This text is long and I apologize in advance. I've sent this to Service@Furrion.com per the recommendation of my dealer who also recommended sending to Grand Design, directly. In this forum introduction, it is recommended that the forum be used and it will be sent to GD if deemed the next step. So...
We have a 2022 Grand Design 5h wheel with a Furrion 15.6 Artic 12 Volt Side by Side Residential Style Refrigerator. It seems to be working well, but we are having trouble with our battery being drained. As result of 3 Warranty appointments concerning the battery drain, their technician has now told us that the refrigerator must be turned off when we are traveling, even if the travel is for only an hour or 2. We purchased the 5th wheel in part, because the 12 V refrigerator, according to the sales personnel, said that it doesn't have to be turned off since the truck and the roof solar system will trickle charge the refrigerator. We also pulled out the instruction manual (IM-FHA00108)for this refrigerator and are even more confused. Note: I did call GD service and was told that the dealer should look deeper for why the tow vehicle/solar is not keeping the battery charged during even a 2 hour travel.
Page 12
Traveling
Your refrigerator is designed to operate during normal transportation of your coach.
? So that means it doesn't have to be turned off during traveling?
- Always travel with the doors closed and ensure will not open during traveling. No confusion here.
- Avoid traveling with food in the cavity. Wait until you have arrived to your destination and remove any remaining food before departing.
? So that means that we can have it turned on, but cannot travel with food in it?
- Turn refrigerator to 'Off' (LOW POWER MODE) if climbing/crawling any off-road grade. ...
? If we are on highway or main road going into or through the mountains, hills, does the refrigerator have to be in "OFF"?
- Ensure the refrigerator has reached a desired stable temperature before departing for your trip. Avoid storing temperature sensitive items in the refrigerator while you are traveling unless a DC12V power source power source is available. During towing, the refrigerator can be operated as normal, as the tow vehicle should charge the DC12V power source. ...
?This seems to contradict bullet point 2 (Avoid traveling with food in the cavity). It also contradicts our dealer's instructions.?
- Once you arrive at your destination, use the refrigerator as instructed in this manual.
This seems to imply that the refrigerator can only be operated as normal once we are at our destination, not while traveling, contrary to information in previous bullets.
So... 1. Can there be food in the refrigerator when we are traveling?
2. Do we have to turn it off when driving roads other than off roads?
3. What does Operating as Normal mean?
Moving on to Storage/Winterization
? Is there a difference between Storage and Winterization?
- A DC12V power source maintainer should be used for long storage, to keep a full charge.
? This refers to the battery, not the refrigerator?
- If the appliance is in storage, and not intended to be in operation, disconnect power, clean the inside thoroughly, and leave the doors propped open to avoid abnormal odors from developing.
? Disconnect power? In the following 2 bullets and the information on Shut Down, this seems to contradict the information to set the function to Low Power. Low Power or disconnect power??
I read this information to my dealer service personnel and they could not explain, for sure, what we are supposed to do. Their belief is:
- travel with food is ok. No special concern about storing anything in the refrigerator when traveling - (yes, not too full, secured so it doesn't fall over or move, only store prefrozen/cooled items)
- tow vehicle and solar system will keep the battery charged to use refrigerator working with food in it when we are towing
- disconnect the battery during winter storage and trickle charge the battery to keep it charged. This will not affect the lifetime of the refrigerator.
- storage for a few weeks does not require disconnecting power, but if not plugged into shore power, be sure that the refrigerator is in Low Power mode.
We have a 2022 Grand Design 5h wheel with a Furrion 15.6 Artic 12 Volt Side by Side Residential Style Refrigerator. It seems to be working well, but we are having trouble with our battery being drained. As result of 3 Warranty appointments concerning the battery drain, their technician has now told us that the refrigerator must be turned off when we are traveling, even if the travel is for only an hour or 2. We purchased the 5th wheel in part, because the 12 V refrigerator, according to the sales personnel, said that it doesn't have to be turned off since the truck and the roof solar system will trickle charge the refrigerator. We also pulled out the instruction manual (IM-FHA00108)for this refrigerator and are even more confused. Note: I did call GD service and was told that the dealer should look deeper for why the tow vehicle/solar is not keeping the battery charged during even a 2 hour travel.
Page 12
Traveling
Your refrigerator is designed to operate during normal transportation of your coach.
? So that means it doesn't have to be turned off during traveling?
- Always travel with the doors closed and ensure will not open during traveling. No confusion here.
- Avoid traveling with food in the cavity. Wait until you have arrived to your destination and remove any remaining food before departing.
? So that means that we can have it turned on, but cannot travel with food in it?
- Turn refrigerator to 'Off' (LOW POWER MODE) if climbing/crawling any off-road grade. ...
? If we are on highway or main road going into or through the mountains, hills, does the refrigerator have to be in "OFF"?
- Ensure the refrigerator has reached a desired stable temperature before departing for your trip. Avoid storing temperature sensitive items in the refrigerator while you are traveling unless a DC12V power source power source is available. During towing, the refrigerator can be operated as normal, as the tow vehicle should charge the DC12V power source. ...
?This seems to contradict bullet point 2 (Avoid traveling with food in the cavity). It also contradicts our dealer's instructions.?
- Once you arrive at your destination, use the refrigerator as instructed in this manual.
This seems to imply that the refrigerator can only be operated as normal once we are at our destination, not while traveling, contrary to information in previous bullets.
So... 1. Can there be food in the refrigerator when we are traveling?
2. Do we have to turn it off when driving roads other than off roads?
3. What does Operating as Normal mean?
Moving on to Storage/Winterization
? Is there a difference between Storage and Winterization?
- A DC12V power source maintainer should be used for long storage, to keep a full charge.
? This refers to the battery, not the refrigerator?
- If the appliance is in storage, and not intended to be in operation, disconnect power, clean the inside thoroughly, and leave the doors propped open to avoid abnormal odors from developing.
? Disconnect power? In the following 2 bullets and the information on Shut Down, this seems to contradict the information to set the function to Low Power. Low Power or disconnect power??
I read this information to my dealer service personnel and they could not explain, for sure, what we are supposed to do. Their belief is:
- travel with food is ok. No special concern about storing anything in the refrigerator when traveling - (yes, not too full, secured so it doesn't fall over or move, only store prefrozen/cooled items)
- tow vehicle and solar system will keep the battery charged to use refrigerator working with food in it when we are towing
- disconnect the battery during winter storage and trickle charge the battery to keep it charged. This will not affect the lifetime of the refrigerator.
- storage for a few weeks does not require disconnecting power, but if not plugged into shore power, be sure that the refrigerator is in Low Power mode.
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