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Subject Topic: Dometic fridge on 12v
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21/6/2017 at 9:55am
 Location: Derbyshire
 Outfit: Elddis accordo Motorhome
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Changed my mind again I've ordered a single 150w panel, easier to fit but will have to go at the back of the van. Should provide 8 amps in Spain, I mean how much do you need for a 2 amp freezer lol. I'm going to try and fit some extra insulation round the freezer, maybe foam in foil bubble wrap to reduce compressor run time.

How are you getting on with your fridge ideas insiorc?


21/6/2017 at 7:22pm
 Location: None Entered
 Outfit: Swift Conqueror 650 LUX 2003
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Maybe a 2A freezer, but the 8A charge has lost 2A for the daytime freezer use too, presumably along with your phones/tablets charging and whatever else you use on 12v. Hopefully in Spain it'll perform better and give plenty charge for the next nights battery drain. I'm thinking your 8A from 150W panel is due to heat, non perfect positioning etc., just an average 'likely' value?
When thinking about solar output I often forget that where I live (drive fully north, then swim a little - 59N) we get almost 24hr daylight in summer, although not all useable sun for solar. I'd expect that Spain will have much less sun hours, although more strength (although my house solar panels top out most days for a long time)

How am I getting on? Erm, not good, not good at all as I feel a little silly in that I don't have an RM7271 at all, it's an RM6291 I have... . I'd taken note of the 7271 as my friend had been looking at buying a caravan with one in and I'd wrote all the component details down for him, hence my confusion. It's basically the same except controlled differently but can't be converted for AES, or at least not with an available conversion kit.
I'd also forgot that the whole reason for my getting solar was the caravan has a mover, so I thought if I drained the battery getting the caravan into somewhere, at least it can charge to hopefully get me back out, even if I have to abandon it a day or two to allow charge. As it is, I actually never use the mover as it's so slow (single mover on a twin axle - terrible twist on tyres during turning which then causes mover/tyre slip, and it's so slow the beers start warming too much). I'm pretty competent at reversing so just do that. But I still need to consider keeping the battery ready for this.

So at the moment after your suggestion I've looked into a fridge replacement for compressor type - too expensive for the benefits as I'd still need to upgrade solar/battery.Not yet completely ruled out though.

But for the RM6291 with existing setup, a 10Ah drain gives me approx 5 to 6 hours with no solar (keeping within battery happy limits), or extended depending on how sunny it is as the panel could cover the fridge drain (I doubt it'd cover fully except during a couple of hours around lunchtime due to the panel lying flat). And if this fridge does cut out on thermostat then this could significantly prolong my battery run time.
So I need to figure how much actual 12V power the fridge consumes over a given daytime period, tested once already at temperature via 240V and calculate from there as nights are usually cooler, but it'd allow for worst case. I’ve a 20A 12V output near the fridge so easy to rig up a test – just installed last month for my Waeco MC01 coffee maker, another battery drain I’d forgot about….
Then I'll know if it's feasible for a 2nd panel with single battery, additional battery or whatever. Maybe it'd be best paralleling batteries.
If it's looking good but borderline then I can easily build a battery monitoring circuit which would trigger a buzzer or something telling me to switch over, but that's not ideal, I could see that getting tiresome after a fill of beers.
And the gas savings, I think I read my fridge uses about 240g per day so that's 3 weeks sole fridge use on a 6kg bottle, it'd take forever to repay any extra installation costs. But savings isn't always my priority.
Unfortunately I’m one of these creatures that when I find a problem I don’t like letting it beat me.



21/6/2017 at 8:09pm
 Location: Midlands
 Outfit: Mondeo Avondale Gram
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120W heater on the fridge = a 10amp drain.

How many hours will the battery be off charge? How will it cope with a constant 10amp load?

I would want a minimum or 2 decent brand 110Ah batteries to run a load that big. A single battery may not like it.

Leisure batteries are designed for small loads and to be kept topped up.

Your going to be draining and charging above the average usage level. You may need to topup the electrolyte quite often. Or risk buckling the plates in the battery.





21/6/2017 at 8:33pm
 Location: Derbyshire
 Outfit: Elddis accordo Motorhome
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Yes 8a just an average likely amount.
Your 240g per day fridge gas usage is the same as mine.
Have you got refillable gas bottles? I calculated our 3 way fridge would use about £9 worth of gas a month and the fridges work better/colder on gas.


21/6/2017 at 8:50pm
 Location: None Entered
 Outfit: Swift Conqueror 650 LUX 2003
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Quote: Originally posted by Grampian91 on 21/6/2017

I would want a minimum or 2 decent brand 110Ah batteries to run a load that big. A single battery may not like it.

Leisure batteries are designed for small loads and to be kept topped up.

Your going to be draining and charging above the average usage level. You may need to topup the electrolyte quite often. Or risk buckling the plates in the battery.




Yes valid points, I keep getting in my head that the solar would be offsetting the drain load, but of course not after sunset.

It's a Numax CXV35MF which is listed for deep-cycling and starting, but I guess this may not include continuous 10A drain. It was chosen as was the biggest to fit in the hole, and suitable for a mover.
2 in parallel should handle 5A load each without too much stress? Assuming no other loads, that would give 12 straight hours, I’d put a ban on opening the fridge door during darkness to retain the chill.        !!! That would hamper the beers….


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21/6/2017 at 8:52pm
 Location: None Entered
 Outfit: Swift Conqueror 650 LUX 2003
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Quote: Originally posted by fleck2 on 21/6/2017
Your 240g per day fridge gas usage is the same as mine.
Have you got refillable gas bottles? I calculated our 3 way fridge would use about £9 worth of gas a month and the fridges work better/colder on gas.



Aren't all gas bottles refillable... plenty youtube's say they are
Unfortunately where I live there is no gas other than bottles, a garage did go to the expense of installing one but got ripped out due to lack of use.


22/6/2017 at 6:35pm
 Location: None Entered
 Outfit: Swift Conqueror 650 LUX 2003
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I've overlooked a few things with getting focused on the fridge loads and changeover etc.
I appreciate the prompts.

On further digging on the Numax CXV35MF I see the 120Ah is calculated by a 6A load over 20 hours. While a 10A load isn't likely to cause any harm whatsoever, it will reduce the battery capacity to less than 120Ah.

Also the battery charge rate, which with a 120Ah battery and aiming for ideal max of 10% then the 150W panel at peak will deliver 12.5A - close enough to 10%, and is why I chose the original 150W size. But this reminds me that if fitting another 150W panel in parallel then it'd be best with a 2nd battery in parallel (series connected panels would be better for longer charging hours, especially where I live with the longer daylight but the CTek D250S cannot take the increased voltage).

My initial reasons for not wanting to parallel the batteries was thinking if the (mistaken) RM7271 fridge could be converted to AES then it'd only be a few hours through the night running on gas, especially if the 12V is thermostatically switched. This would leave my existing system independent. But I now know I have a manual changeover RM6291.
Also battery cable sizes, although possible space ways it's not ideal to fit the 2 batteries beside each other as it's to the front of the axles therefore increased noseweight, so I'd hoped to fit a 2nd in a locker behind the axles on the opposite side. Still possible but much longer cables so sizes go up to overcome Volt metre losses. Also cross connecting the caravan load cables adds cable length.

As I'm sure anyone reading this already knows, the costs for gained benefit is looking less attractive. My dream of free chilling for beers is starting to look less likely
But I'm a stubborn and don't like to give up too easily.


22/6/2017 at 7:03pm
 Location: Derbyshire
 Outfit: Elddis accordo Motorhome
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My 150w panel came today. Just plugged it into my old controller and it was putting in 3amps while overcast, well pleased with that. Later on I plugged it in again when the sun came out and it went straight up to 8.5 amps but the battery is fully charged so it didn't stay there for long. Picking my new mppt controller up tonight :)


22/6/2017 at 7:09pm
 Location: Derbyshire
 Outfit: Elddis accordo Motorhome
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Quote: Originally posted by insiorc on 22/6/2017
I've overlooked a few things with getting focused on the fridge loads and changeover etc.
I appreciate the prompts.

On further digging on the Numax CXV35MF I see the 120Ah is calculated by a 6A load over 20 hours. While a 10A load isn't likely to cause any harm whatsoever, it will reduce the battery capacity to less than 120Ah.

Also the battery charge rate, which with a 120Ah battery and aiming for ideal max of 10% then the 150W panel at peak will deliver 12.5A - close enough to 10%, and is why I chose the original 150W size. But this reminds me that if fitting another 150W panel in parallel then it'd be best with a 2nd battery in parallel (series connected panels would be better for longer charging hours, especially where I live with the longer daylight but the CTek D250S cannot take the increased voltage).

My initial reasons for not wanting to parallel the batteries was thinking if the (mistaken) RM7271 fridge could be converted to AES then it'd only be a few hours through the night running on gas, especially if the 12V is thermostatically switched. This would leave my existing system independent. But I now know I have a manual changeover RM6291.
Also battery cable sizes, although possible space ways it's not ideal to fit the 2 batteries beside each other as it's to the front of the axles therefore increased noseweight, so I'd hoped to fit a 2nd in a locker behind the axles on the opposite side. Still possible but much longer cables so sizes go up to overcome Volt metre losses. Also cross connecting the caravan load cables adds cable length.

As I'm sure anyone reading this already knows, the costs for gained benefit is looking less attractive. My dream of free chilling for beers is starting to look less likely
But I'm a stubborn and don't like to give up too easily.



You're going for brute force over efficiency :) Personally I would get a compressor unit, you could keep the 3 way fridge for hook up and buy a compressor coolbox. I think mine was about €250




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