The air conditioner is powered by 110 volts ( Shore power or generator). It isn’t powered by propane or a battery. In fact, the AC may require a control voltage of 12VDC.
What fuel does an RV’s air conditioner run on?
Air conditioners use a unique generator characteristic known as “AC power is used. This power comes from a 120-volt plug, which can be found in places like homes and portable generators. Gas generators can power air conditioners, but they’re expensive to keep refueling.
Jason Wynn, one half of the adventurous pair behind the Gone With the Wynns blog, recounts his harrowing experience with a gas generator.
“We must have burned through hundreds of dollars worth of propane in our first year of RV travel because we didn’t understand how the heating systems operated,” he says.
“On the other hand, we ran the A/C virtually nonstop during summer trips since we couldn’t get the RV to cool down and stay cool.
Is propane required for air conditioning in a camper?
While some of the appliances in your RV, such as the microwave and air conditioner, are powered by electricity, many of the appliances in your rig are likely to run on propane.
This is advantageous because it means you may use these items while boondocking without significantly draining your battery. However, you must learn how to correctly utilize propane in order to keep yourself and your family safe while on your RV trips.
In an RV, what operates on propane?
Propane is the most common fuel used to power RVs. It’s used to heat the house, cook on the stove, heat the water, and cook on the grill.
It is a refined gas obtained from natural gas after it has been extracted from the soil. Because it is easily liquefied and stored/transported in tanks, this gas is quite common.
For these reasons, RVers flock to it in droves. Most RVs have some form of gas system, so make sure to look at the propane system when you go to buy one.
Many new RVers wonder, “How much propane does an RV use?” because propane is a commodity that must be refilled. A 20lb tank should last more than a week with usual use: refrigerator, cooking, and moderate heating system use.
Is it possible to leave my RV’s air conditioner on all day?
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After a full day of summer activities, returning to a sweltering RV can be a bit of a letdown. That’s why, even when you’re out and about, it’s typical to want to leave your air conditioner on. You might, however, ask if you can leave your air conditioner on all day.
It would not be a problem to run your RV’s air conditioning equipment 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You simply need to decrease your thermostat a few degrees so that your compressor can still cycle on and off and function properly. Most significantly, if you want to keep it going all day, you’ll need a sufficient source of power.
Is your RV’s air conditioning powered by electricity or propane?
The control panel on most non-residential RV refrigerators requires 12 volts DC from the battery or via a converter that converts 115 volts AC to 12 volts DC. There is no compressor, thus the cooling cycle is powered by heat from either propane or 115 volts AC. In typical use, most RV fridges utilize roughly 1 pound of propane every day.
Is the RV’s air conditioning powered by gas or electricity?
The air conditioning in an RV does not utilize propane directly because it does not employ absorption cooling. The only option to use propane to power your camper’s air conditioning is to use an onboard generator or a portable generator that uses propane to generate electricity.
How does a propane air conditioner work?
A propane flame heats a chamber containing a water-ammonia solution until the liquid boils. The ammonia gas rises to the condenser, where it cools and condenses back into a liquid. It then makes its way to the evaporator, where it is mixed with hydrogen gas.
In an RV, how long does a 20-pound propane tank last?
The most common size propane tank is 20 pounds. Barbecue grills, turkey fryers, and small space heaters often use a 20-pound tank. Because my portable generator is compact and light, I use a 20-pound tank to fuel it. A 20-pound propane tank stores 4.5 gallons of propane and weighs 36 pounds when full. My 7500W generator will run for 10-11 hours on a 20 pound tank.
How long will a propane-powered RV refrigerator last?
The amount of propane used by your RV refrigerator is determined by its age and size. The efficiency of older models is lower. And, in general, the larger the refrigerator, the more propane you’ll need to keep it running.
Let’s take a look at a real-life scenario utilizing the Dometic Americana 8 Cu. Ft. RV Propane Refrigerator as an example.
With 8 cubic feet of internal space, the Dometic RV fridge is rated at 1500 BTUs (British thermal units) per hour. The BTUs in a gallon of propane are 91,502. So, with 1 gallon of propane, you could run your refrigerator for about 61 hours.
The length of time an RV fridge can run on propane is determined on the tank capacity. A normal 20-pound propane tank has a capacity of 4.6 gallons.
Using the aforementioned example, multiply 4.6 (gallons in a 20 lb. tank) by 61. (the hours our fridge will run off 1 gallon). A 20-pound propane tank can power an RV fridge for 280 hours, or slightly over 11 days.
Tip: In our popular guide How Long Does Propane Last in an RV?, we provide a free propane usage calculator. can quickly calculate the propane consumption of all your appliances
Let’s take a quick look at how an RV fridge works, and then we’ll speak about how to get the most out of it. Because, while we like the notion of using our RV in remote locations, we don’t want to carry or consume more propane than we have to.