12v Fridge/Freezer

Jimmy

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Jan 28, 2018
176
Hunter 26 lake Powell lake mead
I hate solar on a small trailer sailer I have a Honda 1000 generator.
 
Jul 23, 2009
857
Beneteau 31 Oceanis Grand Lake, Oklahoma
I have a Honda 1000 & 2200. I can assure you that at 0700 they "seem" very loud. I didn't have any neighbors when I used the 1000 on the boat. I have not used the 2200 on the water yet. Probably not any more offensive than a wake boat blasting hip hop music though.
 

Doug J

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May 2, 2005
1,192
Hunter 26 Oceanside, CA
Well, I've been testing the new fridge/freezer for a few days now, using only my 80 watt solar panel. I wanted to see if the fridge could run through the night, then see if the battery bank would recharge to 100% the next day. I let the fridge run over night in fridge only and fridge/freezer mode. Of course when using freezer mode it uses a lot more energy. I had to replace my battery bank, it wouldn't last through the night, because I didn't keep the water topped off which damaged them. With the new batteries, two 6v GC 235ah, I installed a watering system that will make it easy to keep them topped off. The fridge gets cold real fast and very quiet. In freezer mode, it froze a couple bottles of water solid. It's been hot here lately too, so good time to test. I like the features and functions of this unit, dual zone, Bluetooth app, ABS cabinet, Secop compressor, etc. I can say it does generate some heat that needs to be dissipated. You can see by the pictures there is considerable space all around, which I think makes this unit a good size for my application. I don't think I'll need to cut any vents into the below cabinet area, as there is enough air flow around it. If a larger unit were put in that space vents would need to be installed. In the pictures you can see the Styrofoam the fridge is sitting in, which is from the packing it came in. It fits perfectly in there. I think I'm going to keep it in there as it will keep the fridge stable, no way to move around. I will put a small hole in the compartment to allow the power cable to be routed under the cabinet making a clean installation.

I monitor my battery bank with a Victron battery monitor and it looks like it commonly draws 37-45 watts at about 3.5 to 4 amps (compressor on). If freezer mode is used the compressor cycles on/off a lot more more using a lot more power. So far I think I've determined if fridge only mode is used, the 80 watt solar panel can keep up, provided there is enough sun. I will be upgrading to a 120 watt solar panel, which hopefully will be enough to use the freezer if desired. I'm hoping a 120 watt panel will be enough. The dimensions I've seen will allow me to still use the mounting bracket I already have, so it will be an easy swap.

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