Freezer getting cold but not the fridge?

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Kirchoff's law doesn't apply in this case  ;)
 
Well, I was afraid someone would bring it up and thought I might short circuit that.  Thank you for that.
 
[quote author=Ned].... thought I might short circuit that.[/quote]

No pun intended of course  :D BTW I'm not FD  ;)
 
Well,

We got back from 10 days off and much of what you are all saying was likely right in the first place. Boy did this thread ever get technical!

The fridge did get colder, faster using propane (but it was now dark outside and cooling off outside) but when we got to the campsite, it used only electricity flawlessly. I'll be sure to turn the fridge on sooner next time.

but you might be losing a lot of voltage (voltage drop) if the extention cord is too long and/or too small gauge
Click to expand...

I was thinking the same thing. I am using a 100 foot cord and could probably still hit the trailer with a 50 footer.

Once (and only once) I noticed the cord was warm as well which suggested that maybe it is getting too old. I saw only once because that's the truth! It's always cold the other times.

Mike

 
CDN_Taxman said:
Once (and only once) I noticed the cord was warm as well which suggested that maybe it is getting too old. I saw only once because that's the truth! It's always cold the other times.
Click to expand...
Can you tell what gauge wire your extension cord is?  A typical "orange" 100' cord is usually 14 gauge, sometimes even 16 gauge.  The cord doesn't have to feel hot or even warm to be dropping a substantial amount of voltage when talking about 100'.  Find a good 50' 12 gauge cord and see what happens.
 
So, keeping it dumb for an accountant like me!!  ???

Is a 12 guage cord heavier duty than a 16 guage cord?

My other cord is a "typical" cord, so I'd agree that it is likely a 14 guage.

Mike
 
Yes.  Bigger numbers = smaller wire, like the denominator of a fraction.  Wire Gauge originated by counting the number of times the wire was drawn through the forming dies.  Each draw reduced the diameter or gauge of the wire, so 8 gauge wire was thicker than one that was drawn 10 or 12 times.

8 gauge is the minimum needed for 50 amp circuits, 10 gauge for 30 amps, 12 gauge for 20 amps.  14 gauge is limited to 15 amps.

If you're going more than about 50 feet, it's common to go up a size or two from the minimum.  Voltage loss is determined by the wire resistance and amount of current flowing through the wire.  The resistance is determined by the wire size and it's length, so going to a larger wire with less resistance per foot will keep the will keep the overall resistance and voltage loss within acceptable limits over a longer distance.
 
I just got back from my first camping trip in my Toy hauler.  I too had the freezer work perfectly but the fridge was around 55 degrees.  I had a bunch of water bottle and some food in there there.  It never really got that cold.  I was on partial hook ups and did see the 30 amp breaker but it was off.  I guess I was running off 15 amps.  Would that have made a difference?  My next trip to the Desert if mid January and would like to get this figured out beforehand.

Any thoughts?

Leo
 
If you were plugged into the 30 amp socket the 30 amp pedestal breaker needs to be on, since that's what feeds the socket.  Same thing if you're plugged into the 15 or 20 amp socket - it's breaker needs to be on.

If you're talking about the breakers inside your RV, the 30 amp breaker is the main breaker and it needs to be on to feed the rest of the breakers regardless what kind of socket you're plugged into.
 
Sometimes when the power is dicey or just barely adequate we set the refrigerator to stay on propane only.  If you have it set to Automatic it will switch back and forth between electric and propane as needed but it might not be as efficient.  Also, when you're still at home and first turn on the refrigerator wait a day for it to cool before putting the coldest stuff in first.  When we have the luxury of time we save the less cold items for last which gives the refrigerator long enough to get cool.  The first items I usually put in are things like cold canned drinks or maybe something that has been frozen and I want to start thawing it.  The freezer usually gets cold before the refrigerator, sometimes by hours or even a day.  I don't usually put anything in it for at least 24 hours.  Right now our freezer is at 10 degrees and our refrigerator is at 39 degrees.

ArdraF
 
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