Residential refrigerator

[Adamatthebeach]

I’m in the process of shopping for diesel pusher for our up-and-coming retirement. We do like to do a fair amount of Boondocking and I’m having concerns that the power that a residential refrigerator uses will make that near impossible. Does anyone have any insight of how much battery power they use or what it takes to keep your system going as far as solar panels to maintain life with a residential refrigerator while off grid. Adam

 

[Kevin D Pem]

answered this same question about a week or two ago.

I have used residential fridges for 8 or 9 years on solar and nothing else. More information can be found using the search features on this site.

 

[Diesel Pusher]

I’m in the process of shopping for diesel pusher for our up-and-coming retirement. We do like to do a fair amount of Boondocking and I’m having concerns that the power that a residential refrigerator uses will make that near impossible. Does anyone have any insight of how much battery power they use or what it takes to keep your system going as far as solar panels to maintain life with a residential refrigerator while off grid. Adam

Without any meaningful solar, expect about 8 hours or less, factoring in the use of lights, water pump and any other 12v draws for a typical DP 400ah FLA battery set up. Fortunately, there's lots of people here smarter than me who could give you a more detailed answer.

 

[Wemustrv]

I’m in the process of shopping for diesel pusher for our up-and-coming retirement. We do like to do a fair amount of Boondocking and I’m having concerns that the power that a residential refrigerator uses will make that near impossible. Does anyone have any insight of how much battery power they use or what it takes to keep your system going as far as solar panels to maintain life with a residential refrigerator while off grid. Adam

I have been running a 23.5 cubic foot Kenmore Elite residential fridge and a 1.7 cubic foot fridge in the basement for five years with no issues when off grid. My total draw when sitting off grid with two fridges is 1 amp. This include the inverter converter running to provide 120 volt.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

I have been running a 23.5 cubic foot Kenmore Elite residential fridge and a 1.7 cubic foot fridge in the basement for five years with no issues when off grid. My total draw when sitting off grid with two fridges is 1 amp. This include the inverter converter running to provide 120 volt.

Assume that's average over a period of time!

 

[Adamatthebeach]

Without any meaningful solar, expect about 8 hours or less, factoring in the use of lights, water pump and any other 12v draws for a typical DP 400ah FLA battery set up. Fortunately, there's lots of people here smarter than me who could give you a more detailed answer.

So does this mean you barely make it through the night until daylight? What size battery bank do you have that is lasting eight or nine hours without solar?

 

[Adamatthebeach]

Assume that's average over a period of time!

Thank you, how many solar panels do you have to make this happen? and how big is your battery Bank?

 

[Kevin D Pem]

Thank you, how many solar panels do you have to make this happen? and how big is your battery Bank?

I have more than is needed! That said, first I run a 5cf chest freezer. Also a 7.5cf refrigerator. These are not self defrosting. Every bell and whistle adds power requirements.

My system will run on 500w of solar. I feel more is better, but 500w is minimum. I buy used panels, not just because the price is right, but because most panels find there way into landfills because recycling is not practical.

The battery bank are two (2) 190 Northstar Blue+ carbon lead acid AGMS. that is more than is needed. However standard flooded lead has a short life, and standard AGM has a longer life but it is no comparison to the Northstar Blue. Once again the longer the life the leaner my contribution to the landfills, and the less my footprint to the health of our only planet!

I am not an advocate of lithium, as many here would tell you. When someone shows me that there is a recycling program for lithium, that technology is definitely not green in any sense of the word, as well as other glaring faults.

 

[jaydee325]

All electric Newmar Ventana.

8 GC2 flooded cell 225 AH batteries for a total of 900 AH. No solar.

Works fine for boondocking. Just run the generator in the morning and evening a few hours. In hot weather, running generator anyway all day for air conditioning so non-issue.

 

[Adamatthebeach]

I have more than is needed! That said, first I run a 5cf chest freezer. Also a 7.5cf refrigerator. These are not self defrosting. Every bell and whistle adds power requirements.

My system will run on 500w of solar. I feel more is better, but 500w is minimum. I buy used panels, not just because the price is right, but because most panels find there way into landfills because recycling is not practical.

The battery bank are two (2) 190 Northstar Blue+ carbon lead acid AGMS. that is more than is needed. However standard flooded lead has a short life, and standard AGM has a longer life but it is no comparison to the Northstar Blue. Once again the longer the life the leaner my contribution to the landfills, and the less my footprint to the health of our only planet!

I am not an advocate of lithium, as many here would tell you. When someone shows me that there is a recycling program for lithium, that technology is definitely not green in any sense of the word, as well as other glaring faults.

Thank you for taking the time to give me all that helpful information. I agree too much is better than too little.

 

[Diesel Pusher]

So does this mean you barely make it through the night until daylight? What size battery bank do you have that is lasting eight or nine hours without solar?

I have no power issues with 400ah of LiFePO4 batteries and 1600 watts of solar. Typically, we'll use between 25% - 36% of battery capacity all day until sunrise the next day when recharging kicks in. Batteries are usually whole again by noon. We use everything… 12v compressor fridge cooling unit attached to Norcold 1210, television, Dometic CFX50 portable fridge/freezer in the basement, all the LED lights we want, satellite radio, charging 2 laptops, 2 phones and internet router, coffee maker, water pump etc. However, two others in our group converted to residential refrigerators, one a Samsung. They have 200ah FLA deep cycle batteries. They get about 8 hours. The other converted to an LG fridge. They have 400ah FLA deep cycle and can go 10 to 12 hours. Neither have any solar. Others folks can go longer depending on battery condition, how they use their power and supplement with as little as 100 watts of solar.

 

[Adamatthebeach]

I have no power issues with 400ah of LiFePO4 batteries and 1600 watts of solar. Typically, we'll use between 25% - 36% of battery capacity all day until sunrise the next day when recharging kicks in. Batteries are usually whole again by noon. We use everything… 12v compressor fridge cooling unit attached to Norcold 1210, television, Dometic CFX50 portable fridge/freezer in the basement, all the LED lights we want, satellite radio, charging 2 laptops, 2 phones and internet router, coffee maker, water pump etc. However, two others in our group converted to residential refrigerators, one a Samsung. They have 200ah FLA deep cycle batteries. They get about 8 hours. The other converted to an LG fridge. They have 400ah FLA deep cycle and can go 10 to 12 hours. Neither have any solar. Others folks can go longer depending on battery condition, how they use their power and supplement with as little as 100 watts of solar.

Great information, thank you for taking the time to explain.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

I am very cautious about cycling batteries. It doesn't matter what the technology is, they all have a cycle life. Lithium, cycles are 100% to 0% accumulative. With lead it's about draining to 80% being a cycle.

Ultimately it comes down to the more energy you drain from the bank (use it), the sooner you will have to replace them. Typical flooded batteries have cycle life of 360 to 500 cycles. Translated to real life, that means if you cycle by using more than 20% of it's capacity every day, you can expect 1 to 1.5 years out of a bank!
This is where solar shines, it keeps the batteries from dipping as far down in the day light hours (the more solar the better, the larger the bank the better). The solar supplies as much to the load as it has, and less comes from the bank,meaning the batteries are not being cycled! Timers on loads keeping them from coming on at night, or low use hours Translates to battery not being used.

The above is the reason I have a bunch of solar, and the reason off grid systems have large battery houses. It is also why such systems have much longer battery life.

Keep in mind that when someone says they drain 33% from their battery bank everyday, and says they work great. They have, if using Lithium used 1/3 of a cycle. For those using lead, they have used one of the estimated 365 cycles,or one day of the year life expected.

You can consider a smaller battery bank and reduce replacement cost if you insist on using 20% or more each day, or increase the bank so your using less than 20% of the power, and reduce cycles to increase battery life.

Conservation methods also will reduce operating costs in the long haul.

Hope that gives you more insight!!!