We were in the high 90s last week, fridge was so-so and so was the AC. We turned the fridge on propane and the AC was much colder. The thing is that in RV parks, which we also found in older neighborhoods, is that the more people using the "juice", the more diluted the power. I cannot explain it or prove it, but have lived it. Just keep that in mind for the future, it is relief to have COLD AC and solid ice cubes in this heat!
AC Works Better In Heat Running Fridge On Propane
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ValerieP
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This will seem silly to most, but I cleaned the little filters and it's colder! We have only been running it practically nonstop for a week, but it was completely plugged. I'll be checking it more regularly now- We are in Nevada, so it's been 100+ every day. Yes, if didn't have to go back to work July 27, I certainly wouldn't be here!
highdesertranger
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if you are not getting enough power through the power pedestal, you can do serious damage to your electrical appliances. I believe the low voltage should be no lower than 108v. I am not positive on that number I would have to look it up. I believe if you are going to hook up especially to a park pedestal you should have one of those protectors in line. they make combo units that do under voltage, over voltage, surges, spikes and all that good stuff. they also alert you to miss-wired pedestals. highdesertranger
SternWake
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I will postulate that anybody who says that their Absorption fridge works as good on AC electricity, as it does on Propane, has neither the tools nor the temperment to notice any difference.
Absorption fridges are said to benefit from additional ventilation in hot ambient temperatures. Some use vans in lower vent to push air in, some mount fan(s) up high to suck out hot air. I'd choose the latter if I had an absorption fridge.
Many installs from the factory have too much space behind the coils which does not allow a draft to form and pull up colder air over the coils via convection. Instead they bake in the dead hot passive airspace they have already heated, reducing effeiciency. There should only be 1 inch of space behind the coils. This and fans will have the absorption fridge work to its max potential.
Absorption fridges are said to benefit from additional ventilation in hot ambient temperatures. Some use vans in lower vent to push air in, some mount fan(s) up high to suck out hot air. I'd choose the latter if I had an absorption fridge.
Many installs from the factory have too much space behind the coils which does not allow a draft to form and pull up colder air over the coils via convection. Instead they bake in the dead hot passive airspace they have already heated, reducing effeiciency. There should only be 1 inch of space behind the coils. This and fans will have the absorption fridge work to its max potential.
Optimistic Paranoid
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It might be a too long or too thin power cord as gsfish says, but then rv parks are notorious for not having adequate power in hot weather when everybody and their kid brother is trying to use air conditioning. This is often discussed over in the mainstream rv forums.
An inexpensive voltmeter, plugged into any convenient outlet in you rv, will tell you what you are really dealing with. And HDR is correct, you can damage stuff if you try to run it when the power is too low.
https://www.amazon.com/DROK-80-300V...=1500221108&sr=8-1&keywords=plug+in+voltmeter
An inexpensive voltmeter, plugged into any convenient outlet in you rv, will tell you what you are really dealing with. And HDR is correct, you can damage stuff if you try to run it when the power is too low.
https://www.amazon.com/DROK-80-300V...=1500221108&sr=8-1&keywords=plug+in+voltmeter
sephson
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Distance from the RV park's main electrical service is most likely the primary cause of voltage drop. The farther the electricity has to travel, the more voltage drop there will be. Heat would be a secondary cause. Conductive materials such as copper and aluminum (the two most common metals used in electrical installations) lose efficiency in higher temperatures. In either case, the solution is the same; throw more copper at the problem. Copper is a better conductor than aluminum but is more expensive. Depending on the distance from the main electrical service the conductor size for a 30 amp circuit should increase from the standard 10 gauge wire to 8, 6, 4 or in some cases, even 2 gauge wire.
Unfortunately this is where reality intrudes. Whether it's a new or old RV park, upgrading the electrical infrastructure with larger gauge conductors to minimize voltage drop is a massively expensive project. Even with a decent profit margin, the owners of the RV park would have to think very hard before making this kind of investment in their infrastructure.
Unfortunately this is where reality intrudes. Whether it's a new or old RV park, upgrading the electrical infrastructure with larger gauge conductors to minimize voltage drop is a massively expensive project. Even with a decent profit margin, the owners of the RV park would have to think very hard before making this kind of investment in their infrastructure.
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