on warranty
.

[woodman]

Agree with the transfer switch being the problem. On a side note, perhaps if you do a lot of camping without an electrical source, having a dual electric/propane unit makes sense. But, we prefer the residential fridge and would never go back to the dual propane/electric fridge. Personally, our residential fridge runs fine, as does the inverter and transfer switch. Besides, it's frost free and has much more cubic foot capacity.

[RMcNeal]

I agree with woodman. I have had a propane/electric fridge in the past and now have a residential style fridge with inverter (no propane). We DO NOT EVER boondock. For us, this is the best option. It cools much better and uniformly throughout, has much more space, has an ice maker and gets cold much faster than the previous propane model.
The newer Samsung residential fridges are very efficient when using electricity and are specifically designed to work with an inverter. They are not the same fridge you might purchase for use in your home.
Having said that, anyone who tends to boondock or needs use of their fridge without access to electricity, might be better served by a propane RV fridge. It really just depends on how you use your unit. For a dealer to refuse to offer residential fridges due to warranty claims is just plain silly. In many cases, the issue is not understanding how the system is designed to work. It's quite simple, but if you have never encountered a dual source AC appliance like this, it may take a bit to get your head wrapped around the concept. The normal supply is 110 VAC from shore power. Easy to understand as most homes have this type of fridge. When shore power is not available, 110 VAC is supplied by the 12 volt system (battery or batteries). To do this requires and inverter to change 12 volt DC to 110 volt AC. To make the system automatic and more user friendly, an auto transfer switch is introduced that will choose one of these sources to power the fridge. Of course, shore power is primary and will always be the first choice when available. The only other device in the loop is typically a battery cutoff switch so that you can prevent the fridge from running on battery when not needed, such as when the rig is in storage. Quite simple from a user standpoint. If the dealer/tech cannot understand the system, then this is more a training issue than warranty issue.

[jwengermt]

Thanks for the detailed explanation on the electric fridge. We will travel mostly from RV park to RV park. If our propane fridge needs replacing we'll probably go with an all electric.

[JandC]

We are in the process of selling our rig and going back to a fiver. Most of our RVs have had RV frigs (elect/propane), except our current one, which is residential. As we search for our next fiver the list of "must haves" has a residential electric frig as number 3.

We would never own another RV without a residential frig.