Fridge / freezer what to buy

[wrcsixeight]

I can't read post# 19.<br><br>That power supply contains a 36 amp hour battery. For the dimensional footprint listed of that unit, one could get an AGM battery of at least 200 amp hours and power the fridge for nearly 6x as long. &nbsp;Including the height of that footprint, 400 amp hours of AGm battery, but it would also be 90 KG<br><br> &nbsp;There are some convenience bells and whistles and the "Up to 42 hours" should be taken with a large grain of salt. &nbsp;Perhaps it could when brand new &nbsp;fully charged &nbsp;preloaded with precooled items, and maintaining 42f interior temps with minimal door openings, the claim is feasible, best case scenario at the ambient temps stated. &nbsp;That would be consuming just over 1 a/h per hour which is reasonable.<br><br>Using it to deep freeze &nbsp;warm things placed within to 18F or lower would have to use 20 to 50% more juice. &nbsp; Sorry about the use of the Farenheit scale.<br><br>If you only plan on using the fridge on outings here and there overnight only, it will work just fine. &nbsp;If you are planning on Van dwelling long term your money would be better spent on larger batteries. &nbsp;You would be spending a lot for convenience, and I can not answer if it is worth it to you.<br><br>I have a few issues with some other claims in the product description. &nbsp;Stronger battery Acid degrades the plates faster, not slower. &nbsp;Voltage readings under load are not really indicative of state of charge with any accuracy so that is an expensive bell, or whistle. &nbsp;It appears to have a built in charger, but they do not say how long it takes to &nbsp;fully recharge it, but I suspect at least 12 hours and upto 24.<br><br>Not sure of the price of AGm batteries in Australia, but here in the states we could get 115 a/h of AGM for ~200$ without searching hard and 165$ if searching.<br><br>We can get ~ 232 amp hours of the highest quality &nbsp;Flooded Golf cart batteries available for 240$.<br><br>What kind of vehicle are you planning on using, how are you planning on using it? &nbsp;What other electrical loads will you need to power?<br>&nbsp;What are your abilities in terms of carpentry, wiring? &nbsp;How simple or complex are you planning on taking this, and for how long?<br><br>Are you willing to pay an Auto sparky to wire things up if you cannot do it yourself?<br><br><br>

 

[MaximumRide]

<span title="Offline">thanks for that wrcsixeight, ill have to look it over a few times to take it all in.<br><br>(and yes, the aussie dollar is stronger at the moment.)<br></span>

 

[MaximumRide]

I was considerig a caravan.<br><br>cant fix post 19.

 

[crazybill]

wrcsixeight, what is the make and model of battery monitor you use? I too have 200 watts of solar on the roof and roughly the same batteries as you. <br>-Bill-

 

[wrcsixeight]

My battery monitor is a Bluesky IPN pro Remote, which works in conjunction with the Bluesky 2512i charge controller. I wish I got the 2512ix model which has a battery temperature sensor to lower voltages in heat and raise them in the cold.<br><br>It allow me to change the acceptance voltage and duration and float voltage, which is nice and otherwise not adjustable.<br><br>It is not perfectly accurate but way better than guessing by voltage alone. &nbsp;It requires all the current flow through a large shunt on the (-) side. so requires rerouting the engine/frame/firewall to battery grounds to see alternator current.<br><br><br>

 

[wrcsixeight]

Max Ride,<br><br>Caravan up here means a Dodge Caravan, which is a MiniVan. &nbsp;I know down there it means a small to large travel trailer.<br><br>With these, due to distance and thin wiring, it is difficult to get the tow vehicle's alternator to make a significant contribution to caravan battery state of charge. &nbsp;Many choose to run an inverter off the engine battery to power a higher amp battery charger connected to the house batteries in these circumstances as voltage drop with AC electricity is not a big concern like with DC. &nbsp;This method however can be like robbing Peter(engine battery) to pay Paul (house battery) if the alternator cannot keep up with the demands of the inverter, and must be shut down with the engine.<br><br><br>The other option is to run much thicker cabling from alternator to an additional connector by the tow hitch, and then onto the house batteries. &nbsp;The stock wiring &nbsp;from tow vehicle to trailer will pass no more than 10 amps and 5 to 6 is more realistic, so you see why options one and 2 are important when alternator recharging is important.<br><br>Generally you have a lot of room for solar panels with a travel trailer. &nbsp;Partial shading cuts output significantly, so solar might be of limited use, so even more important to shove as much up there for when direct sunlight is available.<br><br>A generator with a high power battery charger/converter might be the easiest solution to getting the batteries back up near full every few days if significant shading is likely.

 

[Willy]

Battery isolator:&nbsp; http://www.cooperindustries.com/con...nn/transportation/brands/surepower.html&nbsp;

 

[MaximumRide]

Max Ride,<br><br>Caravan up here means a Dodge Caravan, which is a MiniVan. &nbsp;I know down there it means a small to large travel trailer.<br>.

<br><br>I see, I shall remember this. ok, so im thinking of a travel trailer.<br><br><br>-put arms over head- i've read over again what everyone has posted and I am so lost. I really don't understand it all. Too many new terms for me.<br><br>But i do understand it as this:<br><ul><li>I would need to buy a 'battery' such as this</li><li><a href="http://www.anaconda.com.au/Product/Camp-and-Hike/Power-Supply/Cool-Power-Raps-Battery-36Ah" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.anaconda.com.au/Product/Camp-and-Hike/Power-Supply/Cool-Power-Raps-Battery-36Ah</a></li><li>and use the inverter that i have in my car that plugs into the cigaret lighter to charge it.</li><li>then hook it up to the waeco fridge.</li><li>and id need another 'battery' so that one can be on charge and the other can be powering the fridge that is in the trailer.</li><li>and after that possibly get a solar pannel and some how hook that up to the 'battery.'</li></ul>

 

[wrcsixeight]

Wow, you are confused.<br><br>A real battery would be cheaper and have much larger capacity than the product you link. &nbsp;Attaching a plug to easily accept the fridge connector is child's play.<br><br>You can recharge this &nbsp;large battery, which will be attached to the travel trailer somewhere, by the alternator in the tow vehicle.* You do not need a battery to lug back and forth.<br>You can recharge this battery by solar<br>You can recharge this battery by a mains powered charger/converter<br>You can use a generator to power this charger/converter, and the fridge while the generator is running. &nbsp;The charger/converter supplies all the 12 volt DC power needed when it has &nbsp;main/grid power available, as well as recharging the battery.<br><br><br>* Most any caravan/ travel trailer you acquire is going to have some sort of electrical system, it might even have &nbsp;a working fridge. It might already have an inverter. No need to re invent the wheel.<br><br>To get the Signal and brake lights to work on the trailer, the correct wiring and connector is going to have to be installed on the tow vehicle, or they might already exist if you have a trailer hitch from the factory. &nbsp;One of these wires for this connector will connect the trailer battery to the vehicle battery and charge it, very slowly. &nbsp;Methods exist to increase the ability of the tow vehicle to faster recharge the travel trailer battery, &nbsp;I listed them in my last post but apparently muddied the waters.<br><br>The fridge itself could be in the tow vehicle when it is running, and carried to the travel trailer when stopped. &nbsp;It could also just be left in the travel trailer if you do not need to access it while driving. &nbsp;If you do run it in the &nbsp;vehicle, do not run it long with the engine off for very long.<br><br>The beauty of a travel trailer is all it needs is for the tow vehicle to have a trailer hitch, and a connector so the signal lights operate. No serious modifications need to be made to the tow vehicle itself. &nbsp;The travel trailer will have some sort of electrical system and buying that 36 a/h battery bank to lug back and forth to charge and run the fridge is complicating things, and wont work well anyway.<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>

 

[MaximumRide]

I think i get most of what you are saying. but im not sure on this:<br><span id="post_message_1276540696" style="color: #ff9900;">A real battery would be cheaper and have much larger capacity than the product you link. &nbsp;Attaching a plug to easily accept the fridge connector is child's play.<br><br>You can recharge this &nbsp;large battery, which will be attached to the travel trailer somewhere, by the alternator in the tow vehicle.* You do not need a battery to lug back and forth</span>

 

[MaximumRide]

but also, using the trailer fridge brings me back to the original problem. Not enough freezer space.

 

[wrcsixeight]

The power pack you linked to has a 36 amp hour battery. &nbsp;It also has a small battery charger in it, a voltmeter, and a few output plugs, all in a little cube of a package designed for convenience. &nbsp;It is 340$ for a battery which can power the fridge "for upto 42 hours"<br><br>I am saying you can get a much larger battery, and power the Waeco fridge for 3 to 6 times as long, for less money. &nbsp;<br><br>Likely any caravan you buy will already have the power plugs in which to plug in the fridge directly, it will likely already have battery(s) installed, and they might not even need to be replaced. &nbsp; &nbsp;A caravan is likely to have a converter charger installed, perhaps a generator too. If it does have all this, then all you need to do is plug in the Waeco, and recharge the batteries by any of the available methods every few days.<br><br>Batteries in caravans are not mounted inside the passenger compartment, and worries about venting them become moot.<br>So $$$ AGM batteries are not required. &nbsp;For less than 340$ (I'm guessing) you could get 2 new large flooded batteries and be able to power the fridge for well over a week<br><br>That power pack with the 36 amp hour battery would be useful if you were doing an overnight outing with only a car and only needed to power the fridge overnight without any fear of draining the engine starting battery. <br><br>&nbsp;Do you need an overpriced portable power pack with a tiny battery? &nbsp;

 

[MaximumRide]

I see your point <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle">

 

[Willy]

&nbsp;Over here at Costco they have 12v 100AH deep cycle flooded batteries for $50. Yup, you read that right.. 50 bux. I picked up 1, and would've got more, but got enuf already.

 

[peacetara]

I'm a moderator now, I think I fixed up the offending post that wasn't displaying correctly.&nbsp; I didn't change the content at all of course.<br><br>MaximumRide, regarding the Travel Trailer(TT) not having enough freezer space, you could replace it with one that does.&nbsp; If you buy a freezer at an RV dealer, they might even install it for you for free or a reduced price (tho you will probably end up paying a little bit more than if you bought online).<br><br>I have no experience with TT's, so I don't know how hard it might be to replace.<br><br>With Love,<br>Tara

 

[Willy]

&nbsp;I can't really comment about anywhere else, but over here the RV dealers have absolutely stratospheric prices on 'big ticket' items.

 

[weestrom05]

if one f these,<h1 class="parseasinTitle " style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.7em; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span id="btAsinTitle">Porta Gaz 61211 Silver 3-Way Portable Gas Refrigerator<br>werput in a ventilated cabinet would it work as a decent Van based refrigeration system? &nbsp;Curt</span></h1>

 

[Willy]

&nbsp;Why not something like this instead:&nbsp; http://www.amazon.com/43-Portable-C...f=pd_sim_sbs_auto_1/191-6380546-7368731&nbsp; It's near the price of the Porta Gaz fridge (well, $80 more, but holds more), and being compressor based it will use waayyyyy less power than the absorption style fridge (Porta Gaz) and will generally tolerate more in the way of off-level operation. Also, since it doesn't use propane, no exterior venting solution is required.

 

[weestrom05]

I dont know. The reviews don seem to be vert good. &nbsp;Curt

 

[Willy]

&nbsp;If you check out the reviews of other units that are either exactly the same (sometimes rebranded) or larger capacity, there are better reviews. Also, the Porta gaz has ONE review! Wow.. no matter to me&nbsp; what you get, seeing as I don't have a financial stake in the matter, but I've used many an absorption fridge and have found them totally sub-par and, for what you're getting, rather expensive. I notice that the price of the Waeco compressor fridges have come down, so it might behoove one to spend a bit more and get a higher quality unit. I've been using mine now for 8 yrs or so non-stop and it works like a champ.