Any data on daily usage for refrigerators?

[Zerpersande]

I’m currently looking at several fridges all with Max/Eco wattages of 40 to 80W. But my plan is to set the fridge so it is ‘mini ally cool’ around 40F/4C. That means it won’t run constantly. What would be an average daily usage for some place like the middle of the Eastern seaboard of the US, say Va/DC? I want to make sure my 100Ahr battery with 525W of solar panels can keep up.

 

[bullfrog !]

You didn’t tell us whether it is a lithium or lead acid battery. Is the refrigerator the only thing that will be drawing power? Solar panels only work when the sun is out. Will you have another source of emergency charging? How many days will you need to go without charging is the main consideration when in areas that are cloudy for long periods and the size of the battery bank and number of amps that are usable becomes the issue. Generally 600 watts of solar and 200 amp hours of battery bank is enough especially if using lithium. Being able to plug into the grid if necessary when you first start using the system allows you to insure it will work for you if you build your system to be expandable as most people don’t want to carry a generator and fuel. In my opinion there are only 3 good ways to charge batteries, solar, grid or generator. Using the vehicle’s alternator is fine if you are moving at freeway speeds for at least 4 hours a day as well but few do. I have been against using power stations until recently as the lithium ones prices have come down and the warranty periods have gotten longer. Something more expensive but that you should consider as you will find most likely you will need more power storage capacity and batteries take up space and lead acid is heavy. I have been very pleased the last few months with the Delta II power station I bought a few months ago after reading others experiences. Many Australian videos favor using a power station alone 3 days to power their 12 volt refrigerators and charge with a few 100 watts of solar while on longer trips.

 

[jonyjoe303]

My joytutu 26 liter 12 volt fridge uses about 19 amps during a 24 hour period, I have it set to 36F. But it can use even more if its real hot inside my van, I seen it go up to about 40 amps in very hot weather when I first got it.
But one thing I did figure out was if I vent the fridge compressor to the outside of the van, the inside of the van stays cooler and the fridge will also run less. I had it 3 years and I average about 20 amps use per day. I also have a 365 watt panel 312ah battery bank.
525 watts solar and 100ah battery should be more than enough to run it even in the hottest weather. I use to run a edgestar 43 liter fridge with a 120 watt panel and 75ah agm battery. I ran it 24/7 for years, the only problem in cloudy days the solar wouldnt charge up the battery enough and the fridge would shut down at night but the fridge kept cool until the AM when the sun came back up and started to run it again.

 

[FlipperFla]

When I upgraded my galley and went with a larger fridge, a 4.5 cu ft Danby. Which is one of the few energy star rated small “Dorm” fridges. To dissipate the heat from the compressor and outside walls. I mounted 24volt cooling fans on the compressor and one on the outside wall on the cabinet side. Running the 24 volt fans on 12 volts slows them down about 50% so they don’t wiz and barely push air, sort of like you were blowing very softly. You cannot hear them run at all. They draw minimal current somewhere around .015 amps. The larger fan on the compressor keeps it cool enough to touch so it should also extend the compressors life. The fan on the sidewall dissipates the heat much faster than normal convection making the fridge aprox 20-30% more efficient. One thing I always noticed was the food in the back where the cooling plate is located was always much colder than the food in the front at the door. So I mounted a very small 24v mini fan back at the cooling plate the blows the air from the back of the plate very gently to the front of the fridge keeping the food in the front much colder. Also a small digital aquarium thermometer inside so I can accurately monitor the temp. The fans upped the efficiency BIG TIME! for very little investment.
Living in Florida this really extended our battery life where cabin temp in summer runs well over 100 degrees constantly.

 

[wayne49]

For a Danby, and other absorption fridges, the warranty is voided at temps above 85F. If it is working for you and staying cool, that's good.

Fridges, even compressor fridges, can run a range of temps during 24 hours. Setting the temp at 40F, you could see temps above 41F, which is the upper limit of safe refrigeration.

I set my Whynter 45qt at 33F, and I see internal temps (separate temp monitor inside the fridge) ranging from 32F to 36F.

 

[FlipperFla]

For a Danby, and other absorption fridges, the warranty is voided at temps above 85F. If it is working for you and staying cool, that's good.

Fridges, even compressor fridges, can run a range of temps during 24 hours. Setting the temp at 40F, you could see temps above 41F, which is the upper limit of safe refrigeration.

I set my Whynter 45qt at 33F, and I see internal temps (separate temp monitor inside the fridge) ranging from 32F to 36F.

I really didn’t care about the warranty, the Danby it replaced that was the small model was in the van for over 10 years and was surprisingly still working when I replaced it. It was just too small. Plus the cost difference for a RV or Marine fridge I could buy 2. The new one has been working great for over a year now and so much nicer with the added space. I run it at 2:00 on the thermostat and that keeps everything @ 34.

 

[Zerpersande]

You didn’t tell us whether it is a lithium or lead acid battery.

Lithium

Is the refrigerator the only thing that will be drawing power?

Nope. In the summer I have an Eenour AC that draws about 50W. Not sure how that is going to work though. Other than that, lighting.

Solar panels only work when the sun is out. Will you have another source of emergency charging?

Looking at a generator.

Generally 600 watts of solar and 200 amp hours of battery bank is enough especially if using lithium.

So I’m ‘generally‘ okay with my 100Ahr battery since it’s 24V. To me, having a system that at least has the potential to be adequate is encoraging.

In my opinion there are only 3 good ways to charge batteries, solar, grid or generator. Using the vehicle’s alternator is fine if you are moving at freeway speeds for at least 4 hours a day as well but few do.

I am of the exact same opinion. Gas is, and has been for a long time, running in the $5.00~5.50 range. If I’m going to rely on gas for charging I’ll buy a geberator.

I have been against using power stations until recently as the lithium ones prices have come down and the warranty periods have gotten longer.

If I can’t charge my current battery a power station won’t truly solve the problem. But maybe a power station with an additional dedicated solar array would do the trick .

 

[bullfrog !]

^^^Some thing else I’ve done recently is buy a 2500 watt dual fuel generator as I run a small 5,000 btu window style AC in summer and a 1500/700 watt ceramic heater in winter. I intend to use strictly propane when not on grid power. Since I still work seasonally and get a full hookup site I really haven’t been off grid enough to evaluate cost and convenience but unlike my previous gasoline generators I can store it with no concerns about fuel deterioration/damage.
I have two soon to be three base camps with older RVs on them even though I still travel some and still use lead acid batteries, the portability and easy integration of the Delta II power station has really paid off for me as I don’t have to modify or really do as much maintenance to meet my power demands.

 

[Zerpersande]

I intend to use strictly propane when not on grid power.

Propane is pretty much out for me. It’sbnotveasybto get avtank refilled herebin Japan. My current understanding is that you pretty much have it refilled from the place you bought the tank. That’s right, BOUGHT the tank. No quick swapping ‘empty for full’ at Walmart. Or taking it to a gas station to get it filled. I got one for a grill at my house and nobody wanted to sell me one.

 

[Zerpersande]

My joytutu 26 liter 12 volt fridge uses about 19 amps during a 24 hour period, I have it set to 36F. But it can use even more if its real hot inside my van, I seen it go up to about 40 amps in very hot weather when I first got it.

This was extremely helpful, thanks. With my 24V system that would be a 10~20% drain on my battery.

 

[Zerpersande]

When I upgraded my galley and went with a larger fridge, a 4.5 cu ft Danby. Which is one of the few energy star rated small “Dorm” fridges. To dissipate the heat from the compressor and outside walls. I mounted 24volt cooling fans on the compressor and one on the outside wall on the cabinet side.

I’ve also been thinking about venting, perhaps making a slide out shelf (I want a top loader) with the recess such that a foam liner isolates the exhaust area and a fan vents it. Additionally the insulated portion of the fridge is surrounded by insulating board to reduce heat loss.

 

[Zerpersande]

Fridges, even compressor fridges, can run a range of temps during 24 hours. Setting the temp at 40F, you could see temps above 41F, which is the upper limit of safe refrigeration.

Yeah, that’s why I chose 40F. The FDA guidelines are such that, if followed, you’re pretty much guaranteed safe. But you’ve probably noticed that expiration dates are pretty much gone now and have bern replaced with ‘Best if used by’ dates. If my fridge creeps up occasionally above 40F I’m not really worried. Any meats I buy will have a planned consumption. I might have some margarine, milk, mayo and processed cheese in there. After evaluating the space that commonly goes unused I might also try to take up any of that space with blue gel packs to serve as a thermal mass. Maybe turn the fridge down a smidge at night to cool that mass down. (Knowing me I’d forget to turn it back up at times so the ling term effectiveness of such a plan is questionable.)

 

[maki2]

The modern AC fridge units are tested and measured and have to state the energy use. They have been doing that for more than 20 years. You should be able to look it up using brand and the model number. That was part of the “energy star” program push to make refrigerators and air conditioners become more efficient in the energy crisis movement. The data is out there on the internet, seek and you will find it. Basic math to extract daily average from yearly average. But as weather has an influence and testing is done using a controlled environment at a specific average household temperature the average figure given is not going to be indicative of useage at the extremes of temperatures in Van life.

 

[Zerpersande]

The modern AC fridge units are tested and measured and have to state the energy use. They have been doing that for more than 20 years. You should be able to look it up using brand and the model number. That was part of the “energy star” program push to make refrigerators and air conditioners become more efficient in the energy crisis movement. The data is out there on the internet, seek and you will find it. Basic math to extract daily average from yearly average. But as weather has an influence and testing is done using a controlled environment at a specific average household temperature the average figure given is not going to be indicative of useage at the extremes of temperatures in Van life.

Perhaps I’ll search. I inquired with the Eenour company and they totally failed to understand my question. Plus that ‘have to’ probably depends on where you live. Not sure if Japan has such requirements.

I received one response that gave me what they were experiencing and that is pretty much the answer to my question. I wasted looking for exact data as I knew it would vary. Just a ballpark figure.

 

[Zerpersande]

It’sbnotveasybto get avtank refilled herebin Japan.

Wow, I really need to check and make sure the whacking that space bar had the desired effect. Single finger typing at speed seems to my hitting the ‘b’ and ‘v’ keys on the way to the space bar with whichever key got brushed canceling out the space bar.

 

[maki2]

Perhaps I’ll search. I inquired with the Eenour company and they totally failed to understand my question. Plus that ‘have to’ probably depends on where you live. Not sure if Japan has such requirements.

I received one response that gave me what they were experiencing and that is pretty much the answer to my question. I wasted looking for exact data as I knew it would vary. Just a ballpark figure.

The specs and an image of the yellow and black label showing the average yearly Kilowatt power consumption are right there in the specification section on the Amazon Listing for the Eenour fridge. You just need to look more carefully at the listings to see these things.

 

[Zerpersande]

The specs and an image of the yellow and black label showing the average yearly Kilowatt power consumption are right there in the specification section on the Amazon Listing for the Eenour fridge. You just need to look more carefully at the listings to see these things.

I’m currently on my phone so it’s a little difficult to scroll through the listing. I’ll check on my home computer when I get there. But are you sure we’re looking at the same listing? Here’s mine
https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/aw/d/B08ZCH2D94/ref=ox_sc_act_image_4?smid=A3GWKXTCNKAR67&psc=1

 

[maki2]

Yes I am very sure that I saw it on Amazon. Proof is below showing the black and yellow label. As I do not speak Japanese I do not go to Japanese websites. This is the same 32 liter unit you are looking at on Amazon in Japan. However the model number could be slightly different as it possibly would come with one style of electrical cord plug for the mains electrical in Japan versus the electrical cord needed in the USA. The 168 kwh is the number for this unit’s esttimated energy consumption. As previously stated this is from testing done in a controlled environment. Results may vary given the temperature ranges you use it in. I used a cell phone to obtain this information.

 

[FlipperFla]

The power in Japan is 100v @ 60hz and some places 50hz
U.S. is 120v @60hz

 

[maki2]

The units themselves are useable on a variety of power types, so they work both in Japan and the USA as well as in many other countries. The fridge itself will be the same other than perhaps decals in different languages and what cord is shipped with it. But those small changes create different numerical parts list which result in different stock numbers.