12 Volt RV appliances: Advantages and Disadvantages

Harriet Van Horne once said that there are days when any electrical appliance in the house can be more entertaining than the television. The reason is that you realize how much benefit these products can provide and how much more difficult life would have been without them at a certain point.

The development of technical innovations has made having a collection of useful appliances no longer a luxury. Increasingly, it is a necessity for us. It's true that some of these machines can make your travel or at home much easier.

RV trips can be more enjoyable and comfortable if you have a few basic appliances. The morning coffee is ready, the food is in the refrigerators, the ventilation is easy, the heating is efficient, and cooking is easy.

However, few things really matter when you buy these RV must-haves. Qualities such as size, quality, efficiency, and electric power requirements.

While traveling in an RV, you will benefit from having a number of 12-Volt appliances on hand as you cannot compare the RV's electric supply with your home, and high voltage appliances are likely to consume more energy.

While camping and RVing, some people claim all they need are 12 Volt appliances. Most of these appliances are usually powered by DC power from your RV and are usually plugged into female sockets or cigarette lighters.

RV appliances that run on 12 volts

RV tools that can be operated on 12 Volts include the following:

• RV 12 Volt Coffee Maker
• Blender with 12 volts
• Kettles / Jugs 12V
• Presses or grills (12v)
• Frying pan with 12 volts
• Slow cooker 12 volt
• Rice cooker with 12 volts
• Microwave with 12 volts
• Vacuum sealer for 12 volts
• RV Heater 12v
• RV Fridge 12 volts
• Fan 12 Volts
• 12V campervan lights

Let’s have a look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of these appliances.

Advantages of 12 Volt RV Appliances

1. Their Portability Makes Them Suitable For RV Camping

The portability of 12 Volt appliances makes them great. Batteries can be used to power these appliances. Electricity with 12V is the only requirement.

Due to their portability, these units are ideal for traveling. These items allow you to recharge your batteries as and when you need to. With these appliances, you can make fresh juices, smoothies, cook on portable RV stoves, keep your food items cool and stay warm in extremely cold weather.

Consider a 12 Volt RV Fridge. It is easier to handle 12 Volt refrigerators than propane units, even if they look like traditional models. To move them wherever you like, you do not need to reroute your propane system. Find the 12-volt socket and plug it in.

2. Efficient Enough to Make Your RV Life Easy

You can efficiently meet your needs with most 12 volt RV appliances. As long as you're charging your batteries between uses, you can trust them. Consider a 12 Volt RV refrigerator; it operates similarly to a residential unit and has perfect cooling capabilities. The only difference is that it runs on 12 Volts instead of 120V AC.

If you choose a propane unit, it may not work well if your vehicle is parked on an uneven surface. You don't have to worry about your food spoiling if the propane runs out. In this case, you will have been informed about power failure by the fact that most RV lights run on 12-volt power.

3. Suitable for RV Camping

The portability of 12 Volt appliances makes them suitable for camping and traveling. You can enjoy your trip comfortably while having almost all your appliances with you. An electric blanket with 12 volts can warm this up for you so you can have a good night's sleep.

4. Consumes Less RV Power

The majority of quality 12-volt appliances consume little power. In the example above, 12V TVs can be easily obtained for a truck or RV motorhome and allow you to enjoy news, stories with great picture quality while consuming little power. Different sizes of televisions are available. Similarly, in a few minutes, your 12 Volt portable RV stove or oven can cook delicious spaghetti with very little power.

5. Affordable for Your RV Trips

You can enjoy 12 Volt appliances down the road, and they are pretty affordable if you do a cost-benefit analysis.

6. Easy Availability of 12 Volt RV Appliances

There is a large selection of 12-volt appliances for RVs that are easily accessible. RVs, trucks, and boats use these appliances, which are made specifically for 12 volt systems. By using 12-volt appliances, you eliminate the loss of energy that occurs during the conversion process.

You can even buy a 12-volt frying pan and cook your favorite food. A frying pan like this can be easily used when cooking inside an RV. You can use this device in your RV if you do not want to grill outdoors or want to avoid burning coals.

Disadvantages of 12V Appliances

1. Modern RVs can be equipped with both heaters and ventilators as well as ovens and refrigerators. Even though you might think that buying additional 12-volt appliances isn't a good idea, buying these items actually benefits you when you want to save on main power and want some backups ready whenever you need them.

2. There are some RVers who believe the storage space does not matter as much as the price. If compared to ice-based coolers or chillers, these fridges are still the most affordable.

3. Depending on the motorhome, some 12 Volt RV appliances such as a 12 Volt fan or heater may not work in large motorhomes. Yet, these heaters are commonly used during extreme weather conditions to provide additional heat in RVs.

4. 12 Volt RV appliances are heavily dependent on your RV batteries, so if your batteries die, so do these appliances. Some RVers also believe that 12 Volt appliances harm their batteries too quickly, although this only occurs if your battery is already malfunctioning or not charging properly.

Your 12 Volt appliances rely on battery charging, so be sure that your 12 Volt RV battery, 12 Volt plugs, 12 Volt circuit breakers, and 12 Volt sockets are all working well. Other essential accessories to check on include RV Tap adapters, RV cable ties, 12 Volt connectors, 12 Volt relays, 12 Volt pigtails, 12 Volt plug socket sets, or 12 Volt studs.

RV parts shops carry all of these items, and they are designed to make your 12 Volt appliances work to their highest potential. Motorhome voltage regulators may also check the line voltage condition continuously. They use a special transformer to improve the voltage when the incoming power line voltage is low and can damage essential items such as RV air conditioners, 12v RV refrigerators, and others. Integrating trailer voltage regulators can improve the efficiency of the trailer as well.

5. Some 12 Volt appliances may not be suitable for RVers who want to store or process large quantities of food at once. Compared to standard gas or propane-based products, these units usually come in small sizes.

6. RV Voltage regulators may only be used with a limited number of appliances at a time.

Conclusion

If you want all of the comforts and conveniences after your RV trip, a 12 Volt RV appliance is an affordable, efficient and useful option. Portable appliances such as these can run on 12-volt power batteries and provide excellent results. Some RVers may not think these appliances are necessary, but after using them, they will deem them worthwhile. Maintaining the 12 voltage system, by regularly checking it, is also important.