Refrigerator Power?

RME46

We have a 2010 T@B.  Just took it on it's first long camping trip since we got it last Fall (12 days).  We only got limited instructions from the previous owner about how things worked.  Here's what we found out.
1. We thought that if we were at a campground and hooked up to 30amp shore power, that that would power the refrigerator (runs on electric power only, not propane too) continuously - as well as lights, etc.  This was NOT the case. Shore power would not power the fridge at all.  Shore power would also not allow us to run the roof vent fan either.
We were hoping that if we spent two or three days in a campground, we could unhitch our trailer to use the car daily for driving around, and that shore power would allow us to keep the fridge on setting three and keep stuff cold all the time.
Not the case.  

2. In order to run the refrigerator at all, we had to have the outside battery switch turned on, OR, have the power cord from the trailer plugged into the plug on the rear of our car plugged in.  One of these setups was necessary in order to run the roof vent fan also.

Question is, if we turn the outside switch to the battery on and have the fridge on and are also plugged into shore power, I've heard that shore power is supposed to continuously trickle charge the battery.  Would it charge the battery enough to keep it from losing charge and shutting the fridge off?      Thanks for any help that can be provided.     

ColoradoJon

It sounds to me like you have a problem at your converter.  Your converter should provide 12V to all the lighting and any 12V appliances (fridge) when you are connected to shore power and the battery cutoff switch is in the off position.

Check all of your fuses, and barring that, test your converter.  I just had to replace mine due to the exact same problem.

ScottG

Welcome @RME46. Most of here have newer T@Bs built by Pleasant Valley/nuCamp. Yours sounds like one of the last of the Dutchman era. While I'm not specifically familiar with the components in those units, I can make a few general guesses about what might be happening.

When plugged into shore power, your camper's converter turns 120V AC into 12V DC. Most devices in the camper--including the fan--run on 12V DC. Some--like your refrigerator--can run on both depending on what is available.

Your fridge and your fan clearly work when getting 12V from either the T@B battery or the generator/alternator from your tow vehicle. That suggests that those devices--and the fuses and circuits associated with them--are fine.

That these devices don't work when the battery or vehicle are disconnected suggests that you are either not getting 120V power to the converter, or the converter is faulty. To answer your specific question...  In either of these cases the converter will also NOT be charging the battery, so your fridge and fan and other devices will eventually deplete the battery if that is your only power source.

Numerous things can prevent power from getting to the converter, including no power at the campground pedestal, a loose connection inside the trailer, or a tripped breaker/blown fuse between the 120V AC and 12V DC sides of the converter. The fact that your fridge won't work on 120V AC either makes me think this is the problem. All those things should be checked before casting a suspicious eye on the converter itself.

All this assumes that nothing works when plugged into shore power and without battery. If some things (like lights) work while others (like the fan) don't, than the issue may be more involved.

The more details you provide the better able we are to help you out.