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Fri Jun 05, 2009 12:09 pm

i have an 86 westy and only 1 battery if the frig is on dc power does it still draw power when the ignition is off

Fri Jun 05, 2009 12:17 pm

This is confusing for everyone. I'll make it more complicated, then try to simplify it.

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The Dometic never draws from the battery at all.

And it does NOT draw from the battery when ignition is off.
It ONLY draws from the battery when the engine is ACTUALLY running.
The only time it ever draws 12v is if the Alternator is putting out an excess of 12v (and to have that condition the engine must be spinning).

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SIMPLIFIED: The Dometic will draw 12v (thus operate) only when the engine is running.

Read this: (Reefer Madness on vanagon.com) http://www.vanagon.com/info/articles/Refrigerator/Reefer_Madness.htm#12Volt

Fri Jun 05, 2009 12:40 pm

There is one caveat. If the relay and Aux battery are installed, many of the relay mods allow powering the reefer from the Aux. It just depends which of the hundreds of ways to do this it has been set up. I have personally killed an Aux battery with the 12 Volt position and my lack of useful neurons.

But yes, the starting battery is isolated from the reefer with the standard wiring, unmolested, installed. A quick test at the little black fuse box with a meter will show you what is powered , when. Not a bad thing to do, as the wiring may have been attacked by more than one industrious previous owner.

Fri Jun 05, 2009 1:37 pm

I don't know if this is the same question but I have just got my first Westy, it's an '81, and I noticed that the fridge works on mains and on gas but not on battery. Is this why and how can I check? I have a leisure battery also.

Fri Jun 05, 2009 1:53 pm

Points Mean Prizes wrote: I don't know if this is the same question but I have just got my first Westy, it's an '81, and I noticed that the fridge works on mains and on gas but not on battery. Is this why and how can I check? I have a leisure battery also.

Next time you go for a drive turn the reefer to 12 volt, when you stop, see if the fridge is colder.

Fri Jun 05, 2009 3:22 pm

Since you have an early Westy you have a different electrical layout for the fridge 12 volt and kitchen 12 volt. You still have a fridge relay that allows the fridge to run on 12 volts only when the engine is running but your relay is not easily accessible and you don't have a separate fuse on the output side of it.

Mark

Points Mean Prizes wrote: I don't know if this is the same question but I have just got my first Westy, it's an '81, and I noticed that the fridge works on mains and on gas but not on battery. Is this why and how can I check? I have a leisure battery also.

Fri Jun 05, 2009 3:33 pm

crazyvwvanman wrote: Since you have an early Westy you have a different electrical layout for the fridge 12 volt and kitchen 12 volt. You still have a fridge relay that allows the fridge to run on 12 volts only when the engine is running but your relay is not easily accessible and you don't have a separate fuse on the output side of it.

Mark

Pic of my Dometic 182A out of my '81. "Fridge" relay shown at rear L of center

Fri Jun 05, 2009 4:02 pm

thanks for the replies but the pic isn't showing up.

Fri Jun 05, 2009 4:16 pm

Points Mean Prizes wrote: thanks for the replies but the pic isn't showing up.

Well that's just goofy! :)

Maybe picasaweb changes the link to it's "larger view". Which I sent.

Smaller pic below. More Dometic pics. (smaller pic can be enlarged)

http://picasaweb.google.com/musomuso/DometicPics?authkey=Gv1sRgCOn8wqShjI200QE#