Dometic Fridge - 230v Needs 12v Battery?

[KeithM]

The Dometic fridge in our Senator Oklhoma S5 works (like just about every other caravan fridge) on either gas, 12v or 230v. However, until now I had not realised that to run on 230v you actually need 12v also (or at least, you need the 12v leisure battery to be fitted).

We are on site in Germany (30+ degs!) and last week we found the 12v battery to be totally flat. I checked all the relevant fuses and circuit breakers all OK. Hmm, battery is only a year a so old but could be that a cell has gone. Found a local auto shop and asked them if they could check the battery, which they willingly did, to announce that it was so flat they could not check it properly, so they put it on charge for the rest of the day. In the meantime we discovered that fridge had stopped working on 230v (this on a day of temp well over 30 deg). Checked fuse etc, no problem, definitely 230v available to the fridge. Read the fridge manual, ditto the Senator one, no mention that a 12v battery had to be in circuit for the fridge to work on 230v. Rang the Bailey dealer and spoke with the workshop manager and yes, daft though it sounds, the 12v battery needs to be in circuit for the fridge to work on 230v.

Is this a quirk of the way the fridge is installed in the Senator or does it apply to all Dometic fridges?

 

[Clive-Cardiff]

I found this out a few months ago when trying to set up an old Dometic fridge/ freezer in the garage.

 

[Chris_374413356]

I suspect, you don't need a 12v battery, but you do need the 240v/12v battery charger, which would supply 12v whether you had a battery or not.

Check the output and ensure you are getting 12volts DC at the battery terminals.

Is the rest of the 12v system working, pump, lights etc?

 

[Damian]

Keith, the fridge needs 12v to power the electronics, otherwise, nothing will work.

Your van should have a 12v distribution unit which should supply the 12v you need as well as charging the battery when the charger is switched on.

If the unit is working correctly you should have 13.8v or 14v at the battery terminals when connected to mains and at least 12.6v off mains.

 

[KeithM]

Thanks for the replies everyone. The Oklahoma's in-built battery charging box does appear to have been fried by the lighting strike (despite the circuit breaker tripping) hence the eventually flat battery and the discovery that the fridge does not work on 230v without a 12v battery!

The local auto shop fully charged the battery for me (gratis) and to keep us going until we return to the UK, I have bought a normal battery charger (mainly for the motor mover). Just goes to show that circuit breakers do not always protect!