best fridge set up ?
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KBWaldron
Solar Enthusiast
I’m looking at an LG inverter fridge/freezer. 120V using 1 kWh per day.
Theres also an indicator a product is in a bubble (i.e. over priced) - many new brands popup out of nowhere. 10 years ago you had engal and dometic. Now theres at least a dozen brands for these 12v fridges.
We also see this with lifepo4 drop-ins.
We also see this with lifepo4 drop-ins.
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Wellydex
New Member
From my experience, I would go compressor fridge ever time and invest in more battery and solar. My 200 l uses about 1 kWh a day when your away and regularly opening it, but less than 1/2 that when the doors are closed the whole day. If you go for an AC domestic fridge then the inverter itself uses about 250 w/h just through internal loss. Jon
Wellydex
New Member
Agree, Any spare money should be invested in solar and batteries
We have a 240v domestic SAMSUNG Inverter fridge running from a 375 watt Victron 12/240 Inverter. It is far more efficient and keeps things really cold in the freezer, ice cream and ice blocks are frozen not like our old Danfros compressor fridge when they were not quite solid. Also setup a lot cheaper compared to 12v fridges.
Solarfun4jim
Solar seduced :-)
I'm assuming there arent any issues using a standard domestic fridge on a mobile motorhome???
This looked quite efficient to me...(annual energy consumption 62kWh), plus greater volume at less than half the cost of a dometic type.
https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/house...comfort-tp1720-fridge-white-10135019-pdt.html
This looked quite efficient to me...(annual energy consumption 62kWh), plus greater volume at less than half the cost of a dometic type.
https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/house...comfort-tp1720-fridge-white-10135019-pdt.html
Stupid Monkey
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Not really, other than an extra 20% power consumption from inverter losses.
Although my fridge/freezer failed this summer in the van, but i think that was down to using a MSW inverter rather than PSW. I'm trying again this year. Better to save £750 on a fridge/freezer and put that into extra solar/battery. So much more choice in domestic fridge freezers. a 50/50 split works well for me but no DC fridge freezers are 50/50 split and ~200L total.
Some people use something like this https://www.bimblesolar.com/220v-digital-thermostat
To have better power use/better temperature control from mains fridges, or using freezers (with thicker insulation) as fridges with the external temp control.
Im at the point I feel like a crusader on this subject. Bare in mind my experience is usually with apartment units.
As I just replied to a person who was about to buy a $1.5k 12v upright...15-20 years ago solar was $4-5+ a watt. Pure sinewave inverters were not common and very expensive. A 1kw could run a grand. There was no big lifepo4. It made zero financial sense to go 120v. Youre talking about $1500+ vs $500-$800 for an engel or dometic. There was also no MPPT.
Times have changed. Solar and inverters are dirt cheap, as much as 100x cheaper for used panels. PSW Inverters are 10x cheaper. Modern batteries are leagues above in efficiency and solar sizes required to charge them. There is no logic in 12v appliances. But dogma dies hard.
As I just replied to a person who was about to buy a $1.5k 12v upright...15-20 years ago solar was $4-5+ a watt. Pure sinewave inverters were not common and very expensive. A 1kw could run a grand. There was no big lifepo4. It made zero financial sense to go 120v. Youre talking about $1500+ vs $500-$800 for an engel or dometic. There was also no MPPT.
Times have changed. Solar and inverters are dirt cheap, as much as 100x cheaper for used panels. PSW Inverters are 10x cheaper. Modern batteries are leagues above in efficiency and solar sizes required to charge them. There is no logic in 12v appliances. But dogma dies hard.
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gungriffin
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As I understand it, one area that the 12V fridges are better is when someone is actually going off-road to 4 wheel. I have the CFX75 in my 99 Land Cruiser. It is routinely jostled when I hit bumps and is running when I am at 20-30 degree angles in all directions. Correct me if I am wrong, but the compressor in most 12v fridges is better for these purposes. If it is going in a van, then it sounds like the 120v is definitely better.
i have this one,works great.12/24 volt compressor.freezer/fridge.
Amazon.com: COSTWAY Chest Freezer, 63-Quart Compressor Travel Refrigerator with 3 Levels, -0.4°F to 50°F, Adjustable Temperature, LCD Display and Lighting Bulbs, Single Door Vehicle Fridge for Car, Home, Camping: Appliances
Buy COSTWAY Chest Freezer, 63-Quart Compressor Travel Refrigerator with 3 Levels, -0.4°F to 50°F, Adjustable Temperature, LCD Display and Lighting Bulbs, Single Door Vehicle Fridge for Car, Home, Camping: Chest Freezers - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases
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robstrom
New Member
Will had a video on this topic, (not a test, but an observation).
Short version: the pricey 12 volt made no sense, $$$wise.
Short version: the pricey 12 volt made no sense, $$$wise.
I can't remember if i've watched that video but I've heard similar arguments before. I'm curious whether these comparisons take into consideration the rather substantial inverter conversion inefficiencies and the parasitic draw of the inverter needing to be on 24/7 (if it wouldn't otherwise be on 24 hours a day).
Its unlikely that a high quality 12/24v fridge will ever be cheaper overall, even if it did have substantially better efficiency, but that's not the only reason people buy the high end chest style 12/24v fridges.
For most, if they can get a substantially cheaper 120v fridge it probably makes the most sense to buy that from an economic standpoint, especially when comparing conventional upright style 120v to the same style 120v. But if your use case calls for something more purpose built and rugged, or requires a chest style, or you simply prefer higher end components or more control a 12v might be preferable.
Stupid Monkey
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They do, but also assume that you'll need an inverter anyway, also remembering to size for the start up demands of a fridge (10x the running watts)
For me, with a 200L Fridge freezer (£250) compared to a DC Fridge of similar size £1100, even with its own dedicated inverter (£200) it enables an extra 700w of solar to be purchased for the price difference, generating 3x the solar it needs and so the extra 10-20% of inverter losses are not an issue.
However in a van with limited space for panels/already full of panels then maybe you need that power.
I'm going to try it this year, worst case is the mains fridge ends up in my house and I've a year to save for a big DC Fridge Freezer for 2021 season.
Wow, I didn't realize the startup surge was so high. In terms of an inverter, so far I haven't found anything that would be run continuously or intermittantly but automatically that would need to be 110v AC, so in my case, I'm still hoping to only switch the inverter on when I need it, but I understand for many people this will not be the case.
For your situation yes, I would save the money and spend more on solar or something else if I were in your shoes. If you aren't limited by solar array size or battery capacity it doesn't make much sense to spend 4x as much on a fridge to save ~10-30%.
But afaik, these 12v fridges are almost exclusively marketed towards the marine, overland, van, and vehicle based usecases where both battery bank capacity and max solar array size are definitely limiting factors in many cases. And the equation is much different in a van, small overland vehicle, or small boat, your fridge could very well be your largest or only continuous power draw so saving even 10-30% maybe more could make a big difference.
All depends on your use case I guess, and your specific priorities. If I were building an off grid cabin I wouldn't bother with one, but in a smaller vehicle build or on a small boat where space, weight, and roof real estate are limited it becomes more attractive (but still optional).[/QUOTE]
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