[SilverStreak] Fridge 12v power

["Eddie" <Eddie@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

JD,
You are correct. There is a good link to all of this, but I forget where 
right now. In the link it aptly and correctly explains that a "house" 
converter is not a charger and does not act like a charger. It is truly a 
converter or transformer. I also do as you do, just using an inexpensive 
small output charger, and I use the 6 amp setting. Even some of those can 
vary and finish-rate on full charge exceeding 15 volts.

Before, I did not care about any of this. But now I have spent a lot of 
effort and money on upgrades. When fuel became more expensive, enforcements 
of rest stop idling became serious, I began to convert all interior and 
exterior lighting to LED. This allows me to keep all the park lights on thru 
the night for the truck and trailer without running the engine. It also 
stops all the damaging heat from the hot bulbs for my impossible to find 
vintage lenses. The LED bulbs are brighter. My alternator does not have to 
work so hard and last much longer. Expensive, beneficial, nice, and 
batteries will last over two weeks with no charge. I upgraded my radio, my 
water heater to dual fuel, my fridge. All these things work super and are 
really great products consuming fractions of power. But they work in a 
narrow range of voltage that is unforgiving. Generally a good LED light on 
inside or tail light etc. will never fail, except for over-voltage. I pay 
for premium quality to get that. But all of these components are fail-risk 
above an absolute 15.0 volts. Thus this new concern for me. Maybe my fridge 
controller is not that sensitive, but I do not want to find out the hard 
way.

A digital voltmeter is easy to use. All these chargers and converters have 
printed specs less than 15 volts and yet all of them will exceed 15 volts 
when the battery achieves full charge. I find this maddening. So I began 
looking at the small plug-in-the-wall-outlet black plastic small chargers. 
They all have printed outputs. So varied, I began to find there are many 
that show 13.8 volts DC output. Some are substantial enough to put out 1 and 
up to 2 amps. That is plenty for even a huge deep cycle battery. When fully 
charged, the little chargers/converters won't exceed their rating for the 
most part. They draw very little ac loads as well. They are available 
everywhere including Wal-Mart and are so inexpensive.

The little Gel-Cell batteries are cheaper now. Used in burg alarms, deer 
feeders, just everything, they are even in hardware stores. They have pretty 
good amp hour ratings, are totally vacuum sealed with nice spade connectors, 
and can be mounted in any position. Just one little battery ran every light 
including the outside lights on my trailer for 4 hrs. I was truly surprised!

The new fridge draws 1.2 amps, about what one glove box incandescent bulb 
draws, and only that much when it is igniting the propane for the fridge. 
The LP solenoid valve draws very little current. After the propane is lit by 
the igniter, I had to move the digital meter selector to a lower setting to 
get a reading! When the fridge is on ac 120 volt mode I get an even lesser 
reading. All the battery seems to need to do is work the LED display on the 
fridge. That is about the same load as any hand-held calculator with an LED 
display. I feel I don't need any greater 12 volt battery supply for the 
fridge than the little battery. I already know the little Gel Cell needs 
only 400 milliamps at about 13.6 volts to keep it fully charged.

None of this is technical. It is only about good, but sensitive electric 
devices that I don't want to burn out simply because I supplied too much 
voltage. The voltage limit is simply 15 volts maximum. The chargers and 
converters I have exceed that in actual use no matter what is printed on 
them.

My Lawn Boy mower has a little Gel Cell and a little wall charger. The 
little batteries and chargers are used everywhere. Those kids toys they ride 
use them. Radio shack, dollar stores, cordless tools, phones, the chargers 
are just everywhere. People constantly throw them away! Just read the back 
of them and find one that reads 12vdc at somewhere around 400ma or greater.
-Eddie-
Houston, TX