Motorhome Kitchen
The beauty of a motorhome is the comfort and convenience a spacious inside kitchen offers. Your motorhome is equipped with a fridge, cooker, sink, microwave and bench spaces to help you whip up a master chef creation in your very own home on wheels.
The below guide covers the basics in how to make use of your new kitchen. For in depth information, please refer to product manuals found in your RV on delivery.
Fridge
Learning to properly operate the fridge is essential to saving battery charge and keeping food fresh throughout your travels.
The fridge runs off and is wired through the 12V system, and will only work if the 12V system is turned on. This can be done through the control panel located at the entrance of the vehicle or in the main power board.
Apollo built RVs are fitted with two different types of fridges, a 2-way or 3-way fridge.
2-way fridges will only operate off Mains power and the battery. The 3-way fridge however runs off three sources of power: 240V mains power, gas and the 12V battery.
The fridge has an auto switch system. This means that, when set to this setting, it will switch between power sources depending on what is available in order to stay on and functional.
The fridge will work best off the mains power (when the RV is connected to an external power source) and will choose to power off this source first. If the RV is not plugged into an external power source it will power off gas (3-way only), and if there is no gas available it will power off the battery.
| 3-way Fridges | Preferred | Adequate | Least preferred |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fridge Power Source | Mains power | Gas | Battery |
| 2-way Fridges | Primary | Secondary |
|---|---|---|
| Fridge Power Source | Mains power | Battery |
It is recommended to set your fridge to the auto switch setting. To do this:
- Turn the fridge on via the master control panel, by flicking the switch labelled clearly as 'fridge'.
- On the fridge, press and hold the central button to turn it on. This will then bring up the display to the left/ right of the dial, depending on the model variant.
- For each command you need to continue to press the main power button or turn it to allow the display to change.
- When the auto option appears, the main button must be pressed again to ‘lock’ the function in. Here you can also manually change the fridge's power source to mains, gas or battery.
The below is an example of Dometic fridge's found in most 2021-22 motorhomes. If your model is different, the same logic will apply. Alternatively, you can refer to the fridge manual found in your motorhome.
To keep the fridge operational and cool while in transit the 12V battery system would have to be kept on. The auto setting on the fridge will automatically tell the fridge to run off the battery.
Overtime you will start to get a good idea on how long your battery will last based on what type and extent of power supply you use during your travels. Nonetheless, your objective should always be to take care of your batteries by actively switching off all lights and appliances at their independent switches and when not in use.
⚠️ 3-way fridge warning: when there is no other power source (mains/ gas/ solar), the fridge will automatically power off the battery and drain the battery.
💡 Top tips to conserving the battery and keeping the fridge cool when there is no external power source:
- When you go to sleep, turn the fridge's thermostat right down and in the morning when the sun is out the solar will provide power to your battery and you can turn the thermostat back up again.
- Alternatively, turn the fridge off completely, keep doors shut and turn it back on in the morning when there is sun to power through the solar panel.
Whilst we hope you are enjoying sunshine throughout the entirety of your travels, a few days of overcast weather can be expected, therefore remembering these top tips will keep you covered.
Read more on how to operate the fridge here:
There are air vents behind the fridge which allow cold and hot air to circulate. These vents are mandatory by law and are imperative to safe use of your motorhome. Vents have to be open in order for the fridge to work.
For three-way fridges (fridges that also power off gas) there will also be a gas vent in between the two air vents.
To ensure water does not enter the motorhome through the vents and cause damage to the fridge, they can be covered when washing the motorhome.
⚠️ Be sure to not cover fridge vents when motorhome or fridge is in use.
Thanks to the intelligent design of the external vent protection cover, rain will not be able to enter the motorhome during storms.
Stove
Depending on the type of stove your motorhome has in it, it will run off mains power (electric plates) and or gas (gas burner).
If your RV has an induction stove plate. The hot plate is a pressure plate and will only heat up when turned on and a pot or pan is placed on it. This plate only works off the mains power.
To operate the gas stove, ensure the gas is turned on, and simply press down on the appropriate stove nob, this will get the ignition system to work, push in and rotate the nozzle left to get the gas to feed through and when it lights you can let go.
Above the stove is a range hood. This is designed to remove grease, steam and smoke that enters the air while cooking. The range hood can be turned on through the main control panel, and operated by tapping the touch buttons on it. We recommend always running your range hood and or having the kitchen window open when using the stove.
Please refer to individual user manual for your stove model located in your vehicle.
Microwave
The microwave is only powered through the 240V power system and will only work when the RV is connected to an external power source (mains power) or a generator.
Please refer to individual user manual for your microwave model located in your vehicle.
It is recommended to stow away the microwave's glass plate while travelling to prevent damage.
Got a question on kitchen appliances?
Or can't find what you are looking for? You can reach our team by submitting an After Sales support request, alternatively, connect with the Apollo Aftersales for Australia wide assistance on your RV.
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