RV solar Refigerater

[Maxine]

When I buy an RV there will be a Refigerater/freeser in it. Does any of you run that on solar energy only?
I want to be off grid/boondocking and I want ice and cold food always.
Can it run on solar if it gets it own sunpanel/battery?

Maxidane

 

[SternWake]

Yes, but you need enough solar and battery, and might as well have enough of both to power other electrical needs.

I have 200 watts feeding 90Ah of AGm battery and never worry about my fridge (Vitrifrigo c51is) being cold enough or running out of battery power. many have fridges running with less solar to replenish the battery.

The key is a 12v compressor fridge, over other refrigerator options. These are designed for efficiency on battery power, and with extra insulation and proper/increased ventilation of the cooling unit, further increases in efficiency can be obtained.

Other fridge options can be made to work but generally require more battery capacity and more recharging capacity, largely or entirely negating the initial savings on purchase price.

12v compressor fridges come with a $ticker $hock, but in the end are cheaper as they work better and consume less energy working better. lots of fridge threads on this forum.

 

[rvpopeye]

Maxiedane
All (most) class A , B + C motorhomes come with a fridge that will run on the onboard propane tank or electricity .
I you end up getting a van Stern's advice is good.

 

[highdesertranger]

yes in most RV's you get a 3way refrigerator. it runs one of three ways, 120v, 12v, or propane. it's illegal to run off propane while on the road and when fueling. also when running off 12v your engine should be running, of course when fueling this is also illegal. running a 3 way off of 12v is highly inefficient. that' why you only do it with the engine running and short stops. running a 3 way off of solar is not the best option. highdesertranger

 

[arctic cat]

Different Stroke for different folks, but I run this ARB Reefer out of a 100W panel and deep cycle battery out when overlanding    I'm working on converting a van and the same principle and equipment is going to be used  The only difference is one 100 w panel for the tear drop and another for the van and the reefer.   Yes they are pricey, but TO ME is worth the money

 

[blars]

The 2-way (propane/120v) or 3-way refrigerators you find in RVs are very inefficient on electric.

 

[sushidog]

I run my fridge on propane when on the road all the time. What states is this illegal in? Dometic, my fridge manufacturer, even makes a wind kit which facilitates this, preventing the flame from going out when buffeted by big trucks passing and side winds while traveling down the road. Of course turning off the propane while fueling and traveling through tunnels both fulfills the laws to this effect and makes good sense.

For solar powered boondocking, a good compromise between a $3,000 Sunfrost fridge and $500 residential fridge is a Novacool DC fridge. It has a high-efficiency Danfoss rotary compressor (like mini-split heat pumps use) which runs off of 12 volts, so no inverter is used. Its efficiency is about half way in-between a Sunfrost and a residential fridge, mainly because of less insulation (extra insulation can be added upon install to boost its efficiency) and so is its price ($1,716 for a 9cf model.) "Adding 2" rigid foam insulation to the outside will reduce energy consumption by 1/2. 1100 watt hours per day at 70 degrees as delivered, 550 watt hours per day if insulation is added on-site." http://www.backwoodssolar.com/novakool-dc-refrigerator-model-rfu9000

Even at 1,100 watt/hrs./day, about 250-300 watts of solar will replace what it draws. Add the extra insulation and only 1/2 of this solar capacity is needed. For comparison, 2 typical golf cart batteries have about 1,200-1,300 usable watt hrs. (if depleted to 50%) So 4 golf cart batteries would be good for about 4 1/2 days of use between charging if no solar is present and nothing else is used (with the added insulation and a little over 2 days without it).

If you're looking for a reasonably priced, energy efficient residential fridge, (and don't need or have space for a giant one) the best I could find is the 10CF Frigidare FFET1022QW. It's only $432 from Sears and according to its energy star rating only consumes 296 KWH/yr. http://www.sears.com/frigidaire-10-...4602442000P?prdNo=42&blockNo=42&blockType=G42

Of course you still have inverter inefficiencies to deal with. This equates to 811 watt/hrs. per day. Assuming a 50% duty cycle, (which is typical) This means it draws about 67.6 watts, which is only .563 amps at 120 volt or 6.6 amps at 12v (with the same 85% inverter efficiency). A 200w dedicated solar panel should do it, as long as you have enough battery power to last for several overcast/rainy days. Four GC-2 golf cart batteries should do the trick. If you choose to buy the $1,716 fridge (and added extra insulation) you would only need about 135 watts of dedicated solar. However, the extra solar panel and battery capacity cost say $3/watt, or $195 would be much less than the extra $1,284 the high efficiency 12v fridge will cost, saving you $1,089 if you have the roof space and added weight capacity on your rig and assuming you already have an inverter with sufficient extra capacity.

Chip

 

[highdesertranger]

you know what I looked it up and you are right it is not illegal to drive with the refer running on propane. there are a few exceptions some tunnels, bridges and ferries. it is illegal to have it on when fueling. it also seems that the number one reason for RV fires is, you guessed it the refer. so do as you like, I believe it is common sense not to have an open flame while driving. highdesertranger

 

[sushidog]

I hear ya. An open flame is always a danger. But how is it more dangerous to run the fridge while traveling when no one is in the camper than when sleeping inside it at night? If there is a fire problem I would rather it burn up when unoccupied, wouldn't you? Unless your point is to not run an absorption fridge on propane at all, then I get it. A compressor fridge is safer in this respect, but there's always the danger of an electrical fire on any appliance, though the risk is much smaller of course. A few months ago I had a toaster burst into flames, billowing smoke into my kitchen, so be careful with these appliances too.

If someone does decide to take the small risk of fire (less than the risk of food poisoning when the food in the fridge gets too warm, IMHO) I recommend getting a wind kit to reduce the fire risk.

I got mine from AdventureRV.net for about $19. Here's a link to the kit.  http://www.adventurerv.net/baffle-k...//www.adventurerv.net/baffle-kit-p-21023.html
It basically works by forcing the air take a rather circuitous path to get to the burner, preventing gusts of wind from blowing the flame out while traveling. Here's a few pics of it installed.

The kit consists of 4 pieces (2 components). 3, U-shaped pieces of sheet metal (Dometic calls them lower vent baffles) partially block the lower vents as seen here and are held on by one tiny plastic push pin each (easily removable by hand.) The instructions say that these may be removed once you arrive at your destination to improve fridge performance in very hot weather. I was thinking that one could just leave the lower door off rather than remove the door baffles if occasionally needed. So far this hasn't been necessary as I only need 2 of the 3 baffles on my fridge to prevent the flame from going out while still keeping a good airflow so it stays cold inside. Perhaps if I didn't have forced ventilation behind the fridge.

The second component to the kit is this metal shroud which wraps around the burner cover and flue. It is secured by 2 small self-tapping screws. Since this kit is a genuine Dometic item I feel safe using it.

Finally, I got an indoor/outdoor electronic thermometer with a remote sending unit, to measure the temp inside the fridge while driving down the road. It was about $20 at my local Walmart and provides cheap peace of mind that those juicy steaks in the fridge and sweet lobster tails or shrimp in the freezer will be safe and yummy when I arrive at my camp site.

Chip

 

[Marginalsanity]

I have a simple mind, but a few extra panels will run the less efficient rv fridge.

 

[jimindenver]

A RV fridge on electric pulls 4-500w if I remember right.