New 21 & first post

[tdf-texas]

Originally Posted by bjsmitty

Excuse my ignorance, but what is the difference between the compressor refridgerator and the standard one provided by Escape??

The standard one can also run on propane.

[Joods]

I wish we had ordered a 6 cubic foot fridge for our 17A as the 4 we did upgrade to is still a bit small.
We agree with the comment on how great the Escape trailer company is. The whole process was excellent and we love our little trailer.
We hope you enjoy your 21' Gary, we are sure you will. :-)

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by bjsmitty

Excuse my ignorance, but what is the difference between the compressor refridgerator and the standard one provided by Escape??

They work on completely different principles.

A compressor refrigerator uses a mechanical compressor (pump) to move a simple refrigerant around a circuit; a motor is needed to run the compressor. This is the way a home refrigerator or freezer works. It works well, at any temperature, but requires electricity (or an engine!) and makes some noise.

Common RV refrigerators, including the ones supplied by Escape, use an absorption system. A complex mix of chemicals circulates and moves heat, driven by a heat source. Since many power sources can be used to produce heat, these refrigerators can run on various sources, such as a propane flame or electric heater. But to run on propane safely, the burner needs to be vented to the outside; that makes the installation more complex, and causes operating problems at low outside temperatures. With high outside temperatures, these refrigerators often have problems keeping up. Even in ideal conditions, this system has reliability issues and cools down slowly, while using a lot of energy (although the energy isn't a problem when running on propane).

[Telescopist]

Very compelling images. I like that you are shooting in black and white. Good job.

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by Old Gringo

Hello, I'm Gary and I took delivery of my new Escape 21 on Friday, I'm in Seattle tonight but heading down to Central Oregon tomorrow (depending on road conditions). I've never pulled a large trailer before and have a lot to learn, so far so good but I haven't backed up yet! I live in South America most of the year but if all goes as planned I'll be in Quartzite for a few weeks before I head back. My intention is to use the trailer off the grid so it's equipped with a high lift axles, solar and a 6 cubic foot compressor refrigerator. I also had a heat strip added to the AC and I have a generator if I need if I need to run the AC or heat..
My experience with Escape from sales to orientation and delivery was superb, what a great company! And I wanted to mention that this is a great forum, I lurked here and learned a lot before I ordered my 21, thanks.

Love the flooring ! Pat

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

I think most people in this situation size their solar system and battery appropriately, but if depending on a generator it wouldn't need to run all of the time - an hour a day charging at the stock converter/charger's rate would cover typical refrigerator consumption.

Brian , thinking someday to go to a compressor chest refrigerator that I would put on a slide . Not too big . What would I need . Have 200 watt solar and another 80 watt portable , Honda generator and 2 6 volt batteries . What do you think ? Pat

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Patandlinda

Brian , thinking someday to go to a compressor chest refrigerator that I would put on a slide . Not too big . What would I need . Have 200 watt solar and another 80 watt portable , Honda generator and 2 6 volt batteries . What do you think ? Pat

Those coolers typically use something like 5 amps at peak, and average running less than half the time, so perhaps 50 amp-hours of consumption a day. In favourable conditions your solar system could presumably keep up, depending on what your other electrical consumption might be. The batteries could run the refrigeration for a couple of days without any charging, if that's all they were running. If you know what you use for everything else, what your system can produce, and how much you are willing to run the generator, you can work out whether you need more power supply or energy storage.

[Serendipity]

Love your floors and those red seats! Yes, our experience with Escape was very good as well... Happy trails! W&M

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

Those coolers typically use something like 5 amps at peak, and average running less than half the time, so perhaps 50 amp-hours of consumption a day. In favourable conditions your solar system could presumably keep up, depending on what your other electrical consumption might be. The batteries could run the refrigeration for a couple of days without any charging, if that's all they were running. If you know what you use for everything else, what your system can produce, and how much you are willing to run the generator, you can work out whether you need more power supply or energy storage.

May be possible then . We don't use much power . LED's , pump , heater if cold water heater ,everything pretty conservative though. If we do hookups no worries . Our refrigerator has been working even in the heat but I want to know what else just in case . The Airstream redo I saw , he had 2 on slides , what I was thinking but just one in place of the refrigerator . Just thinking . Pat

[Dave Walter]

Originally Posted by Patandlinda

May be possible then . We don't use much power . LED's , pump , heater if cold water heater ,everything pretty conservative though. If we do hookups no worries . Our refrigerator has been working even in the heat but I want to know what else just in case . The Airstream redo I saw , he had 2 on slides , what I was thinking but just one in place of the refrigerator . Just thinking . Pat

You could always add more solar panels Pat. You are now an expert at it!

[Patandlinda]

Originally Posted by Dave Walter

You could always add more solar panels Pat. You are now an expert at it!

Hey Dave any expertise I have is due to you and your quidance !Pat