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Funster · 04-25-2019, 03:19 PM

Hello, all! I haven't boondocked with my 16' Bambi yet and will be going to Yosemite with it for the first time. We have a small 100 watt solar panel on top. Do you know if I can use my refrigerator in the gas mode without draining my battery? I'd most concerned about overnight without solar.

Thanks in advance for your comments and suggestions.

AlinCal · 04-25-2019, 03:24 PM

You sure can!
The refer 12v draw is minimal.
The heater on the other hand likely would drain the battery overnight.

Oregon Ms · 04-25-2019, 03:27 PM

Hi. I've never had a battery problem while using my fridge on propane boondocking. Should be a beautiful trip this time of year, have fun.

Len n Jeanne · 04-29-2019, 03:16 PM

One thing we do on long trips is fill the Bambi freezer with 3 of those blue ice pacs. To save on the battery fridge fan, we're apt to shut off the main battery switch during the day while we're away with the vehicle, and then turn the fridge on again at night. The fridge during the day effectively operates like a big, very well insulated picnic cooler, and the ice pacs stay solidly frozen for at least 24 hours. We've never had our ice cubes melt or food spoil with this system.

The hot water heater is also well insulated.

We also found that during warm weather, if the Bambi is well ventilated via windows, open door, and roof vents, that we don't have to turn on the stove fan, which seems to take a lot of battery.

We re-charge small appliances (cell phone, e-reader) either while driving or via a separate battery pac, vs. using the wall outlet inverter.

We don't have solar, but travel with 2 6-volt batteries, a generator, and a spare pair of fully charged batteries.

uncle_bob · 04-29-2019, 03:33 PM

Hi

The fridge should pull something in the vicinity of an amp. That comes out to 24 AH a day. Again these are rough numbers. If you are parked in the shade and get zip from the solar, that's a bit of energy. If the Bambi only has one battery you may have to watch what's going on. With two, you should be ok for a couple days.

If you are out in the sun, you should get about 5A (peak) out of the solar. In a reasonable location (zero shade) you should hit around 5 to 7 "peak hours" of sun. That would get you 25 to 35 AH into the battery. That's enough to keep up with the (guesstimate) 25AH for the fridge.

Yes, there's a lot of guessing going on there ....

Bob

rodo · 04-29-2019, 04:21 PM

The battery use is minimal for the fridge; it lights the propane when necessary.
Have fun!

**DKB_SATX** · 04-29-2019, 05:32 PM

The current draw of the fridge on 12v varies a bit by model. Some models have a "moisture control" heater that warms the front surfaces of the main part of the fridge (the areas where the door seals touch the body of the fridge when the doors are closed) and, while that is nice for keeping the fridge dry, it's a waste of electrical power when boondocking. Older fridges had a switch to turn this off, and I think some models don't have this "feature" at all, but for mine I had to install a switch between this heater and the control board to allow me to easily choose whether I wanted a dry fridge or better battery life. The link below is to a thread on the topic:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f425...ll-178278.html

Len n Jeanne · 04-30-2019, 01:55 PM

For us, the issue isn't the fridge itself, but the fridge fan. Ditto for the stove fan. Water pump when in use, probably.

gypsydad · 04-30-2019, 05:13 PM

Think your fine with the fridge. If your going to need heat, you should consider the drain from heater, so bring blankets this time of year and try not to use till you wake in morning, if you need it. Hot water and fridge should work without much draw. If you have 2 batteries, that's best. Should be able to go 2-3 days if operating normally. With solar, longer. You can always also plug into your TV and charge if you need help.

Funster · 05-03-2019, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Funster

Hello, all! I haven't boondocked with my 16' Bambi yet and will be going to Yosemite with it for the first time. We have a small 100 watt solar panel on top. Do you know if I can use my refrigerator in the gas mode without draining my battery? I'd most concerned about overnight without solar.

Thanks in advance for your comments and suggestions.

Well, we made it! And thanks to everyone that provided great suggestions. We ended up with a very nice site with shade (?) - which doesn't help with the solar. We made sure the pump, fans, and lights were on only when absolutely necessary. I think overnight temps were in the 40s so the heater wasn't needed. Thanks again!

AlinCal · 05-03-2019, 07:01 PM

Great 👍

Silvr_Bullet · 05-04-2019, 09:13 AM

I have used this to even out the temperature in the refrigerator, operates on 2 D Cell batteries for a month, it has an on and off switch, along with an sealed ice pack that I go from campers barn it’s about the size of a quart of milk in the fridge and then you can refreeze it in the units freezer over n’ over. Enjoy your adventure.