Nest Refrigerator

[xmeneric]

Hi Everyone,

I'm seriously considering the purchase of a Nest. We have thinned our selection down to a Nest or a Little Guy Max. One thing that we really like about the Max is is 3 way fridge. I was told by an Airstream rep months ago that the Nest refrigerator will run off batteries for 4 days. This would be great if it is realistic, as we can run a generator at night to top the batteries back up.

I know in my current refrigerator (Dutcmen T@B 2007), running on batteries can only really work while I'm towing the trailer. If I tried to run on batteries while dry camping, the battery would be dead in less than an hour.

Any real world tests out there from current owners concerning claims about the fridge running for 4 days on DC?

Thanks!
xmeneric

[overlander63]

There are two batteries, and the fridge has a 12v compressor driven system. That system is much more efficient than a 12v heating element.

[xmeneric]

Overlander63,

I entirely understand that, conceptually. But, before making a purchase of a $45,000 camper, I would like to understand if anyone has any real world tests on it.

xmeneric

[buzzkill58]

I just purchased a Nest and still going through all the manuals. I am also curious how long the fridge will run off the batteries. I am planning on testing it, I will post the results when I get a chance.

[xmeneric]

Thanks Buzzkill58.... Looking forward to hearing back! Thank you!

[RandyNH]

While I don't have a Nest nor a Norcold (Thetford) T1090, I do have a compressor fridge (slightly larger) with the same danfoss compressor setup. It is rated for a 4.5 amp draw and would have a 50% duty cycle. Through normal use, you should see a 60-75 amp hour drawdown of the battery per day (approx 20-25 overnight) this model has a night mode so you may be able to get slightly lower numbers.

[xmeneric]

RandyNH,

Thanks for the information. Seems like I would only be able to run the fridge for one day, given what you've said? Forgive my ignorance. I'm sure I can do 10 mins of reading to completely understand how long the fridge could operate based on your answer, but for some reason I just haven't admitted to myself yet that this is something I need to know. lol

xmeneric

[Bakerkids]

Originally Posted by xmeneric

I know in my current refrigerator (Dutcmen T@B 2007), running on batteries can only really work while I'm towing the trailer. If I tried to run on batteries while dry camping, the battery would be dead in less than an hour.

I, too, own a 2007 T@B. I have the 12v fridge and I can camp a weekend on battery. If your battery healthy? I usually turn it off during the night, and don't run other 12v items. I use string battery lights.

[xmeneric]

I have the 3 way fridge in my T@B. Far less efficient on battery than your 2 way.

Anyway ....has anyone had the chance to put the nest refrigerator to a real-life test on battery for a couple of days?

xmeneric

[Scoldini]

I own a 2019 Airstream Nest. We just took it out for it's maiden voyage this past weekend.

I'm afraid I can't verify that the refrigerator will run for 4 days on 12 volt DC power, as we hooked up to shore power at the park we stayed at.

But, I did turn on the refrigerator the night before we left to cool it down for our trip. The battery was reading 12.2 volts when I turned on the refrigerator in the evening and it was reading 12.0 volts the next morning when we were getting ready to leave. I had it running in "night mode" which runs more efficiently.

So, I would say it really might be possible to run it for 4 days on DC power, depending on how hot it is.

The refrigerator is a Norcold 12 volt only refrigerator.

[xmeneric]

Thank you! And you weren't plugged in at home, correct?

Thanks again!

[Scoldini]

Correct. No shore power - just running off the batteries. I was running it on a setting of 3 (out of 5) in night mode. The refrigerator is very quiet and although it looks pretty small, it actually holds a pretty good quantity of stuff.

[Clarke318]

Have only owned the Nest for a few days but absolutely love it and the excellent follow up by Airstream. I will begin to report on it moving forward.
FYI it tows beautifully behind my 2019Jeep Grand Cherokee with the 6 cylinder engine. Trucks passing do not affect it. It's a standard hitch setup and I tow it between 62-65 mph. Can't wait to get it on the road. More later.

[Rknobbe]

We have a 2019 Airstream Nest. We have dry camped in it with the fridge and furnace running overnight with no issues. Used a solar battery charger during the day. Battery never dropped below 12.0V

[Glass Stream]

Hi. I have about 10 trips under the belt dry camping with my Nest and I'm fairly certain it uses about 30Ah per 24h day. That includes some fairly warm air temperatures in southern California deserts. I use a 120 W portable solar panel to easily replenish the amp hours daily.

[Glass Stream]

So 30 Ah/day would be about 3 days of dry camping with the stock Nest batteries, which have a 50% drawdown of about 85 Ah.

John

[Tyathensga]

does the fridge accumulate ice on the back wall? have you joined nest airstream owners and lovers on facebook?

[Glass Stream]

Originally Posted by Tyathensga

does the fridge accumulate ice on the back wall? have you joined nest airstream owners and lovers on facebook?

Hi. No ice on the back wall. There is a refrigerator-wide plastic trough that catches water running down the back wall, and there is sometimes water in it.

As to Facebook, it never dawned on me to sign up for a Nest page, but I will. The pace of Facebook posts is a little faster than I ordinarily go. Best..

[Nesty19]

Originally Posted by xmeneric

I have the 3 way fridge in my T@B. Far less efficient on battery than your 2 way.

Anyway ....has anyone had the chance to put the nest refrigerator to a real-life test on battery for a couple of days?

xmeneric

... our fridge lasts for 48 hours max dry camping/boondocking.

[BeSerious]

In case you haven’t seen it, there’s an interesting thread about the 2020 Caravels coming with 12v Refrigerators like the one in the NEST.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f425...-s-202565.html

As part of that disscusion I posted some amp measurements that I made on the NORCOLD N1090 in our NEST, which you may find useful in estimating the limits to boon docking with a stock NEST.

To summarize…
* The amps used by the NORCOLD N1090 is the same wether or not it is hooked up to shore power.
* The fridge in a NEST running at a 25% duty cycle (with no other electrical usage) would draw down the 2 stock group 24 Interstate 12v batteries to a safe cutoff level in roughly 4 days. So a practical limit to boon-docking in a stock NEST in mild weather with fully charged batteries and very conservative electrical usage is probably 3 days. For more details…

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f425...ml#post2305930

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f425...ml#post2306171