Welcome and happy travels into 2013 (Edit oops I put 2012)
Just had my gas 3-way fridge repaired it was just over $600 on the Gold Coast QLD, and this may be a bargain compared to the $2K or so price for a new one, so may its worth having someone look at it for some obvious or not so obvious issues.
Cannot assist with your battery q but it looks like it may already be sorted by Kevin....
-- Edited by allinone on Monday 31st of December 2012 04:53:22 PM
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Got to keep moving and as Hippocrates the modern medicine guru once said "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food
Greetings one and all and a happy new year to you. As a single, ex blonde (yet somewhat switched on, cluey) first time vanning "chick" I have a question, to which I think I know the answer but will ask anyway (I have been known to be wrong occasionally).
When I go bush, do I just leave the normal electrical cableing (ie that used for the brakes etc) attached to provide the power for the interior van lighting etc?
Another question I have is about getting the electrical wiring checked and or "certified". Is this necessary when everthing seems to be working OK? How often? And where might I get this done in the Mornington Peninsula area in Victoria?
If you see me out and around with my Jack Russell, "peachy" and my black Lab, "Humphrey" please say Hi, I may need all the help and encouragement I can find!
Greetings one and all and a happy new year to you. As a single, ex blonde (yet somewhat switched on, cluey) first time vanning "chick" I have a question, to which I think I know the answer but will ask anyway (I have been known to be wrong occasionally).
When I go bush, do I just leave the normal electrical cableing (ie that used for the brakes etc) attached to provide the power for the interior van lighting etc?
Another question I have is about getting the electrical wiring checked and or "certified". Is this necessary when everthing seems to be working OK? How often? And where might I get this done in the Mornington Peninsula area in Victoria?
If you see me out and around with my Jack Russell, "peachy" and my black Lab, "Humphrey" please say Hi, I may need all the help and encouragement I can find!
Well we all need help from time to time, that works both ways if you see me one road, at least don't run me down, as far as your wiring being left on overnight just for lighting, not fridge , there shouldn't be any problem but it would be advisable in the long run to have a seperate battery for the van, then you have to have it wired up with a dual battery charger from the alternator via a regulator and that is better done by an experienced auto elec or 4WD shop can do it as well, can't help with recommending someone to it, I only visit the penisular (often) not live there, good Luck.
Thanks Kevin, I have the vehicle booked in to get a second battery fitted on the eighth of Jan and am contemplating getting another battery installed on board the van. I won't be doing long hauls so will leave the solar recharging expense till a later date. The gas option for my fridge doesn't seem to be working and, unless I'm missing something obvious, I think I may have to just replace it. (it is pretty old) I am looking forward to finally getting out there!
Thanks Kevin, I have the vehicle booked in to get a second battery fitted on the eighth of Jan and am contemplating getting another battery installed on board the van. I won't be doing long hauls so will leave the solar recharging expense till a later date. The gas option for my fridge doesn't seem to be working and, unless I'm missing something obvious, I think I may have to just replace it. (it is pretty old) I am looking forward to finally getting out there!
Annette
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Annette,
As Stephen (allinone) has said, new fridges, 3 way or 12 volts are expensive, it would be worth your while to at least get a quote on repairing what you have already, it may be something simple, (usually is) , the new 3 way fridges work very well and gas is economical, mine are all 12 volts but that opens up a lot of other problems with batteries and solar panels, it depends on which way you want to go, don't be in a hurry, do it once and do it right, there seems to be a lot of people on here with worthwhile advice, remember advice is all it is, you have to sift it all to see what fits you. see you on the road.
Welcome to the forum ausannie, we had similar problem with a three way fridge in a previous van and the first price to fix the gas problem was over $600 which I thought was expensive and I had been thinking of getting a portable fridge/freezer after researching the issue purchased a 50 litre Waeco which works very well as a fridge and also a freezer which we fill with frozen meals prior to leaving home on a trip even when you get your van fridge fixed you can run this off the car battery, extra fridge space never goes astray.
The Waeco also has a cut out that turns it off when the car battery gets down to the level required to start the car actually had it happen once and was very pleased it had this device built in and its amazing how much you can fit in a 50 litre fridge.
When we got home I checked around a number of van repairers and dealers as well as LPG installers and found one that did the job for just over $200 and the fridge was still working several years later when we sold it. The LPG set up on a fridge is fairly straight forward and should not be all that expensive but be sure to shop around for a good price from a qualified LPG installer.
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