16' Series Outback expands replacement fridge

Chrisand Susan

New Member
Apr 2, 2017
19
11
3
52
Victoria
Hi smart people I have a 2010 expands outback with the smaller fridge does anyone know off the top of their heads which bushman fridge will go in direct re-lacement, it’s the smaller under bench fridge
image.jpg
 

rags

Well-Known Member
Hi smart people I have a 2010 expands outback with the smaller fridge does anyone know off the top of their heads which bushman fridge will go in direct re-lacement, it’s the smaller under bench fridge View attachment 66071
I’m guessing it is the Dometic RM2350 commonly fitted by Jayco under bench.
You will,see the dimensions are listed as following
  • Dimensions: 556 x 577 x 766 mm
  • Cut-out dimensions: 521 x 520 x 756 mm
If keen on the bushman you will need to compare their product dimensions but looking at this one seems a close match
with dimensions of
  • Fridge: H 750mm, W 525mm, D 550mm
If looking for a compressor fridge replacement the Dometic CRX 110 is a straight swap size for size with no alterations to cupboard required. It is what I have done in our van. Fridge has worked perfectl.
DIMENSIONS
Dimensions product depth 558 mm
Dimensions product height 745 mm
Dimensions product width 520 mm
 

Chrisand Susan

New Member
Apr 2, 2017
19
11
3
52
Victoria
I’m guessing it is the Dometic RM2350 commonly fitted by Jayco under bench.
You will,see the dimensions are listed as following
  • Dimensions: 556 x 577 x 766 mm
  • Cut-out dimensions: 521 x 520 x 756 mm
If keen on the bushman you will need to compare their product dimensions but looking at this one seems a close match
with dimensions of
  • Fridge: H 750mm, W 525mm, D 550mm
If looking for a compressor fridge replacement the Dometic CRX 110 is a straight swap size for size with no alterations to cupboard required. It is what I have done in our van. Fridge has worked perfectl.
DIMENSIONS
Dimensions product depth 558 mm
Dimensions product height 745 mm
Dimensions product width 520 mm
Thanks I think I’ll go bushman for this replacement your information is invaluable
 

Chrisand Susan

New Member
Apr 2, 2017
19
11
3
52
Victoria
I’m guessing it is the Dometic RM2350 commonly fitted by Jayco under bench.
You will,see the dimensions are listed as following
  • Dimensions: 556 x 577 x 766 mm
  • Cut-out dimensions: 521 x 520 x 756 mm
If keen on the bushman you will need to compare their product dimensions but looking at this one seems a close match
with dimensions of
  • Fridge: H 750mm, W 525mm, D 550mm
If looking for a compressor fridge replacement the Dometic CRX 110 is a straight swap size for size with no alterations to cupboard required. It is what I have done in our van. Fridge has worked perfectl.
DIMENSIONS
Dimensions product depth 558 mm
Dimensions product height 745 mm
Dimensions product width 520 mm
Hi so i went ahead and purchased a Bushman yesterday, it arrived today, tight fit is an understatement but it fit in the hole left by the dometic, unfortunately I did not realise that it s 12V only and when attached to power it wont run, the original 12 volt supply to the dometic is only powered by the trailer plug, weird I know, i haven't fitted a battery to my van, there is provisioning for one, when i put a battery in, there is still no power to that plug, however if i put power to the wires it runs the lights and extractor fans but not the other way, as i typed this I realise why, as it comes from the trailer plug duh. How can the fridge be run from 240 without first going through the battery, or is it impossible will i have to get a battery and run the fridge from the battery whilst hooked to mains power, or can i get a converter to do this for me
 

rags

Well-Known Member
Hi so i went ahead and purchased a Bushman yesterday, it arrived today, tight fit is an understatement but it fit in the hole left by the dometic, unfortunately I did not realise that it s 12V only and when attached to power it wont run, the original 12 volt supply to the dometic is only powered by the trailer plug, weird I know, i haven't fitted a battery to my van, there is provisioning for one, when i put a battery in, there is still no power to that plug, however if i put power to the wires it runs the lights and extractor fans but not the other way, as i typed this I realise why, as it comes from the trailer plug duh. How can the fridge be run from 240 without first going through the battery, or is it impossible will i have to get a battery and run the fridge from the battery whilst hooked to mains power, or can i get a converter to do this for me
I can see Bushman have the below adapter as and accessory available from Bushman or your fridge supplier. Not sure whether it allows you to have both that and a 12 volt supply fitted to the fridge.
I should have mentioned in my first post, that the other advantage of the Dometic fridge is you don’t need an adapter as the fridge comes wired for both and it automatically connects to the 240 volt when available otherwise it defaults to 12 volt.
Glad it worked out otherwise.

With regards running from 12 volt , you will need to run a power supply from fridge to battery, and then consider how the battery maintains charge.
For me, using Enerdrive gear I can charge from solar, 240 volt charger or a feed via car battery when travelling on the road.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Drover

Boots in Action

Well-Known Member
Mar 13, 2017
2,089
1,839
113
Ferny Grove, Queensland
I can see Bushman have the below adapter as and accessory available from Bushman or your fridge supplier. Not sure whether it allows you to have both that and a 12 volt supply fitted to the fridge.
I should have mentioned in my first post, that the other advantage of the Dometic fridge is you don’t need an adapter as the fridge comes wired for both and it automatically connects to the 240 volt when available otherwise it defaults to 12 volt.
Glad it worked out otherwise.

With regards running from 12 volt , you will need to run a power supply from fridge to battery, and then consider how the battery maintains charge.
For me, using Enerdrive gear I can charge from solar, 240 volt charger or a feed via car battery when travelling on the road.

Hi @Chrisand Susan , now that you have purchased a Bushman compressor fridge, all is not lost. As it is only a 12 volt unit, you will have to purchase the 240 volt adapter which will limit you to 240 volt grid power. The adaptor will convert the 240 volt AC power to 12 volts DC at up to 8A to run your new fridge. Just plug in the adaptor into a 240 volt outlet in your van when connected to grid.
Now if you wish to use the fridge off grid, you will have to provide a decent 12 volt source (AGM battery/ies of 120ah or better) and provide some sort of charging system to maintain your battery/ies. A good fully charged single 12 volt battery may be able to run your fridge for about 2 days without charging of some type, but that's all. @rags has it sewn up for choice... Sufficient solar power (probably around 300 watts and a good MPPT controller, and connection to tug battery with BC to DC charging. You may be able to get away with just good heavy cabling from tug direct to battery with connections by Anderson plugs to charge your fridge battery whilst driving, but this will be limited to the lower charging voltage from your alternator. Hence BC to DC charging is recommended. Some big and expensive decisions to be made. Attached is reason for BC to DC charging , as vehicle alternator will not do a proper job for you.
 

Attachments

  • Alternators and charging voltages .pdf
    1.1 MB · Views: 236
  • Alternators and charging voltages 2.pdf
    957 KB · Views: 227
  • Like
Reactions: Drover and rags

Chrisand Susan

New Member
Apr 2, 2017
19
11
3
52
Victoria
Hi @Chrisand Susan , now that you have purchased a Bushman compressor fridge, all is not lost. As it is only a 12 volt unit, you will have to purchase the 240 volt adapter which will limit you to 240 volt grid power. The adaptor will convert the 240 volt AC power to 12 volts DC at up to 8A to run your new fridge. Just plug in the adaptor into a 240 volt outlet in your van when connected to grid.
Now if you wish to use the fridge off grid, you will have to provide a decent 12 volt source (AGM battery/ies of 120ah or better) and provide some sort of charging system to maintain your battery/ies. A good fully charged single 12 volt battery may be able to run your fridge for about 2 days without charging of some type, but that's all. @rags has it sewn up for choice... Sufficient solar power (probably around 300 watts and a good MPPT controller, and connection to tug battery with BC to DC charging. You may be able to get away with just good heavy cabling from tug direct to battery with connections by Anderson plugs to charge your fridge battery whilst driving, but this will be limited to the lower charging voltage from your alternator. Hence BC to DC charging is recommended. Some big and expensive decisions to be made. Attached is reason for BC to DC charging , as vehicle alternator will not do a proper job for you.
Thanks for all that information, whilst I have your attention, I have decided not to go with the power lead that runs of the car that powers the lights and extractor fan and all the other 12 volt stuff and the fridge originally, for reasons I don't understand when the battery is connected in the battery box of the van it does not have power to that supply line at the fridge. Yet if i apply power to the other end where it attaches originally to the fridge it powers all the other 12 volt stuff ?????. As I do not have an intention at this time to go off grid, I will run an anderson plug from my second battery of my ute to power the fridge on a new circuit, i will leave the original 12 volt supply line there (terminated), I have purchased the bushman transformer that I will plug into the original socket where the dometic was. This will enable me to do what I need without the need to put an isolator switch in ie run of 240 at a park and run the fridge whilst travelling without flattening my main battery.

It would be helpful if anyone is able to shed light on why the 12 volt line that gets power from the trailer plug runs everything in the van that it normally would yet when a battery is placed in the van the fridge line is the only line that doesn't get power to it.

Thanks for all your help so far
 
Last edited:

Drover

Well-Known Member
Nov 7, 2013
12,878
19,648
113
QLD
Okay well the circuit that runs from your car actually splits with one line running to power all your 12v lights etc, the other branch runs to your fridge, now this wiring is designed so that if/when you connect a battery in the van thru a Setek unit, the fridge normally a 3 way unit is unable to draw 12v from the van battery, if it did the battery would be flat in an hour or so, so the reason why you can't get your fridge circuit going is because there is a diode blocking the power... the Setek wouldn't supply enough anyway I think and the wiringis too small.
Since you won;t be doing off grid camping then I would be running a dedicated line from tug to fridge, 8 B&S ,Anderson plug connections at draw bar, if your aux battery in tug is charging thru a DC/DC charger from tug alternator then all is good, a circuit breaker inline would be a good idea, (things like a fridge switch or LVD units are good but if your not stupid and unplug when stopped your battery will be okay..) and basically running it off 240/12 tranny in camp. A good read of installation manual making sure your have the required air flow space is important or it will cause problems........
Be sure to power it all up a day before you leave at least so the cabinet and everything are well chilled .

Happy camping.
 

Chrisand Susan

New Member
Apr 2, 2017
19
11
3
52
Victoria
Okay well the circuit that runs from your car actually splits with one line running to power all your 12v lights etc, the other branch runs to your fridge, now this wiring is designed so that if/when you connect a battery in the van thru a Setek unit, the fridge normally a 3 way unit is unable to draw 12v from the van battery, if it did the battery would be flat in an hour or so, so the reason why you can't get your fridge circuit going is because there is a diode blocking the power... the Setek wouldn't supply enough anyway I think and the wiringis too small.
Since you won;t be doing off grid camping then I would be running a dedicated line from tug to fridge, 8 B&S ,Anderson plug connections at draw bar, if your aux battery in tug is charging thru a DC/DC charger from tug alternator then all is good, a circuit breaker inline would be a good idea, (things like a fridge switch or LVD units are good but if your not stupid and unplug when stopped your battery will be okay..) and basically running it off 240/12 tranny in camp. A good read of installation manual making sure your have the required air flow space is important or it will cause problems........
Be sure to power it all up a day before you leave at least so the cabinet and everything are well chilled .

Happy camping.
So after reading all the advice and soaking in the information, I decided I’m to old (slack) to be laying on the ground or the floor of the van running wires and so forth, lucky for me I know an excellent auto sparky does caravans to who is going to sort the whole thing for me including the connections from the tug. All professional no risk of it all going sideways, do it once do it right.
 

Boots in Action

Well-Known Member
Mar 13, 2017
2,089
1,839
113
Ferny Grove, Queensland
Okay well the circuit that runs from your car actually splits with one line running to power all your 12v lights etc, the other branch runs to your fridge, now this wiring is designed so that if/when you connect a battery in the van thru a Setek unit, the fridge normally a 3 way unit is unable to draw 12v from the van battery, if it did the battery would be flat in an hour or so, so the reason why you can't get your fridge circuit going is because there is a diode blocking the power... the Setek wouldn't supply enough anyway I think and the wiringis too small.
Since you won;t be doing off grid camping then I would be running a dedicated line from tug to fridge, 8 B&S ,Anderson plug connections at draw bar, if your aux battery in tug is charging thru a DC/DC charger from tug alternator then all is good, a circuit breaker inline would be a good idea, (things like a fridge switch or LVD units are good but if your not stupid and unplug when stopped your battery will be okay..) and basically running it off 240/12 tranny in camp. A good read of installation manual making sure your have the required air flow space is important or it will cause problems........
Be sure to power it all up a day before you leave at least so the cabinet and everything are well chilled .

Happy camping.

Close @Drover , but not quite right @Chrisand Susan. In my van anyway (and I think in most Jaycos), there is no direct connection between van battery and fridge. The only 12 volt connection for my van to fridge is via a separate heavy line by Anderson plug to tug. The fridge has NO connection to Setec power distribution system, and fridge only gets its power (via dedicated line through Anderson plug) , if connected to tug. If I turn the fridge to 12 volt selection and the van is not connected to the tug, there is no power available to run the fridge. Lights and fans will operate from van battery via Setec distribution system as you have found out already.

However, there is a separate line from tug in van loom via a 7 or 12 pin plug connection that runs to Setec to charge van battery, and this runs through a power diode (voltage drops by 0.7 volts because of this) which means there will never be enough voltage to charge up van battery. Battery charging voltage for van battery will only get as high as tug alternator output voltage, less losses in wiring between tug and Setec, less a further 0.7 volts by going through the power diode. And if you have AGM batteries which need 14.7 volts to fully charge, this will be well short of this level. Hence the benefit of BC to DC charging.

The power diode is only there to prevent any high current drain FROM van battery (which is in parallel with tug battery when connected) when high starting current is required for starting tug. This would be particularly harmful to wiring between tug and van if tug battery was low and van battery was much higher, as wiring is not heavy enough to handle starting current. Tug battery (and alternator current when engine is running) power the fridge. That is why van fridge will continue to draw current from TUG battery unless line is disconnected. The VAN battery is therefore not involved in this discharge and remains unaffected.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The above explanation is the "normal operation and connections". However, some modifications may have been made to standard wiring and each case would have to be checked to ascertain the setup. If the fridge works on 12 volts (van battery) when not connected to tug, then fridge IS connected to van battery. If it does not, the van battery is not connected to fridge and only gets its power when connected to running tug.
 

Drover

Well-Known Member
Nov 7, 2013
12,878
19,648
113
QLD
I was talking about original wiring schemes @Boots in Action , not about some with modifications....

Having followed and tested the original Jayco wiring from tug to Setek and fridge I can assure you I am correct, the circuit supplying 12v power from tug to van has a junction where it splits into two (2), one (1) runs to the Setek and one (1) runs to the fridge and it was written in some manual the diode fitted in the Setek will ensure the fridge doesn't drain the van battery............................. well that was in the 14.44 and a few others..... there is a birds nest of wires where the tug cabling connects to the van and that is where they usually tap the fridge into the 12v tug supply and thats how they came from the factory and many have changed this to having a dedicated run from tug to fridge, keeping the original circuit for just the Setek/12v van supply and oblivious to the original wiring run.

It was thought this was done so that it would be okay for a 7 pin plug, if you wanted a 12 pin, no drama the wiring stays the same just change plugs at dealer, if you wanted a 12 pin and dedicated 12v to fridge with anderson again no drama you pay the money and we run a cable direct to fridge and just disconnect the original wiring at fridge... this seemed to be the way with small setek vans, especially as some the battery was an extra.
 
Last edited:

mfexpanda

Well-Known Member
Apr 1, 2011
4,246
5,284
113
Brookfield, Vic
I was talking about original wiring schemes @Boots in Action , not about some with modifications....

Having followed and tested the original Jayco wiring from tug to Setek and fridge I can assure you I am correct, the circuit supplying 12v power from tug to van has a junction where it splits into two (2), one (1) runs to the Setek and one (1) runs to the fridge and it was written in some manual the diode fitted in the Setek will ensure the fridge doesn't drain the van battery............................. well that was in the 14.44 and a few others..... there is a birds nest of wires where the tug cabling connects to the van and that is where they usually tap the fridge into the 12v tug supply and thats how they came from the factory and many have changed this to having a dedicated run from tug to fridge, keeping the original circuit for just the Setek/12v van supply and oblivious to the original wiring run.
mine is as @Drover has described on my silverline
 

mikerezny

Well-Known Member
Sep 11, 2016
1,630
2,728
113
Mount Waverley, VIC
Hi,
as we all well know, Jayco does not have a single standard for wiring (or much else or that matter). So what is done on any particular van should not be used as an proof that all vans are wired similarly.

Our 2016 Penguin, with standard factory wiring, has TWO completely separate 12V feeds coming from the 12-pin plug.
One 12V feed comes from pin 2 (one of the 7 small pins) , which on some cars will be used for the reversing lights. This feed goes directly to the AUX input of the Setec to charge the battery. it will also supply 12V to the van when off grid and no van battery is present.
The other 12V feed comes from pin 9 (one of the large pins) and goes directly to power the 12V heater element of the fridge.
There is certainly NO connection between these two 12V feeds.

On my Falcon, I disconnected the reversing wire on pin 2 of the car socket and connected it directly to permanent 12V as per the Jayco wiring instructions.
For the fridge, Pin 9 is wired back to the tug battery via a 35A self resetting circuit breaker and an ignition-controlled relay.

I have attached the complete instructions as supplied by Jayco when we purchased the van.
Note that Step 2 in this document clearly outlines the requirements for using pin 2.

I believe that it is quite common for sparkies to take the wire on pin 2 of the van plug and connect it to the fridge feed on pin 9.
In my opinion, there are two reasons why this is not a good idea. This is probably one cause of complaints that the tug won't adequately charge the van battery.
1: The 15A drawn by the fridge reduces the voltage at the plug and socket and thus a lower voltage is then supplied to charge the van battery.
2: 12V is not available to the Setec when the engine is not running and thus, if no van battery is installed, 12V will not be available to power the van when off-grid on quick overnight stops. This does indeed introduce the distinct possibility of flattening the car battery unintentionally.

take care
Mike
 

Attachments

  • JAY-12PIN-FI-Jayco-Tow-Vehicle-Requirements-Issue-3.pdf
    525.9 KB · Views: 256
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Boots in Action

Drover

Well-Known Member
Nov 7, 2013
12,878
19,648
113
QLD
Certainly correct in no standard for wiring @mikerezny but I have found on many full sized Jayco vans that the birds nest under than van with a split 12v supply to be the most common form of getting power to Setek and fridge............... In all cases a good check of what goes where is always called for...........
 
  • Like
Reactions: mikerezny

Boots in Action

Well-Known Member
Mar 13, 2017
2,089
1,839
113
Ferny Grove, Queensland
Hi,
as we all well know, Jayco does not have a single standard for wiring (or much else or that matter). So what is done on any particular van should not be used as an proof that all vans are wired similarly.

Our 2016 Penguin, with standard factory wiring, has TWO completely separate 12V feeds coming from the 12-pin plug.
One 12V feed comes from pin 2 (one of the 7 small pins) , which on some cars will be used for the reversing lights. This feed goes directly to the AUX input of the Setec to charge the battery. it will also supply 12V to the van when off grid and no van battery is present.
The other 12V feed comes from pin 9 (one of the large pins) and goes directly to power the 12V heater element of the fridge.
There is certainly NO connection between these two 12V feeds.

On my Falcon, I disconnected the reversing wire on pin 2 of the car socket and connected it directly to permanent 12V as per the Jayco wiring instructions.
For the fridge, Pin 9 is wired back to the tug battery via a 35A self resetting circuit breaker and an ignition-controlled relay.

I have attached the complete instructions as supplied by Jayco when we purchased the van.
Note that Step 2 in this document clearly outlines the requirements for using pin 2.

I believe that it is quite common for sparkies to take the wire on pin 2 of the van plug and connect it to the fridge feed on pin 9.
In my opinion, there are two reasons why this is not a good idea. This is probably one cause of complaints that the tug won't adequately charge the van battery.
1: The 15A drawn by the fridge reduces the voltage at the plug and socket and thus a lower voltage is then supplied to charge the van battery.
2: 12V is not available to the Setec when the engine is not running and thus, if no van battery is installed, 12V will not be available to power the van when off-grid on quick overnight stops. This does indeed introduce the distinct possibility of flattening the car battery unintentionally.

take care
Mike

Well @mikerezny and @Drover, so much for standardization of Jayco connections. Admittedly my van was new in WA and only 12 months old when I took possession of it in Brisbane. It was fitted with a dedicated heavy wiring from tug battery and connected to van by Anderson plugs directly to van fridge. I think the line is interrupted (switched) through the selector switch on fridge, so only connects the tug battery when on "battery " setting. The rest of the connections were via a SEVEN PIN plug and socket. However, I have since upgraded the wiring and now have a 12 pin plug and socket between tug and van. The Anderson plug line still provides max current and voltage direct to fridge. I have upgraded the wiring to heavier AWG 10 type for charging battery and now use pin 9 and earth return at pin 10. The old standard lighter wiring is still connected to pin 2 and is linked to pin 9. A heavier AWG10 wire now provides a heavier earth to pin 3 and connects to vehicle chassis. The pins 9 and 10 are rated to handle 35A and the lower ones 1 to 7 only rated at 15A.
I notice that Jayco say that white wire (fridge ground) should be connected to battery neg and not tug chassis which is where RedArc say all neg wires should be connected so "smart" alternators can "sense" the load. I have my earth return line from van fridge via Anderson plug connected to tug chassis. Interesting???
 
Last edited:

chartrock

Forum Patriarch
Staff member
Sep 26, 2010
6,149
7,430
113
Gold Coast Hinterland
I think the line is interrupted (switched) through the selector switch on fridge, so only connects the tug battery when on "battery " setting.
I thought the same when I purchased our Expanda new from Newcastle. Driving back tp Gold Coast, I stopped overnight and used the selector switch to turn the fridge ‘off’. Morning came and the tug battery was flat so I now have a relay in the line to fridge to cut power if ignition is off.
 

Boots in Action

Well-Known Member
Mar 13, 2017
2,089
1,839
113
Ferny Grove, Queensland
I thought the same when I purchased our Expanda new from Newcastle. Driving back tp Gold Coast, I stopped overnight and used the selector switch to turn the fridge ‘off’. Morning came and the tug battery was flat so I now have a relay in the line to fridge to cut power if ignition is off.
Well @chartrock, now you have me wondering how the selection switch works. On my Thetford 93L fridge, there are 4 settings - AC, Batt, Gas and OFF. Obviously the AC and Gas are straight forward, but why have a selection if 12 volt potential is always present. That would mean that it is active when connected to tug regardless of different inputs. I will experiment with my van this week end and see what happens. At least it proves one thing - the fridge was not connected to the van battery and only to the tug battery via connecting lead. As the van battery was not affected (or was it?), the only other way power could be consumed from the tug battery would be from ancillary equipment in van and/or tug. Investigation continues.... Any other ideas from the Tech Heads???
 

Crusty181

Well-Known Member
Feb 7, 2010
6,854
13,971
113
Mentone, VIC
Hi so i went ahead and purchased a Bushman yesterday, it arrived today, tight fit is an understatement but it fit in the hole left by the dometic, unfortunately I did not realise that it s 12V only and when attached to power it wont run, the original 12 volt supply to the dometic is only powered by the trailer plug, weird I know, i haven't fitted a battery to my van, there is provisioning for one, when i put a battery in, there is still no power to that plug, however if i put power to the wires it runs the lights and extractor fans but not the other way, as i typed this I realise why, as it comes from the trailer plug duh. How can the fridge be run from 240 without first going through the battery, or is it impossible will i have to get a battery and run the fridge from the battery whilst hooked to mains power, or can i get a converter to do this for me
Many smart chargers have a 12v power supply function
 
  • Like
Reactions: Boots in Action