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Old 10-28-2018, 07:32 PM   #1
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Anyone Run a 110v Refrigerator off Solar?

Better than absorption or 12v compressor refrigeration and less costly? Maybe.
https://www.viavacavi.com/diy-hybrid...-on-the-cheap/
Run an small energy star refrigerator off it's own inverter sized properly to minimize e- loss.
The refrigerator thermostat switches on the inverter.
Of course solar location, refrigerator size, battery size and solar panel efficiency are factors.
Compared with the convenience of an ice chest, a winna?
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Old 10-28-2018, 10:04 PM   #2
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Anyone Run a 110v Refrigerator off Solar?

I sometimes run my Airstream’s Dometic fridge off of solar using 120v / inverted power. (My Victron multiplus inverter provides residential power through the trailer).

The fridge will draw 350watts when cooling. My 8 solar panels will produce 400watts on bad day / 800 watts peak when sunny. So sometimes I run off inverted 120v to save some propane. (I also enjoy the benefit of a 600ah battery bank)

Note that the fridge in the above link is tiny - just 3 cubic feet. I enjoy my more “residential” airstream fridge, which is 8cubic feet in my 2017 30’ international. The reason I mention is because the larger fridges will draw more power to cool.

We sometimes bring our 12v Engle fridge which is about 1.5 cubic feet (45 quarts), and use it as an extra freezer on trips. It is extremely efficient - it only draws ~2-2.5amps @12v / 25-30watts while cooling.
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Old 10-29-2018, 05:03 AM   #3
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An AC fridge is not more efficient than a 12V danfoss compressor fridge.

You have the basic loss of inverter and have you somehow configured your setup so that the inverter only comes on when the fridge needs to run, or did you calculate in that the inverter will be a drain on the batteries 24/7 so that the fridge doesn't die?

Read THIS
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Old 10-29-2018, 07:51 AM   #4
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wulf, you stated: “My 8 solar panels will produce 400 watts on bad day / 800 watts peak when sunny”. Could you clarify the time period this production? Oh now I see it says PEAK. Peak production rarely happens and usually doesn’t last very long.

My 400 watts of solar typically produces between 800 watts and 1200 watts per day. On a really bad day, I’ve gotten less than 100W with dark rain clouds and/or tree canopy. I’d love to use solar to run my fridge, but I do not have enough roof space for the required number of panels.

I use propane for refrigeration, heating, cooking and generator (microwave/air conditioning/backup battery charging). I typically use 15# of propane per week of boondocking. Using solar for refrigeration would lessen, but not eliminate, my need for propane.
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Old 10-29-2018, 10:58 AM   #5
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Propane at $3 a gal isn’t a bad deal over the efficiency of letting the refrigerator run It’s the furnace and hot h2o that I find kills it faster. May old airstream 30 classic 1996 actually came with a built in propane generator which I hardly ever use but it’s there if I need it. Propane is probably cheaper anywhere than here in California
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Old 10-29-2018, 11:22 AM   #6
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This can be done, sure.

For a mostly-stationary trailer, it probably is a decent result in terms of refrigeration for total cash outlay.

For a trailer that's moving a lot, I wouldn't want to put the hours into modifying a disposable Home Depot mini-fridge that's not designed for mobile use, and it's not likely to beat a Danfoss-based 12v fridge on efficiency.
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Old 10-29-2018, 08:09 PM   #7
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Our 5 cubic foot Tradewind fridge requires 180 watts to operate the heating element. We usually operate it on propane.

We sometimes travel with a 65 quart Dometic fridge/freezer (2.2 cubic feet). It takes about 50 watts to operate this and we have been able to do this fine with our two golf cart batteries and 200 watts of solar. We like the Dometic fridge but it was expensive ($800).

The appeal of a small dorm type fridge is the low cost. I suspect it will take more power to operate than the absorption fridge or a Dandoss compressor fridge but should work. You may need to increase the number of solar panels though. Like anything else, there is a cost trade off.

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Old 10-29-2018, 08:43 PM   #8
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Anyone Run a 110v Refrigerator off Solar?

Quote:
Originally Posted by AirMiles View Post
wulf, you stated: “My 8 solar panels will produce 400 watts on bad day / 800 watts peak when sunny”. Could you clarify the time period this production? Oh now I see it says PEAK. Peak production rarely happens and usually doesn’t last very long.

My 400 watts of solar typically produces between 800 watts and 1200 watts per day. On a really bad day, I’ve gotten less than 100W with dark rain clouds and/or tree canopy. I’d love to use solar to run my fridge, but I do not have enough roof space for the required number of panels.

I use propane for refrigeration, heating, cooking and generator (microwave/air conditioning/backup battery charging). I typically use 15# of propane per week of boondocking. Using solar for refrigeration would lessen, but not eliminate, my need for propane.


Daily energy production on a sunny day, mid summer, for my setup, is typically between 4kwh and 5.5kwh of total energy production. That’s between about 275ah and 375ah restored to the batteries if there are no loads. That’s with flat panels. The am solar panels and Victron mppt controller are surprisingly efficient!

Here’s a good real world example from July 2nd when I was camping in Rocky Mountain national park... I put back about 250ah into the batts on top of various draws including the always on multiplus 120v inverter, ice maker, music, microwave, etc... . Peak output was 620 watts in this example which was sustained for about 2 hours... but I regularly see higher sustained power output in the 700-800w range [emoji4]
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Old 10-29-2018, 08:53 PM   #9
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Here is a photo of the Dometic fridge and one of the two 80 watt panels that I use for charging the battery when I use it in my VW Golf.

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