12 volt refrigerators/Freezers

[Cosmo]

I am considering a refrigerator/freezer. These have amazing low electrical drain. ARB claims about 1.75 amps an hour (feedback on Amazon supports that claim). Not cheap but it buys extended off grid camping.

My question is – if you have a fridge/freezer, how many amps is your battery?
I have 2 solar panels that can put out a combined 10 amps of power per hour.
Also how big is your refrigerator/freezer inside? Any measurement is appreciated - quarts, liters (length width height), cubic inches, heads of lettuce etc.
Do you run off grid or only on shore power?

Off grid freezer video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZzBdj67gb0

The most energy efficient models I could find are
ARB 50 quart Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvt6XsZiad0
https://www.amazon.com/ARB-10800472-Fri ... _pd_nS_ttl

ARB 37 quart
https://www.amazon.com/ARB-10800352-Fri ... _pd_nS_ttl

Engel 40 quart Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmVgEPXpZus
https://www.amazon.com/Engel-MR040F-U1- ... _pC_nS_ttl
Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cELOLKY662c

Thanks
-Cosmo

[Cathy P.]

I can't help much. I am subscriber to the Cheap RV Living channel and also your channel on youtube. I really enjoy your youtube videos! You find such neat little gadgets!

We have never had the fridge/freezer type units, just the standard that comes with RVs or a Coleman AC/DC.

I am sure someone can direct you to the info that you need to set up and I'll just look forward to seeing it in one of your youtube videos!

[Cosmo]

Thank You Cathy!
I guess I am a gadget guy. I love the Enigmatic Nomadic videos. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_W_E5 ... BTg/videos


I hope to camp with those people in a few years when I retire. They look like a fun crew and I will learn a lot.
The Camp-Inn teardrop forum is another good resource. http://www.campinnforum.com/community/

I actually plan on using the fridge when I retire and go out to BLM lands to visit the Cheap RV gang. I want to try and live a week without going to town (and still eating pretty well), I would use the freezer to freeze the food! Right now I am just using the Coalman 48 quart cooler with a Reflectix coat (which seems to work pretty good).

Regards
-Cosmo

[mustangcats]

I just bought a Truckfridge TF49 this summer and posted my comments about it in this thread viewtopic.php?f=30&t=66341 The TF49 is a front opening refrigerator with a small freezer. The size is 49 liters (approx. 1.73 cubic feet). I use a group 31 marine/deep cycle battery that is advertised at 105 ah. Truckfridge states that the average power consumption is about 2.5 amps per hour. I'm certain these tests were done in far more favorable conditions than you will most likely encounter in the real world. My experience, as stated in the above thread, is that when the ambient air temperature went up...so did the length of time the refrigerator ran. Even though my refrigerator is not vented to the outside, I doubt if that would really make that much difference when the outside temperature is 100 and the inside temperature is 90+. I have read that others with the portable 12v refrigerators try to keep them in a shady location and covered with a blanket ( don't block any air vents), to help improve performance. My take on all of this is that unless you can keep the ambient air temperature around 70 degrees, then the ratings given by the manufacturer are meaningless.

[lrrowe]

I have the top loading TF51 which I got for $150 off and free shipping while part of another forum's group buy.
I love it. Two weekends ago in high 80 degree temps, running off of 120v AC, located in the back of my CT behind barn doors, not air conditioned, I used it strickly asma freezer and it did a great job. It has it usages and I recommend it.

[daveesl77]

Well, I have a 3.3 cu ft, cheap Haier 120v dorm fridge. In my test last year, with the outside temps in the 90s, using a 6 year old Mopar truck battery and a 2000 watt Centek inverter plus my 50 watt Aleko solar panel, I ran the fridge for 14 hours straight before the battery dropped to 11.9 volts. I had precooled the fridge the night before on AC. No air conditioning in the trailer, doors closed but wiley windows open. Inside cabin temp was about 90. Florida and high humidity. Fridge temp set to maintain 34 F.

The fridge cost less than $100, the inverter was about $80 and the battery came from a neighbor several years ago. The solar panel/controller came from Amazon for about $90. I've not tested with a "modern" and true deep cycle, high amperage battery, but I know it would do very, very well. When traveling, we use the tow vehicle to charge the battery and keep the fridge down to about 28 F. Just another thought on a system that works very well and doesn't cost a fortune.

dave

[lrrowe]

It is good to save money Dave, that is for sure. In addition to my TF51, I also have a $75 (scratch and dent) 3.3 CF dorm type fridge. It is a ease of use convenience my wife wanted. I have considered the inverter route and maybe later I might pursue it.
The TF51 also serves another use and that is to fit in the back seat of my F150 Crew Cab for extended trips. I not sure what the test results will be. I am sure it will function fine, but I wonder about the hassle versus just staying with an ice cooler.

[Cosmo]

I like them both. I am still trying to figure out how much food I want the fridge to hold.

Bob
The TF51 looks very much like a Dometic. I wonder if it is made by them.

Dave
Great idea. I will start calculating. Do you know the amp draw or watt draw of the fridge?


Thanks so much
-Cosmo

[Esteban]

I'll buy an ac/dc fridge freezer to use on a slide-out shelf under the counter top of my galley. To power the fridge/freezer, LED lights, etc. I'll have a 160 watt solar panel mounted on the roof to charge a 100-125AH battery. To maximize the electrical harvest from the solar panel I'll probably buy a Victron-Energy-MPPT-7515-Solar-Charge-Controller which should harvest 10-30% more power than a lower cost PWM charge controller would.

I had been favoring an ARB37 fridge/freezer...if I could afford one. Cost $767.95

Or possibly a lower priced TruckFridge TF41. Cost $520.00

Now I have my eye on a Dometic CFX50US. Cost $597.99

Dometic Waeco Coolfreeze Portable Compressor Fridge a fridge that is sturdy, packed full of features. Waeco have come up with a new fridge/freezer range that can endure the harshest of conditions. It provides extreme cooling performance whilst still being energy efficient. There is a generous internal capacity with substantial insulation thickness. These fridge/freezers have strong latches, hinges and drop down handles as well as a genuine Waeco compressor.

Storage: 1.8 cu. ft - 53 Quarts
Dimensions (H x W x D): 17.9" x 18.5" x 28.5"

The Dometic CFX50US costs considerably less than an ARB37, has much more storage capacity, and will easily fit under my counter top. At 17.9" tall a CFX50US will easily fit in a slide-out drawer under the 19.25" lower edge of my counter top. Overall it seems to be the best buy for my needs and available galley space. We can probably carry enough additional frozen and/or refrigerated food to camp for several more days than we could with a smaller ARB37. Win/win!

If I bought a similar capacity (about 50 liters) ARB or TruckFridge they are both built too tall to fit in my galley and would considerably increase the cost too. So buying a bigger ARB or TruckFridge isn't a viable option.

[Cosmo]

For internal space I spent a while calculating how much space the ice takes up. For a weekend – not that much. But for a longer trip it adds up. I had glued Reflectix on my 48 quart $18 Coleman cooler. On the last to to Maine I was able to get 5 almost 6 days our of block Ice which consumed about half the space in the cooler. The temps were in the mid 70s in the day and low 60s during the day.

The Engel 40 quart (gets rave reviews on Amazon) dimensions are 25 x 15.5 x 18.5 inches (with the handles removed); 48 pounds. Engle gets rave reviews and is a low energy consumption unit. I think it also draws 1.75 amps average with a low duty cycle. https://www.amazon.com/Engel-MR040F-U1- ... _pC_nS_ttl


Engle makes several different sizes too. The 34 quart measures External Dimensions: (LxWxH) 25.5" x 14.3" x 16" (Excludes Handles = 1.5" adds Each end). Weight: 60 lbs. https://www.amazon.com/Engel-Portable-T ... el+freezer

I am thinking one solution for me is to park the fridge in the car then haul it out and put it on a table with power coming from the trailer for off grid situations.

The slide out is a great to have but costs space too. These units are about 60 pounds and I guess hauling that in and out would be a pain in no time.

In anticipation I picked up two 100 watt thin flexible solar panels https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017O ... UTF8&psc=1

and a Flexcharge PV14 14 amp controller/ http://www.flexcharge.com/PV14.html
The PV14 is sealed in epoxy and really reliable. Uses Pulse Charge which is very easy on the battery. http://www.flexcharge.com/Charging-Algo ... ained.html

I am still trying to figure out battery capacity for off grid. In a treeless area - no problem with what I have. Trees and clouds may be a different story.


-Cosmo