87 Devon Eurovette - fridge won't run on battery

[jcoland]

Hi,

Anybody here know about the electrics of a 87 Devon Eurovette? My fridge won't work from the battery, I replaced the fuse and still no luck. The switch to turn it on the main panel doesn't light so I wonder if it is because of a wiring issue or there is a dedicated fuse for the fridge somewhere else that has blown? Other switches on the same panel seem to work e.g. water pump and 3-pin plug socket. Gas to the fridge seem to work too.

[marlinowner]

Do you have ignition on? Fridges draw a high current on 12v which will quickly flatten battery, so will be wired to only have 12v supply when ignition is on. Should only be used on 12v when engine is running.

[jcoland]

Hmm, good thinking. No, I did not have ignition on. Will try when I get home later today and let you know.

[Ralf85]

This topic crops up here regularly from new owners - do a search at the top of the page and you will find it.
Fridges do not normally run off a battery. The 12V option runs off the alternator when driving, provided you switch it over to 12V. Once you stop you have to switch over to gas or electric hook up.

[ghost123uk]

Hmm, good thinking. No, I did not have ignition on. Will try when I get home later today and let you know.

Just to make it clear, it's not just "ignition on", it should only work when the engine is running.

Also worthy of note is that it can take a couple of hours to get cold on 12V, so firing up the engine and checking, after even 30 minutes of running, might not prove conclusive.

[jcoland]

Thanks guys for all the replies, greatly appreciated. I'll turn it on and go for a longish drive to see whether it works.

[Ralf85]

Thanks guys for all the replies, greatly appreciated. I'll turn it on and go for a longish drive to see whether it works.

It won't work that quickly. It takes a few hours to get it cooled down properly. So I suggest that you put a thermometer (they're cheap as chips) inside the fridge close the door. After a few minutes check the temperature. Then leave the thermometer inside, close the door, switch over to 12V and do your driving for an hour or so and check the temperature again. It won't be really cold after such a short time, but the temperature should have dropped by several degrees after a hour, which shows that it is working. Good luck.

[discipleofsketch]

Our 3-way fridge barely works on 12 volt even on a very long drive - for hot summer(!) camping we've got into the habit of also taking a 12 volt coolbox - use a mains adapter in the house to get it cold before the trip. Once parked up, the fridge goes on gas (which works brilliantly, can even freeze stuff at the top) or mains hook up. Coolbox is then switched off, or used as extra cooling space for beers and stuff if we are on hookup (with leisure battery charger running).