Battery drain help with 240v compressor fridge needed....

[Waynem325]

Hi All

I've been lurking here (and a Bongo owner) for almost a whole year, and after early teething problems I've found that the forum search has been my best friend - when work has allowed me browsing time!!! So apologies for not taking part more often, and a huge thanks to everyone that offers Bongo-wisdom!

I have been a busy-Bongo-bee for the last few weeks - DiY fluid & filters service, ATF fluid change + sump cleaned, low coolant alarm, leisure battery fitted + split charging relay + fused feed for stereo/blinds etc.
I have also just fitted a solar panel to the roof, mainly to keep batteries maintained when the van isn't in use and more importantly to allow us to be self sufficient and not need EHU.

To which end I now need a compressor fridge to replace the coolbox and 3 way fridge we have.
At this moment in time I can't afford the £400+ costs of a new fridge so I've been looking on eBay and found this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/280991488309? ... 1438.l2649

Am I imagining things or does this look too good to be true?
I realise its more a cooler than a fridge, but it is thermostatically controlled between 4* and 10*C. The coolbox and the 3 way fridge we currently have probably don't get down to 4*C and we've been very happy with this to date!

Can someone confirm my assumptions/calculations please as I'm tempted to get one but need to be sure before I 'splash-out'..!

Would I be right in thinking that using a power inverter with this fridge, the power consumption would still remain the same (13 Watts) and I could therefore calculate the current to be 1.08 Amps?
In my guess-timations, a 105 Ah battery would run this fridge for 97 hours (Theoretically speaking etc), and then with a solar charge (80 watt) this would potentially run indefinitely?

Or....does using a power inverter mean that there will be more power consumed as the fridge/cooler is 240v?

I have searched for the answer but have been overwhelmed by the results (here and Google) and can't afford any more time to pick through each individual result.

All help would be gratefully received.

Thanks in advance

[wonkanoby]

no as the invertor will never be 100 percent efficient

you would loose about another 25 percent more or so i would guess

[g8dhe]

Another factor is that the current quoted is an average, compressor fridges have a motor that has a high start current and then a lower running current, any inverter has to be able to handle the start current, typically this can be 3-5 times the running current so your inverter may need to handle up to 100W not a massive amount as inverters go but needs to be allowed for.
I note that they suggest that the fridges aren't for use in sleeping areas, making one think that they make more noise than most!

[Simon Jones]

The advert specifically mentions the noise, so that plus the fact that it's 240v really means it is not really suited to use in a camper van. There is a chap on the forum called winchman who often advertises small inexpensive fridges, so could be worth a chat to him: http://igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/memb ... ile&u=9862

I've got a Waeco CF18 top loading compressor fridge and they are very good on power and can easily freeze the contents regardless of the ambient temperature, so they are definitely the best type to go for.

[windywatson]

If you want a realy good fridge then the 12v Waeco compreser fridge would be my choice as I have one in my van and it has preformed well for years and as it is specifically designed for 12v it's current consumption is very low & I get days out of my 110 Ah LB.
It is also wel insulated so when down to temp it is only cutting in occassionaly to keep temp down, this of course helps extend the battery life.

Cheers

[Dodgey]

I can't imagine a compressor fridge is going to get away with 1.08 amps. It'll be a bit more than that, along with the inverter. Will be interesting to see what you get.

Your 80W panel will be more than enough in good weather.

A lot of the VW people use 240v fridges on an inverter.

I wouldn't be too worried about the mention of noise. This is a mini bar fridge and it's main market is hotel rooms , where you absolutely don't want any fridge noises - so they are very keep to point this out. My compressor fridge in my van is not noisy enough to worry about - you can hardly hear it. Often I switch it off overnight anyhow.

[winchman]

. There is a chap on the forum called winchman who often advertises small inexpensive fridges, so could be worth a chat to him: http://igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/memb ... ile&u=9862

Thanks Simon
PM me if you need any fridge help, at the price in the link above that is cheap but just how loud are they???
You also need to consider how its going to be vented

[Waynem325]

Thanks for the replies

I realise there will be efficiency losses compared to what manufacturers state on their specs, but I'm happy that the calculations don't differ from 12v and 240v.

I would love a 12v Waeco compressor fridge, but my purse strings won't stretch right now, and I couldn't justify paying more for a fridge in the van than we have for the one in the kitchen at home! Especially seeing that the rust bug has hit the van hard and a new exhaust, welding, undersealing AND wheel arches will be required in a month or 2.

I couldn't imagine the noise issue of the fridge would be too extreme to disturb sleep etc, although it has made me think a little..?

Dodgey - your comment about the 'VW people' using 240v fridges made me look for domestic mini fridges and I've found a few that are pretty cheap, although I can't find any power/energy consumption ratings (other than annual).

Surely, something like this would be suitable...:

http://www.johnlewis.com/lec-df50gc-win ... p230178898

Having said that, if these are low power compressor fridges then everyone would have one wouldn't they???

Also....what about the glass fronted beer fridges?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LEC-DF50G-Win ... 20d289556e

Again, can't find any energy info.?

PS - will pm Winchman

[Dodgey]

I totally agree about the cost of camper fridges - the suppliers know that they mostly go in boats and big RVs so they prices are artificially high - it stinks. I bought mine used for £75 - at the time he had 24 for sale I was going to buy the lot but someone beat me too it

Do a bit of digging round the T4/T5 forum and you'll find there is a specific fridge that a lot of them use as they have been proven to work fine, drain the least, and most importantly for most of the surf types - are cheap!

[g8dhe]

The two devices above are Peltier diode cooling, these are the same as the cool boxes, and take a hefty continous current which which will rapidly flatten any L/B.

[francophile1947]

Do the glass fronted ones stay cool for as long as a normal fridge - glass isn't the greatest form of insulation

[g8dhe]

Our cooler at home in the lounge for Beer and Wine has the glass double glazed, I suspect there are not that many different units base either.

[Waynem325]

Thanks again for the replies!

I'm finding it difficult to find the consumption info for most domestic fridges.
This one looks to be really low consumption - would someone mind checking either the ds200 or ds300 on this link please:
http://www.jacksons-camping.co.uk/cool/minicool.htm

You have to look at the brochure, but it says the energy consumption is 0.76 kwh/24hr.

Is that basically 760 watts over a period of 24 hrs, and an average of 31 watts, peaking at 65 watts at any one time?

At this rate it'd be cheaper to buy a waeco fridge!!

[dom_e]

My 2p worth....save up a go for a Weaco. Top loading (cold air sinks, so won't flood out when it's opened...marginal gains...), ultra efficient and built to last. We've got a CF-25, which, whilst expensive, runs for days on the LB and is nicely portable and simple o use. Or, a good cool box and frozen milk/pees or something else cheap to keep it cool inside for a while.

[g8dhe]

Is that basically 760 watts over a period of 24 hrs, and an average of 31 watts, peaking at 65 watts at any one time?

Its likely that it consumes 65Watts for just under 50% of the time, and that is probably an on/off rather than a controlled variation of power. So from a 12 volt battery via an inverter you will be consuming 5-7 Amps for 50% of the time, that is quite a lot as its 84 AmpHrs over a day which given that most L/B are 90-120AmpHrs is 1 to 1.5 days before the battery is totally flat.