Airstream Interstate refrigerators

[Goldenslacks]

Hi there
I’m new to the airstream world.
I’m having an issue keeping the fridge on while car and trailer
Is off. Like staying the night in a hotel or going into a grocery store
Or keeping it on in my carport.
I’m confused
Do I always need to have the invertor ON and or always have the master switch
Always on?
When I came out from the hotel in the morning my food was thawing in the freezer ?

[Lily&Me]

You don’t say what year your Interstate is, but you need to have the inverter on in order to access your coach battery, if I have worded that correctly.

In mine, there is a “use” or “store” switch, with “use” needing to be on for my frig and interior lights to work when not plugged in to electricity.

Maggie

[Pahaska]

I assume you do not have lithium batteries.

The inverter only supplies three outlets ... the 2 TVs and the DVD player. It will charge the batteries whether on or off. On just lets it supply those 3 outlets. The inverter does not need to be on for the refrigerator.

The USE switch by the door must be on for the refrigerator to run.

The problem with most years is the batteries are too small to run the refrigerator overnight if not plugged in externally. Starting in 2019, the four batteries would usually run the refrigerator overnight, but not much more.

I carry a lithium Goal Zero 1000 to run the refrigerator overnight and charge it in the daytime.

The GT freezer is the biggest draw. If possible, it can be turned off overnight. The freezer can be used in the daytime to freeze water or cold packs to be put in the refrigerator to reduce power requirements overnight.

[Hawk-ination]

If I remember right, our batteries in the Lounge would only run our refrigerator around 8 hours if nothing else is on. If your batteries are AGMs and have any kind of damage, take more time off that figure. If your batteries have been run down past 50 percent even once, chances are they won’t hold a full charge (8 hours). The fridge in the GT is different than the Lounge so they will have different run times.

I don’t think I’ve tested the fridge run time since upgrading to lithium. Maybe someone out there has the info on how long it will run with a couple lithium batteries. I think the fridge in the Lounge pulls around 8 Amps..again, someone might be able to confirm that.

[Goldenslacks]

Originally Posted by Hawk-ination

If I remember right, our batteries in the Lounge would only run our refrigerator around 8 hours if nothing else is on. If your batteries are AGMs and have any kind of damage, take more time off that figure. If your batteries have been run down past 50 percent even once, chances are they won’t hold a full charge (8 hours). The fridge in the GT is different than the Lounge so they will have different run times.

I don’t think I’ve tested the fridge run time since upgrading to lithium. Maybe someone out there has the info on how long it will run with a couple lithium batteries. I think the fridge in the Lounge pulls around 8 Amps..again, someone might be able to confirm that.

Thank you guys for the help this is all been such a learning experience. I just assumed these things had more gusto than they really do. I will take the advice and get the external lithium battery How do I plug the refrigerator into it overnight I can’t get the plug out from behind the mounted refrigerator?

[Goldenslacks]

Sorry I forgot to mention I have a 2018 interestste

[Pahaska]

Originally Posted by Goldenslacks

T I will take the advice and get the external lithium battery How do I plug the refrigerator into it overnight I can’t get the plug out from behind the mounted refrigerator?

In my GT, the Goal Zero sits under the desk, against the wall. It is not in the way.

I ran a wire pair from there, over the refrigerator, to the output side of an unused fuse position in the 12v fuse box and put a 20-amp fuse in that position. You have to use a regulated 20-amp output adapter on the GZ, otherwise, the refrigerator will turn off as voltage drops when the GZ is about half discharged.

When I want to use the GZ, I turn the use switch at the door off. That isolates the fuse box from the batteries. I then turn the GZ on. I can use everything 12v in the coach.

Doing it this way eliminates all the losses from converting to 120v and then back to 12v to run the refrigerator.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Before you spend money on this or that, do some research on the alternatives. A very common "fix" is to convert the coach batteries over to lithium. That gets you about 2X to 4X (depending on how crazy you go) the run time of lead acids. There is no messing around with plugging this or that in overnight. There also isn't yet another bulky object to store somewhere in the already cramped van.

No, I'm not saying this is a slam dunk alternative. I'm simply suggesting you dig into it before money is spent.

Bob

[Titus]

I have a 2013, with the combo fridge-freezer. I have no problem running the fridge overnight with two Lifeline Group 24 AGM's, like those that came with it. If I start at/near 100% state of charge (SOC) and run the ceiling fan and lights for a few hours, occasional water usage, and the fridge overnight I'll be at ~80% the next morning. Add a Magnum battery monitor if you don't have one, to monitor SOC. I've heard that GT's with separate fridge and freezer are terrible on batteries. But if you don't have the GT and have the two Group 24 AGM's and can't run the fridge overnight, then I suspect that your batteries are bad. They can be load tested at a battery dealer (but probably not at a Walmart auto center) They apply a 25A load and see how long it takes to get down to 10.V. A Group 24 battery should last 149 minutes when new. If they test bad (~80% of 149 minutes) you can try an Equalizing or Conditioning Charge, but don't be surprised if it doesn't work. No doubt that lithium would be better, but not necessary unless you have the GT.

[MMSsprinter]

So when you switch to lithium are you adding in a DC to DC charger or just letting the alternator do the charging. I just picked up an 04 and the PO put in a 120 only fridge. I installed a 2K inverter that runs it at night with an AGM but I'd like to switch over to lithium

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by MMSsprinter

So when you switch to lithium are you adding in a DC to DC charger or just letting the alternator do the charging. I just picked up an 04 and the PO put in a 120 only fridge. I installed a 2K inverter that runs it at night with an AGM but I'd like to switch over to lithium

Hi

If you have both lead acid and lithium, you will have some sort of DC/DC involved. You also will have a converter charger that is targeted at lithium. It may be part of a hybrid inverter /converter or it could be a stand alone device. A single alternator will normally be targeted at the lead acid batteries on the chassis and do a poor job with the lithium house batteries.

Bob

[justinshort]

Originally Posted by Pahaska

In my GT, the Goal Zero sits under the desk, against the wall. It is not in the way.

I ran a wire pair from there, over the refrigerator, to the output side of an unused fuse position in the 12v fuse box and put a 20-amp fuse in that position. You have to use a regulated 20-amp output adapter on the GZ, otherwise, the refrigerator will turn off as voltage drops when the GZ is about half discharged.

When I want to use the GZ, I turn the use switch at the door off. That isolates the fuse box from the batteries. I then turn the GZ on. I can use everything 12v in the coach.

Doing it this way eliminates all the losses from converting to 120v and then back to 12v to run the refrigerator.

Is your fridge one that has two power source points? I carry a Goal Zero in that same spot too but Airstream made a change to the fridges at some point to where I allegedly can't power it that way. This was in a 2020 AI that I had last but I'm picking up a 24x next week and understand that it's the same setup.

I'm handy but not electrically proficient.. determined to solution this though.

[Pahaska]

Originally Posted by justinshort

Is your fridge one that has two power source points? I carry a Goal Zero in that same spot too but Airstream made a change to the fridges at some point to where I allegedly can't power it that way. This was in a 2020 AI that I had last but I'm picking up a 24x next week and understand that it's the same setup.

I'm handy but not electrically proficient.. determined to solution this though.

2018 and later year fridges run on 12v only. Any year AI fridge will run on 12v. The worst thing about GT fridges is that it is very difficult to access the power wiring.

IMHO, the worst thing you can do to waste power is to invert the GZ output to 120v and then convert it back to 12v to run the refrigerator (and the rest of the coach). Just turning on the GZ inverter will show a battery drain even with no loads. All voltage/frequency conversions are lossy.

I use the 12v output of the GZ, through a regulated 12v adapter, to run the whole coach. No voltage conversions. The water pump, lights, etc. work just as from the batteries. We use minimum lighting and never use tank heaters and the like when operating from the GZ.

I spent 35 years designing electronics for IBM and I believe that my method is absolutely the best way to make use of a Goal Zero to relieve dependence on the AGM batteries. My cost ... the GZ, wire, 12-v regulated adapter, and a fuse.

If I was a frequent boon docker, I would surely convert to lithium. For me, the GZ is a band-aid in the rare instance where I have to spend a night without hookups. My GZ will spend the winter at home in case the Texas power grid fails again and that is a plus for a portable battery such as the GZ. Between my electric car and the GZ, I will always have light and a bit of heat since the car will run its heater for at least a full day.

[PMRETEP]

Would it be possible for you to post photographs of the connections that you made to
"run the whole coach" off of your Goal Zero? You indicated that you used a "wire, 12-v regulated adapter, and a fuse." What kind of wire did you use? What does your 12-v regulated adapter look like? And what does the connection of your "wire" look like to the unused fuse position in the fuse box?

I know that a full on lithium swap out of the system is the true answer to the problems that we are all facing of getting through the night on our AGM coach batteries. But it is expensive. In my case, it would involve finding replacement lithium batteries to fit in the battery harness under the coach, upgrading my inverter from the stock 1000W to a 2000W and making sure that the connection allowing the batteries to be charged by the engine alternator is correct. (I have found lithium batteries and an upgraded inverter with the same foot print as the existing ones as I don't want to have to sacrifice space under the back seat for replacement lithium batteries.) I just don't boondock enough to justify all of that expenditure at this time.

[StogieMan]

Originally Posted by PMRETEP

Would it be possible for you to post photographs of the connections that you made to
"run the whole coach" off of your Goal Zero? You indicated that you used a "wire, 12-v regulated adapter, and a fuse." What kind of wire did you use? What does your 12-v regulated adapter look like? And what does the connection of your "wire" look like to the unused fuse position in the fuse box?

I know that a full on lithium swap out of the system is the true answer to the problems that we are all facing of getting through the night on our AGM coach batteries. But it is expensive. In my case, it would involve finding replacement lithium batteries to fit in the battery harness under the coach, upgrading my inverter from the stock 1000W to a 2000W and making sure that the connection allowing the batteries to be charged by the engine alternator is correct. (I have found lithium batteries and an upgraded inverter with the same foot print as the existing ones as I don't want to have to sacrifice space under the back seat for replacement lithium batteries.) I just don't boondock enough to justify all of that expenditure at this time.

Welcome to Air Forums!

We had the same setup and copied the great Pahaska. He had the Goal Zero 1000 and we had the 3000x. I was able to run all of our 12v side, our microwave, hot water heater and even the AC for about 1/2 hour before it shut down with the over heated message and obviously not all at once. Worked great and as a supplement to our AGM’s. Only pain was that you had to run extension cords and remember to turn on and off the main cutoff switch or you would blow a fuse. I also added a transfer switch and an AC EasyStart for the Goal Zero and you can get as elaborate as you want depending on the size of GZ that you purchase. They now even have a 6000 one. Keep in mind that the GZ’s are not cheap and about the same price of either one or two lithium batteries depending on the brand so take that into consideration. We ended up selling our GZ when we converted to lithium. If you just want it for your refrigerator though, the 1000 will serve you just fine without extension cords but it will take up some of that precious AI space.

Here are some threads to get you started and good luck!

https://www.airforums.com/forums/f24...-178647-3.html

https://www.airforums.com/forums/f24...in-216919.html

https://www.airforums.com/forums/f24...ge-206309.html

https://www.airforums.com/forums/f24...er-196410.html

[PMRETEP]

Wow. Thank you for the quick response. The Great Pahaska does seem to have a well thought out solution to the problem. However, what I remain confused about is how the connection of the wire from the GZ is made at the fuse box. I looked at the fuse box for my AI and noticed that there are two empty fuse positions at the bottom of the long line of used fuse positions. As I understand Pahaska's various posts, he used a 45 amp powerpole connector to make the connection and then he "fused" that connection. What I don't understand is where and how you place the fuse. Photographs of that connection would be invaluable.

[StogieMan]

Originally Posted by PMRETEP

Wow. Thank you for the quick response. The Great Pahaska does seem to have a well thought out solution to the problem. However, what I remain confused about is how the connection of the wire from the GZ is made at the fuse box. I looked at the fuse box for my AI and noticed that there are two empty fuse positions at the bottom of the long line of used fuse positions. As I understand Pahaska's various posts, he used a 45 amp powerpole connector to make the connection and then he "fused" that connection. What I don't understand is where and how you place the fuse. Photographs of that connection would be invaluable.

PMRETEP,

I’ll give this a shot and see if I can remember most of it. I had pictures and some paperwork that I had printed out in a folder on this but I threw it out. However, I did find some pictures and highlighted them for you. First turn off the 12v power and main 30amp AC breaker. You will need a Goal Zero 12v Max cable that has an Anderson Powerpole connector at one end. You will also need to get some 8 AWG wire and some 45A Anderson Powerpole Connectors. Crimp an Anderson Connector at one end of the positive and negative 8 AWG wires and these will be connected to the other end of the GZ 12v cable. You will need to remove some strands off the copper wires as these really do not fit snuggly onto the connectors because the wire is too big for these connectors.

Run these wires into the 12v box from the top. The red wire will go down into the right side of the fuse side as pictured and the negative wire right next to the white ground wire on top. Install the 30 amp fuse into location 15 and you will be good to go. Make sure to turn off the 12v main switch off whenever you’re going to turn on the GZ or you will mostly likely blow a fuse. You should be able to run all of your 12v side of things from the Goal Zero when on. Charging the GZ is a whole different subject though. I charged mine three different ways. I had a dedicated 100watt solar panel for it, had the GZ Yeti Link Vehicle Integration Kit that allowed charging through the alternator while driving and a regular AC charger wire connected to the outlet on the passenger back side that charged it when tied to shore power.

Below are the supplies that you will need in addition to whatever Goal Zero you decide to go with. Hope this helps and good luck!


8 AWG wire
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Ratchet Crimping Tool & 45A Anderson Powerpole connectors Connectors
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Goal Zero 12V Max Current Cable for Yeti
https://www.goalzero.com/products/12v-max-current-cable
https://www.ebay.com/itm/17483001377...IAAOSw-HlgPVS1

How to install Anderson Powerpole Connectors

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzLvdR6X81k