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Old 04-03-2016, 11:31 AM   #21
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has anyone used a kill-a-watt meter to find the daily power usage of a dorm size fridge?

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Old 04-03-2016, 11:45 AM   #22
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4.5 cf and 200w solar to 4 100ah agm to 2000w inv.

I start the gen twice per day to get water hot but only run for about 1/2 hr and my charger is 15a.

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Old 04-03-2016, 12:17 PM   #23
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has anyone used a kill-a-watt meter to find the daily power usage of a dorm size fridge?
I have both, but have never used the kill-a-watt on this fridge, as I simply do not have the battery bank currrently to run 24-7......so, I ice down my groceries/beer during the peak solar(I can make ice in about 2 hours) and let the ice keep the fridge cool till the next morning. I only have one AGN battery now, and keep the fridge on a timer running from 10am-3pm

Works great so far
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Old 06-06-2016, 10:02 PM   #24
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The ammonia absorption refrigerators, running on either propane or electric, are MUCH less efficient than a newer conventional electric refrigerator.

If reduced energy consumption is your goal I would look seriously at the small electric chest freezer conversion and plenty of solar.
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Old 06-06-2016, 10:23 PM   #25
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My 4.5 cf electric fridge kill-a-watts at .8a running and about 3 times that for starting. The label on the device shows 1.5a running.

I'm running it through a Xantrex 2000.
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Old 04-07-2018, 01:31 PM   #26
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Looking into fridge options too

Question...with a chest freezer or a new Whynter Electric are there any venting requirements?

I’m trying to design my system to be 12v for everything except my air conditioner and outlets for appliances etc. Ideally the fridge would be on the battery system and possibly a water heater too.

A portable Honda generator and a shore power connection would allow for AC options.
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Old 04-07-2018, 09:10 PM   #27
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Any fridge is going to produce some heat making cold. How much? Good question...and it depends on the unit, but most should have some kind of exhaust to send it outdoors unless you have cause to hold it in (like arctic camping).
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Old 04-10-2018, 05:51 PM   #28
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I've got a 15 cu ft fridge (AC) that I can run on my 1400 w inverter.
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Old 04-11-2018, 11:27 AM   #29
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I have a neighbor that uses an Igloo 7.5 cu/ft fridge off of solar in his workshop / shed / man cave.

Been chugging along for several years out there no issues. It's the model I am considering for my build. Not terribly expensive, average seems to be about $300.00, and obviously has no issues running on solar...
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Old 04-11-2018, 12:16 PM   #30
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I'm looking at getting the Dometic CFX-95DZUS:

https://www.dometic.com/en/se/produc...-95dzw-_-64087

The Whynter brand many people have reported runs louder then the Dometic. I don't want to hear it camping out in nature.
Dometic also allows you to have AC and DC plugged in at the same time and it will choose AC as the primary.
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Old 04-11-2018, 09:22 PM   #31
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I like the ARB 12v refrigerator/freezers. Pricey, but they seem to be designed really well.
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Old 04-15-2018, 08:42 PM   #32
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It seems like more and more people are using apartment refrigerators and running them through the inverter. This seems like a real advantage in terms of price/ease of building and design.

Anyone hear have anything to say about this?
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Old 04-15-2018, 09:29 PM   #33
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It seems like more and more people are using apartment refrigerators and running them through the inverter. This seems like a real advantage in terms of price/ease of building and design.

Anyone hear have anything to say about this?
It works. It's cheap. A dedicated inverter turned on by the fridge thermostat will cut your power use considerably if you like to tinker with such things. Or just plug every thing in and go camping.
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Old 04-15-2018, 09:32 PM   #34
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It seems like more and more people are using apartment refrigerators and running them through the inverter. This seems like a real advantage in terms of price/ease of building and design.

Anyone hear have anything to say about this?
Be aware of the power budget requirement, and plan for it.

Most of the new ones run around 75W on a duty-cycle. Budget 30% in summer, 25% in winter.

So at 110V that would be 180 to 200 Amp hours per 24 hours from your stored power. Some will be a bit less than that depending on the insulation in the bus.

With 4 x 225 amp hour batteries you have 450 useable amp hours.

Any solar or a small generator could mean unlimited boondocking with a fridge like that.
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Old 04-15-2018, 09:37 PM   #35
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Be aware of the power budget requirement, and plan for it.



Most of the new ones run around 75W on a duty-cycle. Budget 30% in summer, 25% in winter.



So at 110V that would be 180 to 200 Amp hours per 24 hours from your stored power. Some will be a bit less than that depending on the insulation in the bus.



With 4 x 225 amp hour batteries you have 450 useable amp hours.



Any solar or a small generator could mean unlimited boondocking with a fridge like that.


Great info. Thx Twigg!
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Old 04-22-2018, 05:02 PM   #36
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We converted a small chest freezer (33"L x 22"w x 24"H, $30 on craigslist) into a fridge with a cheap $20 thermostat controller from Amazon.
This sounds great! Technically, how do you rig the thermostat to the freezer to get it to do what you want?
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Old 04-22-2018, 05:25 PM   #37
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This sounds great! Technically, how do you rig the thermostat to the freezer to get it to do what you want?
https://www.newlifeonahomestead.com/convert-chest-freezer-to-fridge-solar/
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Old 04-24-2018, 08:15 PM   #38
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Have been following this thread, and just bought from Lowe's a Frigidaire 4.5 cf fridge. It claims 75 watts power useage, and about 30% duty cycle in a 70 degree room. We stayed in a small cabin a few weeks ago and they had one like it, and it was sooo quite. Guess I need to find a good inverter now. I have one but it is noisy and uses a lot of power just being turned on.
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Old 04-24-2018, 08:42 PM   #39
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It is all what you want..
Our dometic, norcold style under counter fridge take 2.2 Amp at 12 volt , Not sure about the duty cycle because that depends on the outside temperature. But these fridge are better insulated then your average Lowes fridge.
Most of them use a Danfoss DB35 compressor that is designed with efficiency in mind.
Most inverters are not that efficient at partially load. To start a 120VAC apartment fridge you need a 600 to 800 watt inverter that can take care of the inrush current, so when it is running your inverters load is at 10%.
Check your inverters efficiency at 10 % load ... You will need about twice the solar power/ battery capacity / charge controller to go that route.

Good luck,
later J
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Old 04-25-2018, 09:06 PM   #40
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Did a little testing today with the fridge. 1000 watt Zantrex inverter is starting the fridge ok. Need to set it up with bigger wire and a proper connection. Just small alligater clips with 12 gauge wire at the moment. Ok I can hear screaming already... rememeber just testing. Running all day, rainy day, battery voltage was staying steady. This is off harbor freight 45 watt panels. Yes the voltage dropped while the compressor was running and recovered in the off duty cycle. Only one battery in the battery compartment right now too. There is no way this would work overnight , but at least gives me an idea of power needs.The plan is for 4 batteries, and at least 200 watts of solar.
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