Ordered Edgestar Fridge/Freezer and wondering about its energy usage please?

[magentawave]

I just ordered this Fridge/Freezer http://www.compactappliance.com/Edg...ridge-Freezer-FP861SD/FP861SD,default,pd.html and was wondering if I am correct in thinking (based on the table below) if this will use 1 Amp and therefore I should calculate it needing 24 Amps per day to run? Sorry for such a dumb question but I am just starting to learn this stuff and I plan on using solar panels.<br><br>Thanks<br>Steve<br><br>

 

[sparky1]

The (1.amp) there is @ 115 volts AC-where you would have to have a Inverter to produce AC voltage.--<BR><BR>NOT DC, if you plan on operating it off a Battery, good luck.

 

[magentawave]

But it runs AC <span style="text-decoration: underline;">and</span> DC and you can see that just below where it says AC. So back to my original question...

 

[wrcsixeight]

80 watts at 12.8 volts( fully charged battery voltage) is 6.25 amps.<br><br>So only when the compressor is running, if the 80 watt figure is accurate, it is drawing 80 watts. &nbsp;It likely draw 1 to 2 watts to power the &nbsp;circuit board the rest of the time.<br><br>The Duty cycle here will be the important figure. &nbsp;How many minutes per hour will it be running? &nbsp;20 minutes out of every hour would be a 33% duty cycle and would draw about 2.1 amp hours per hour<br><br>This is nearly impossible to guess. <br><br>&nbsp;My 60 quart front loading fridge uses the Danfoss bd 35 compressor, and uses about .75 amps per hour to keep the interior about 36f in 70 degrees ambient at about a 25% duty cycle, &nbsp;but if I were trying to freeze everything within, then triple that number. &nbsp;I also added more insulation and made sure the condenser is ventilated extremely well to achieve that low consumption number.<br><br>I'd say to figure it uses at least 1 amp hour, per hour, and upto 2, if the food within is already cold, and you do not open the hatch often.<br><br>Cooling down warm foodstuffs and frequent openings can greatly increase battery consumption.<br><br>Also there is a fan. &nbsp;Make sure the vents where ever your store the unit are free of obstructions. &nbsp;Keeping the van interior cooler in hot temperatures can significantly reduce the amount of battery the fridge uses.<br><br>The user manual provides little information. &nbsp;

 

[wrcsixeight]

I just read a few reviews of the 43 quart Edgestar. &nbsp;Apparently it has a Chinese manufactured knockoff version of a Danfoss compressor, and the reviews are all over the map and seems to be luck of the draw whether you get a good one or not.<br><br>http://www.amazon.com/43-Portable-Compact-Refrigerator-Freezer/dp/B0012EGZ9S<br><br>There was a Chinese assembled version (with a true Danfoss compressor)of my Fridge for 100$ less than the 600$ &nbsp;Italy assembled Vitrifrigo I did purchase. &nbsp;I figured Vinny's attention to detail was worth he extra C note over Chin ho's.<br><br>One big plus with Danfoss compressors is the variable compressor speed. &nbsp;The quick freeze function, even with the knock off danfoss, likely maximizes compressor speed, and that maximum speed would be the 80 watt figure. ARegulart usage probably uses a slower compressor speed, and only about 40 watts, &nbsp;so I still stand by my 1 to 2 amp hour per hour guestimate figure.<br><br>Hope it works well for you.

 

[adi]

<p><a href="http://www.expeditionportal.com/res...rland-journal-portable-12v-fridge-review.html" rel="nofollow">This</a> is a review of some 42 quart 12v fridges.</p><p>Their conclusion about 24 hour power usage:<br>This would translate to the following amp-hour consumption for a 24-hour period: 42ah (ARB/Engel, National Luna), 54ah (FridgeFreeze), and 66ah (Waeco).<br><br>These are about 1/2 the size of the 80 quart you are looking at, so it's not a direct real world test to compare against your fridge, but should give you a minimum you don't want to be anywhere near for battery bank size.</p>

 

[magentawave]

There was a huge thread started at the Expedition Portal forum about Edgestar Fridge/Freezers almost 4 years ago here:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...Low-Battery-Cut-Off-Issues?highlight=edgestar" rel="nofollow">http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...Low-Battery-Cut-Off-Issues?highlight=edgestar </a><br><br>The problem I kept reading throughout that thread was that many units were shipped with an internal plug that was disconnected that took two minutes to remove a little panel and plug it in. The other problem was that the DC cord that comes with it is a piece of junk and should be replaced immediately. I read some of the reviews at Amazon too and I'd bet that most that didn't work out of the box were because of that disconnected internal plug. Many on the Expedition Portal said that the "scratch and dent" units were actually in excellent condition with many reporting that they couldn't find any scratches or dents on them. I hope they work for me because I ordered two of the big 80 quart models at $279 each with no sales tax and free shipping. They knocked $20.00 off the top of my order too.

 

[wrcsixeight]

If you use a Ciggy plug receptacle, make sure it is a good one wired right to the battery over thicker wiring fused right t the battery, and not sharing cabling with other accessories. <br><br>&nbsp;The Danfoss compressors are fickle on input voltages. &nbsp;Those reviewers who said the fan kicked on but it never cooled were likely victims of voltage drop, and returned properly functioning units.<br><br>I've run mine on a &nbsp;too thin 12 v extension cord while working on my cabinet and noted this behavior.

 

[magentawave]

How did you add insulation to your fridge/freezer? Did you consider adding a little computer fan to keep it running cooler?<br><br><br><br>

80 watts at 12.8 volts( fully charged battery voltage) is 6.25 amps.<br><br>So only when the compressor is running, if the 80 watt figure is accurate, it is drawing 80 watts. &nbsp;It likely draw 1 to 2 watts to power the &nbsp;circuit board the rest of the time.<br><br>The Duty cycle here will be the important figure. &nbsp;How many minutes per hour will it be running? &nbsp;20 minutes out of every hour would be a 33% duty cycle and would draw about 2.1 amp hours per hour<br><br>This is nearly impossible to guess. <br><br>&nbsp;My 60 quart front loading fridge uses the Danfoss bd 35 compressor, and uses about .75 amps per hour to keep the interior about 36f in 70 degrees ambient at about a 25% duty cycle, &nbsp;but if I were trying to freeze everything within, then triple that number. &nbsp;I also added more insulation and made sure the condenser is ventilated extremely well to achieve that low consumption number.<br><br>I'd say to figure it uses at least 1 amp hour, per hour, and upto 2, if the food within is already cold, and you do not open the hatch often.<br><br>Cooling down warm foodstuffs and frequent openings can greatly increase battery consumption.<br><br>Also there is a fan. &nbsp;Make sure the vents where ever your store the unit are free of obstructions. &nbsp;Keeping the van interior cooler in hot temperatures can significantly reduce the amount of battery the fridge uses.<br><br>The user manual provides little information. &nbsp;

 

[wrcsixeight]

My fridge is a front loader in a cabinet. &nbsp;I bought a sheet of 3/4 inch thick foam board foil faced insulation and added one layer to the exterior of the fridge and held in place with Nashua Flexfix tape.<br><br>I have another layer of 3/4 insulation, planed down to 9/16" attached along the cabinet 3/4 inch cabinet walls and roof. &nbsp;The fridge sits on a thin pad on top of some plywood. &nbsp;The opposite side of plywood that encompasses the cabinet is covered with foil faced self adhering roof flashing. The door itself is the weak spot in terms of insulation, but the walls including the plywood have about 4 inches, roof about 2, floor about 2.5 and back about 3" total.<br><br>Most Danfoss powered compressor fridges have a single fan attached to the condenser though some use passive condensers, like NovaKool. &nbsp;The controller can power upto a .5 amp rated fan. &nbsp;Mine came with a 120mm 71 CFM fan that pulled .11 amps. &nbsp;Most &nbsp;Danfoss powered fridges come with a 92mm 42 cfm fan. &nbsp;This fan cools the compressor and electrical controller too.<br><br> I rigged a better, quieter, more efficient (54 cfm 0.05amp) computer fan that has a higher static pressure rating to the Condenser, and made it so it can only pull cold air from the floor from under the fridge, and push this air through the condenser, across the compressor and controller and is vented out a vent, all With the just one fan. I have not made the modification to vent this heated air to the passenger compartment for wintertime temperatures, yet.<br><br>The fans are quieter pushing air against resistance, than pulling it through resistance in my experience.<br><br><br><br>&nbsp;Inadequate airflow of the cooling unit compartment leads to poor performance and excessive battery use &nbsp;and shortens compressor life too.<br><br>I could add another fan, but this one fan how I have it, is more than adequate, and verging on extreme overkill in comparison to some installs I've seen.<br><br>I did add a 40mm interior fan (5.6 cfm) which helps greatly stabilize interior temps and cool downs items placed within much faster, as well as allow a lesser setting be used to maintain sub 40f temps. &nbsp;I keep it in the freezer compartment and it runs 24/7.<br><br>I'd love to see a picture of the cooling unit compartment of your Edgestar when it arrives.<br><br>If you are concerned about efficiency and are not concerned about the portability factor of a chest type fridge, then do build an insulated structure around the fridge box, but make allowances for condenser/compressor cooling, and consider the condenser fan, if provided, can be improved upon to move more air for less noise and electricity consumed.<br><br><br><br>

 

[Willy]

Here:&nbsp; http://home.iprimus.com.au/rfh/portablefridges.html

 

[wrcsixeight]

Excellent link Willy. &nbsp;I missed it back when I was researching my current fridge. &nbsp;That Chinese fake Danfoss pic on page 2 is interesting. &nbsp;I wonder how much a clone the chinese version is in terms of functionality of the controller.<br><br>My Vitrifrigo came with a resistor for a set compressor speed of 2500. &nbsp;As My fridge is always on, I do not need the faster cool downs. &nbsp;It is said the slower the compressor runs, maintains desired box temps and stays under a 50% duty cycle the more efficient it is.<br><br>&nbsp;So, I removed the resistor to reduce compressor speeds to 2000, and the &nbsp;amp draw from ~ 3.6 to ~ 2.4. &nbsp;The duty cycle increased slightly, but factor in a little peukert effect with the math, and the 2.4a draw with a bigger duty cycle saves &nbsp;a good percentage more battery, especially when the contents have been brought down to temp already.<br><br>There are products which allow one to select different compressor speeds with ease, but I might wire up a properly rated potentiometer to crank up compressor speeds for the few times I might load it down with warm items and need them cold asap.<br><br>Here is one product for danfoss controllers:<br><br>http://www.veco-na.com/images/Compr..._Guardian_and_Merlin_v2_with_pics_7.25.11.pdf