At 04:48 8/7/2000, Mick Kalber wrote:
>great on propane, but not on 12 volt.  We subsequently learned there was no
>spare battery in the bus (it's usually located under the driver's seat,
>correct?) and no connections for a battery, hence, no 12 volt backup system.
>Might be why refer doesn't work on 12 volt, eh?

Nope.  For a start, as wired by the factory, 12v reefer only runs while
engine is actually running.  If you stop the engine for more than a minute
or two it takes 20 minutes or so to start cooling again when the motor is
turning.

Aside from that, poor connections are the usual reason (like at the
fuse).  The 12v system is far more sensitive to resistance at connections
than the 110v.

Further, the reefer itself does not work as well when the van is moving
because it's a gravity-based system which does not take kindly to being
sloshed around.  I routinely see a several-degree rise in evap temperature
as soon as the van starts moving.

david
David Beierl - Providence, RI
  http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
'84 Westy "Dutiful Passage"
'85 GL "Poor Relation"