running fridge off leisure battery

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MargaritaLou
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running fridge off leisure battery

Post by MargaritaLou » Sun Jul 06, 2014 9:57 pm

Just wondered how long I can expect my waeco fridge to run off the leisure battery when not on EHU? Imperial Leisure said I should get 48 hours but I have only managed 12-15 hours. I've tried plugging in to EHU and turning the fridge on to cool it down before setting off on the trip (as they suggested) but it seems to make no difference. Just wondering what I could realistically expect and how to improve it. Not great if you are camping in once for a couple of nights with no hook up.
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Re: running fridge off leisure battery

Post by winchman » Sun Jul 06, 2014 10:21 pm

If you let me know the rating on the leisure battery and the details from the fridge data plate we should be able to give you a rough idea.
In my experiance 10 hours is about the norm, you could try turning it off at night
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Re: running fridge off leisure battery

Post by mikexgough » Mon Jul 07, 2014 1:28 pm

My Waeco Fridge plus lights etc ran for 4 days on a 110 Ah ..... runs forever now I have a 100w solar panel.....
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MargaritaLou
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Re: running fridge off leisure battery

Post by MargaritaLou » Mon Jul 07, 2014 10:13 pm

thanks Winchman - will check details tomorrow and post again.
I have been thinking about solar panels too - just not sure about the cost and difficulty fitting.
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Re: running fridge off leisure battery

Post by MargaritaLou » Tue Jul 08, 2014 9:23 am

my leisure battery is an Elecsol 100 and the fridge is a Waeco CR50.
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Re: running fridge off leisure battery

Post by winchman » Tue Jul 08, 2014 9:43 am

Googling the fridge

Consumption
(at 5°C interior + - 18°C Freezer) 1.4 Ah/hour at 25°C ambient temperature
1.7 Ah/hour at 32°C ambient temperature
Average power consumption watts 40

But 40w divided by 12v = 3.3amps?
So its easy to get confused as different sites quote different figures.
In theory the 100ah battery should run the fridge for about 30 hours but in practice its much more difficult to calculate as the voltage drops when the battery starts to go flat and some fridges turn them selves off when the voltage drops but still stay cold for several hours after so you may well think its lasting longer.
If the electrics test ok and the battery is proven to be good then you have what you have.
I occasionally sell used Dometic fridges but cant mention it one here (LOL) we put one on a 150w inverter as its 240v, hooked up to a car battery, I have a temperature data logger similar to this
http://www.allianceonline.co.uk/digital ... wgod71AAdQ
So you can see the maximum and minimum temps over the time it was on, the fridge was 65w and if we switched it off over night 10pm 6am it lasted all weekend and the battery was flat by 4pm Sunday, basically is equated out to the 65w quoted on the data plate but as the battery voltage dropped it started to very slowly warm up as the cooling has stopped working due to the battery being flat but the insulation is keeping it cool not the fridge so its confusing.
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Re: running fridge off leisure battery

Post by winchman » Tue Jul 08, 2014 9:45 am

MargaritaLou wrote:
I have been thinking about solar panels too - just not sure about the cost and difficulty fitting.
We have a member on here who sells solar panels who is a helpful chap.
In my opinion of you don't use hook ups then its worth the investment.
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Re: running fridge off leisure battery

Post by g8dhe » Tue Jul 08, 2014 10:32 am

Power consumption in Watts is always an instantaneous measurement, so it shows the load during the motor running time, at other times its 0 Watts, however the motor isn't running all the time and hence the much reduced average value shown by the Amp/Hr figure of 1.4-1.7 Amp/Hr this is the figure that determines the maximum run time, but the source of the power has to be able to supply the starting and running current as well.
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MargaritaLou
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Re: running fridge off leisure battery

Post by MargaritaLou » Tue Jul 08, 2014 10:44 am

thanks. Fridge and battery was brand new a year ago so that's not the problem. Will try turning it off overnight to make it last the weekend..

Solar panels may be the solution - what would I need? Really only using lights, water pump and fridge off leisure battery. No idea of cost or how easy they are to fit?
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Re: running fridge off leisure battery

Post by winchman » Tue Jul 08, 2014 11:24 am

MargaritaLou wrote:thanks. Fridge and battery was brand new a year ago so that's not the problem. Will try turning it off overnight to make it last the weekend..

Solar panels may be the solution - what would I need? Really only using lights, water pump and fridge off leisure battery. No idea of cost or how easy they are to fit?
Just keep an eye on the temp in the morning to make sure its not too warm
I assume the compressor etc isn't covered in fluff?
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Re: running fridge off leisure battery

Post by winchman » Tue Jul 08, 2014 11:26 am

g8dhe wrote:Power consumption in Watts is always an instantaneous measurement, so it shows the load during the motor running time, at other times its 0 Watts, however the motor isn't running all the time and hence the much reduced average value shown by the Amp/Hr figure of 1.4-1.7 Amp/Hr this is the figure that determines the maximum run time, but the source of the power has to be able to supply the starting and running current as well.
Good point, it may be worth checking the heat exchanger surfaces are not lagged with a coating of fluff and have good cooling air flow as this would effect performance
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Re: running fridge off leisure battery

Post by roosmith » Tue Jul 08, 2014 12:06 pm

MargaritaLou wrote:thanks. Fridge and battery was brand new a year ago so that's not the problem. Will try turning it off overnight to make it last the weekend..

Solar panels may be the solution - what would I need? Really only using lights, water pump and fridge off leisure battery. No idea of cost or how easy they are to fit?
Speak to Dodgey about solar panels, he supplies a kit but will also install. I have one of his and with fridge, lights and phone charging I never get below half battery even out of season.
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MargaritaLou
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Re: running fridge off leisure battery

Post by MargaritaLou » Tue Jul 08, 2014 12:25 pm

thanks everyone. I'll have to try and get to the back of the fridge somehow!
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Re: running fridge off leisure battery

Post by Dodgey » Tue Jul 08, 2014 7:18 pm

Hi - I'm Mr solar :-) You can find me on http://www.solarcampersolutions.co.uk

Your fridge "should" run for around 48 hours on a 100Ah battery - ish! (I tested without ever starting the engine - so no charging at all)

The should and "ish" depend on a lot of things.

1 - the condition of your battery. My 100Ah battery, new, ran my compressor fridge (same electrics as yours) for just over 48 hours before triggering low voltage cut off. Now, nearly 3 years later, it lasts less than 18 hours without help (charging). Batteries have a very finite life before deteriorating. I just did a 19 hour ferry crossing and the fridge had started to falter when I got back in the van - the icebox had just started defrosting.

2 - the thermostat setting on your fridge. I've just got back from France camping and on day 1 was bewildered why my battery was getting low at night/early in the morning. Turns out I had the thermostat at around 3/4 on. I'd done this on hookup as a test and forgot to turn it back down. On about 1/3rd on, it chills fine, and the contents of the freezer stay frozen. Beers are not quite as chilled as when it's on 3/4, but chilled enough! and everything is cold enough to stay fresh. On 1/3rd, my fridge runs for 18-20 hours on my current battery without cutting out. on 3/4 it does less than 10 hours.

3- all of the above is mostly academic as I have 100W solar so the fridge only needs to last the night (when it's dark). In the day the sun powers it.

Regarding solar - my kit is designed to be very easy to fit. Very clear instructions and everything bolts on. You have a choice whether to drill a hole in the AFT or not (which is also really rather less traumatic than you might fear). The whole thing is designed with the DIY novice in mind. Can't promote myself much more or I'll get told off ;-) Though I like to think I help enough people here to warrant the odd self - plug :-)

p.s. by far the most likely cause of your lack of fridge performance is a tired leisure battery.
http://www.solarcampersolutions.co.uk Solar panel solutions for campervans
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Re: running fridge off leisure battery

Post by xander77 » Thu Jul 10, 2014 9:23 pm

Hi I fitted an 80Watt solar panel mines the same fridge, I have a split charging system and a wiring kit to run most things from the Leisure battery, with the solar panel I haven't seen my battery suffer so far, just runs the fridge all the time without any problems, I did have the stereo on one day virtually all day with the fridge and the battery went to 12.6 v the lowest I have seen.
But +1 on running the fridge on a low setting, mine still freezes and keeps the food good! beers are cold enough, and if there is a stream they go in there anyway!
Don`t bother turning the fridge off at night if it comes on I can`t hear it, much prefer the 12v fridge to a gas one with a flame going and the necessity of cutting vents in the side of the van.

Solar is the way to go! I got a complete kit for £150 then had to buy stikaflex to hold the panel mounts, I still made brackets from b&q metal with holes all along the length just for piece of mind.

But so far I don`t need a electric hook up, saves money towards the panel costs and makes getting a spot on a site much easier as it does not need the hook up which some sites only have so many of, I have a 1200watt invertor but not used that yet!
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