How To Convert An Electric Refrigerator To Propane?

Because appliances are costly, many people wonder if they might save money by converting to gas rather than replacing them entirely.

Appliance conversiongas to gas:

If you’re thinking about switching from propane to natural gas or vice versa, you’ll need to know which appliances can and can’t be converted. However, because there are so many different makes and models, there isn’t a straightforward list to refer to.

In a nutshell, some gas appliances can be converted, while others cannot. Despite the fact that gas conversion kits are specifically intended for gas to gas conversion, it is a process that requires the expertise of a licensed and experienced gas specialist. If the conversion is not done properly with the correct parts, it might be dangerous both during the process and afterwards. Stoves, refrigerators, and geysers can all be converted if necessary.

Because appliance conversion from one gas to another gas is not always the most cost-effective choice, some appliances that can potentially be converted are best replaced with new appliances.

Electrical appliance conversion to gas:

Even those that do not rely on manual flame lighting and instead utilize electricity to ignite the gas use significantly less electricity than an electrical appliance. Gas appliances are also more energy-efficient and environmentally beneficial than their electric counterparts. Many individuals are considering changing their household and commercial electrical kitchens to gas kitchens, either natural gas or propane (LP) gas, as a result of these factors.

Because newer gas stoves are built to use electricity to ignite the gas, rewiring the existing circuit in your kitchen to meet the requirements of a gas stove and installing a gas line is a very straightforward task. The stove, on the other hand, must be replaced with a gas stove. Other equipment, such as refrigerators and geysers, are in the same boat. Electrical appliances cannot be converted to gas, or at least not safely.

How long can a 20-pound propane tank keep a refrigerator running?

  • Propane generates roughly 91,000 BTU of heat per gallon.
  • A 20-pound propane tank holds 4.7 gallons of propane, or 4.7*91000 = 427,000 BTU.
  • The average propane refrigerator consumes 1,500 BTU per hour to keep running.
  • Each day, 1,500 * 24 = 36,000 BTU
  • 11.8 days of fuel = BTUAvailable/BTUPerDay.

That’s all there is to it. You should expect a regular 20-pound propane tank to last roughly 11 days (nonstop) before you need to replace or refill it.

Note that the numbers above are simply a rough estimate. In actuality, many propane fridge owners report that their tanks last for weeks. Especially when they aren’t in use all of the time. In most circumstances, a drop in the level of gas in the tank after a day will be scarcely noticeable. As a result, I’d consider these figures to be a ‘worst-case’ scenario.

Is a gas refrigerator less expensive than an electric refrigerator?

When living off the grid, a propane refrigerator is an efficient way to keep food cool. Purchasing a propane refrigerator has numerous advantages. A propane refrigerator has no moving parts, thus there are no parts to wear out. In warmer climes, a refrigerator will cost around $0.60 per day to operate, based on the current propane price of $1.859 per gallon. A refrigerator will operate at approximately $0.45 per day in cooler locations such as northern CANADA, higher elevations, and so on. A person should be able to get 20 days of use out of a 20# propane cylinder with this quantity of propane gas usage. This is far superior to bringing a cooler and ice packs to your cabin every time you visit.

A propane gas refrigerator can be more expensive to buy than an electric refrigerator, but it is often less expensive than a 12VDC refrigerator. However, comparing an electric refrigerator to a propane refrigerator is not an apples-to-apples comparison. A compressor pump and Freon are used in an electric or 12VDC refrigerator. A propane refrigerator uses a propane gas flame to heat the ammonia and distilled water, then circulates steam vapor and liquid ammonia to cool it down. The refrigerator can be powered without the use of electricity, inverters, or generators.

To feed the gas, all propane gas refrigerators are connected to a 3/8 copper or flexible gas line.

Many people who live in off-grid cottages part-time use a hose and regulator to connect their propane refrigerator to a BBQ tank.

Many people ask me which type of refrigerator I would select if I had to buy one: electric, 12VDC, or propane.

Most individuals believe that the answer is conditional on the application. Given this, my family and I have a propane-powered refrigerator at home. The reason for this is that, in order to live in an off-grid residence, I still believe that operating a propane refrigerator is the most cost-effective option in the long run. This is based on how much maintenance a gas refrigerator requires compared to a 12VDC solar refrigerator. Remember that a propane refrigerator has no moving components, requires no maintenance, and has a considerably longer guarantee than other refrigeration units. A gas refrigerator only needs to be cleaned twice a year, and that is by cleaning the burner area and flue tube. There is no compressor unit to fail. There are no batteries to charge. There’s no need to be concerned about the sun. Please see our EZ Freeze propane refrigerators for a recommendation on the best propane refrigerator for sale.

Is it possible to convert a natural gas refrigerator to a propane refrigerator?

Most, but not all, natural gas appliances can be converted to propane. The main issue is that natural gas is kept at a lower pressure, and some appliances, even with changes, can’t withstand the higher pressure of propane.

What’s the best way to convert a gas stove?

To convert an electric stove to a gas stove, you’ll need an electrician and a licensed plumber. The electrician will need to convert the 240 volt socket behind the stove to 110 volts. Electricity is required by all gas stoves, and their plugs will not fit into a 240-volt socket.

Will a propane-powered RV refrigerator work without a battery?

Assume you have a 12-volt battery with a 100Ah (amp-hours) rating. This means the battery will deliver 5 amps per hour for 20 hours before being entirely depleted.

If you want to connect a 240-watt inverter to this battery, multiply the watts by the voltages to find the number of amps required every hour. The current drawn by 240W/12V is 20A. Because the demand is four times the battery rating, the battery will only last a quarter of its typical life, or 5 hours.

You should never overcharge a battery that isn’t intended to be used frequently, thus with the aforementioned configuration, you’d have 2.5 hours to utilize your fridge.

So, how long can a refrigerator in an RV run on batteries? You now know how to compute it after you have all of the data, but you don’t need to go back to physics class in high school to get the same result. All it requires is a bit more information on your RV’s setup.

way RV Fridges and Battery Usage

An absorption refrigerator that can run on either LP gas or AC power is known as a 2-way refrigerator. To run these freezers on batteries, you’ll need an inverter because all batteries produce DC power.

Unfortunately, this will soon deplete your battery power, and certain RV designs may not even permit it. An inverter is required to run a two-way refrigerator.

One of the best features of these freezers is that if you operate them on LP gas, the battery usage is negligible, and the refrigerator will last you weeks rather than hours. You might be wondering if RV refrigerators work without a battery, and the answer is no.

The refrigerator cannot work without the battery, which is primarily used to power the front thermostat and control panel, the front LEDs, and any other optional features.

Based on the information available, your battery should last roughly 3 hours if you have a 2-way fridge that runs on an inverter. However, because there are so many variables that might influence this, I’ll show you how to calculate the amount of time your fridge can run on batteries alone.

You’ll need to know how much electricity your fridge consumes, how many amp hours each of your batteries holds, how many batteries you have, and how efficient your inverter is (if you can’t find this, guess 90%).

On AC power, our 2-way fridge consumes roughly 400 watts, and we have two 12-volt deep cycle batteries with a capacity of around 90 amp-hours each. In addition, we must consider our inverter. The majority of inverters are around 90% efficient.

So, if my refrigerator requires 400 watts, I divide 400 by 0.90 to get 444 watts total. Divide the wattage by the voltage to get amps: 444W/12V= 37A. To determine how long the fridge will operate, divide the amp hours of the battery by the current, 180Ah/37A=4.86 hours.

You also don’t want to completely drain your batteries. Because lead acid batteries should not be discharged more than 50%, we can only run our fridge for roughly 2.5 hours on battery alone in our instance. This also assumes we don’t have any other sources of power in our RV.

Total Fridge Run Time on Battery = Total Battery Amp Hours / Current Required From Battery

way RV Fridges and Battery Usage

3-way refrigerators are similar to 2-way refrigerators in that they are absorption refrigerators that can run on LP gas and AC electricity, but they also offer the option of running on DC power directly. This eliminates the need for a power inverter and improves the refrigerator’s overall efficiency.

In terms of power consumption while using LP gas, these perform almost identically to 2-way refrigerators, and they are the most common refrigerator type in contemporary RV models.

Because you may remove the inverter and run just on DC power, your run time can rise by up to 6 hours, according to some internet sites, with others claiming 8-10 hours.

But first, let’s double-check the math.

I found a similar-sized fridge to my present 6 cubic foot 2-way absorption fridge that utilized roughly 324 watts less power. Because the inverter is not in the loop, our computation is a little easier, but the technique is the same.

So, if my fridge requires 324 watts, I divide the power by the voltage to get 27 amps (324W/12V= 27A). To determine how long your fridge will run on batteries, divide the amp hours of your battery by the current, 180Ah/27A= 6.66 hours.

Because you don’t want to entirely drain lead acid batteries, you can obtain roughly 3.5 hours of fridge use on a single charge.

How much propane is required to keep an RV refrigerator running?

A 10 to 12 cubic foot RV refrigerator will typically use 1.5 pounds of propane each day.

The amount of propane used by an RV fridge, on the other hand, is determined by its age, size, and ambient temperature.

Absorption RV fridges

Absorption system refrigerators are propane-powered RV refrigerators. In addition to propane power, these fridges include an air conditioning option. Some RV refrigerators are also capable of running on DC power. Absorption refrigerators, unlike compression system refrigerators, have no moving parts.

A tiny pilot light heats a boiling chamber filled with ammonia and water in RV refrigerators.

The water and ammonia mixture is pumped through a series of tubes, where the ammonia is eventually converted to a gas.

The ammonia gas continues to rise, while the water returns to the boiling chamber.

The ammonia begins to cool and travels down tubes, taking heat from the refrigerator’s interior as it goes, resulting in a cold interior. RV refrigerators must be level to work at maximum efficiency, and they must be cared for and maintained.

Maintenance tips

With a little care and maintenance, an RV fridge will use less gas and last longer. Here’s what you’ll need to do to take care of it.

  • Maintain the level of your RV refrigerator. Parking your RV on a flat surface will help keep your fridge from overheating. When RV refrigerators aren’t level, water and ammonia can’t flow as efficiently through the tubes, making chilling more difficult. This can cause not only your RV fridge to burn more propane, but also your RV to catch fire. Unlevel RV parking can lead to fires in RV freezers, which can be disastrous.
  • Before you put food in your RV fridge, be sure it’s cold.
  • Defrost your RV refrigerator on a regular basis.
  • By not blocking the coils at the rear of the fridge, you may allow air to circulate.
  • Don’t overfill the refrigerator.
  • Place the refrigerator on the shaded side of the RV. The refrigerator will have to work harder to cool the air inside the RV if it is on the sunny side. Place the RV in such a way that the side with the fridge is on the coolest side.
  • Never use propane to power your RV refrigerator while driving.
  • The leading cause of RV fires on highways is this.

Is it true that a propane-powered RV fridge works better?

Modern RVs come with modern amenities, such as a refrigerator. However, RV refrigerators are not necessarily the same as those we have at home. Some are powered by propane. So, which is the best option? Let’s look at the pros and cons of using propane vs. electricity in an RV fridge.

In general, propane-powered RV fridges are favored since they require less maintenance and last longer due to the lack of moving parts. An electric fridge, on the other hand, is a little safer because you don’t have to worry about gas leaks.

Is it necessary to vent a propane refrigerator?

Two air vents on the back of the refrigerator are visible from the outside. Unlike electric refrigerators, propane refrigerators in RVs and mobile homes require outdoor ventilation. The temperature differential between the lower and top vents is used by absorption style propane refrigerators. Furthermore, propane combustion produces carbon monoxide, which must be vented outside the cabin.

The frigid winter air is sneaking in behind the refrigerator and cooling it down beyond the 40 or so degrees you want a refrigerator to be, according to my first thought on why the refrigerator is freezing. And, because it only has the equipment to cool itself (rather than heat itself), it freezes solid in the winter. As it turns out, I was only partially correct (more on that later).

Both propane and electricity may be used to power the refrigerator I bought. I reasoned that since the refrigerator was running on electricity, it wouldn’t require the same amount of air ventilation as when it was running on propane. I was mistaken. Last month, I contacted with a technician at Pete’s RV and realized that running the refrigerator in electric mode does not eliminate the requirement for ventilation. The electricity simply powers a heating element that takes the place of the propane’s heat. Regardless of whether the refrigerator is powered by gas or electricity, the temperature differential and airflow are still required.

“During a normal cycle, either an electric heating element or a propane burner provides heat. The water and liquid ammonia are boiled and evaporated, then condensed back into a liquid over and over throughout the process of eliminating the heat from within the refrigerator and freezer (the absence of heat is cold). And since water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s easy to see how extremely low temperatures, just like excessively hot temperatures, might affect absorption refrigeration. RVDoctor

So I started looking into what other RVers do throughout the winter. What I’ve discovered isn’t great.

I’ve seen suggestions on RV blogs about using insulation to block *some* of the airflow to your refrigerator vents, but such advice comes with a caveat “You do so at your own risk, and it also goes against the manufacturer’s advice (and will apparently void your warranty).