Thread: Extended camping - fridge options?

Lot's of threads on solar panels, have a search. General consensous seems to be to use two 80 Watt panels (with a controller of course) to keep battery charged.
First thing you would need to do would be to find out the average power used (or average current drawn most people seem use) over a "typical" day. Perhaps use the worst case scenario for where you camp. You can then pick a suitable solar setup.

I have a 3-way fridge and it works well on gas as a fridge if kept in the shade up to about 30 degrees outside temperature. No good as a freezer at that temperature.

Mike

Swap out the portable battery with the spare one in the car ?
Are you SERIOUS ?
Where have you got your second battery?
Mine is right there beside the first one and it's a VERY tight fit and not one I'd care to mess with.

Battery choice for your second battery is probably the most important factor you should consider.

I was using a deep cycle 90AH as the second battery in my Disco 3 via a red arc smart isolator, work well for the first part of trip but as time went on the hours of usage (When stopped, no recharging) dropped considerably. After 4 weeks of touring it was lucky to go for 24hours.

When I was setting up the new Fender, an auto sparky told me that I should use a cranking battery and not a deep cycle. He said that a cranky battery will run the fridge without a problem. He went to say said a deep cycle battery needs over 15v and several days to completely charge. This can only be done on battery charger. As an alternator will only push 14.2v – 14.4v and you will never drive for 3 days straight, so it can never completely charge a deep cycle battery.

As a test I hooked up a fully charged 650CAA battery to my Engle 45, on the garage floor, set it for -2c and 4 days later it was still going strong. There was nothing in the fridge so it was working as hard as it ever will to keep air cold.

The benefit is that the car will fully charge the a CAA battery in about 2 hours (driving or idle) and you start you 4 days all over again.

Down side is the CAA battery will is not as durable as a deep cycle and will need to be replaced a lot sooner, but they half the cost of a deep cycle.

I have this set up now for several months and works like charm 3 to 4 days of fridge use without the need to charge the cranking battery and I can fully charge it in about 2 hours of driving if I need to.

Happy days

Originally Posted by Drover

Battery choice for your second battery is probably the most important factor you should consider.

I was using a deep cycle 90AH as the second battery in my Disco 3 via a red arc smart isolator, work well for the first part of trip but as time went on the hours of usage (When stopped, no recharging) dropped considerably. After 4 weeks of touring it was lucky to go for 24hours.

When I was setting up the new Fender, an auto sparky told me that I should use a cranking battery and not a deep cycle. He said that a cranky battery will run the fridge without a problem. He went to say said a deep cycle battery needs over 15v and several days to completely charge. This can only be done on battery charger. As an alternator will only push 14.2v – 14.4v and you will never drive for 3 days straight, so it can never completely charge a deep cycle battery.

As a test I hooked up a fully charged 650CAA battery to my Engle 45, on the garage floor, set it for -2c and 4 days later it was still going strong. There was nothing in the fridge so it was working as hard as it ever will to keep air cold.

The benefit is that the car will fully charge the a CAA battery in about 2 hours (driving or idle) and you start you 4 days all over again.

Down side is the CAA battery will is not as durable as a deep cycle and will need to be replaced a lot sooner, but they half the cost of a deep cycle.

I have this set up now for several months and works like charm 3 to 4 days of fridge use without the need to charge the cranking battery and I can fully charge it in about 2 hours of driving if I need to.

Happy days

the set up you have now i have been using for the last ten years

Originally Posted by VladTepes

Swap out the portable battery with the spare one in the car ?
Are you SERIOUS ?
Where have you got your second battery?
Mine is right there beside the first one and it's a VERY tight fit and not one I'd care to mess with.

I ended up using the battery holder down next to the chassis that was there when I bought it (near where we used your air jack). I was sort of conned into using it by the auto-elec, he said it would be much cheaper to hook it up. However I think I'll end up moving it under the passenger seat next to the main battery. It's a bit vulnerable down under there anyway.

Well, by the looks of it the easiest option will be to get a cranking battery and put it in the spare battery box I have here. The box has an LED readout showing remaining charge (but it's probably not that accurate). I'll leave the deep cycle in the vehicle as it is, as it will be handy for touring trips.

I assume I can hook up and Anderson plug or something to charge the battery as I drive along, and to hook the fridge up when I stop for camp?

Any suggestions on a decent battery to look for?

hi
I have the cranking battery as well and never fail to get through a weekend and get a long weekend with two 15 watt solar panels fitted without the fridge cutting out. Battery is Rear mounted with anderson plug, easy to carry to tent van etc. Camping areas are increasingly fenced off with poles and bollards, cant get the vehicle near the tent!

As I mentioned on another thread I also cheat a bit and freeze everything I can in the deep freeze a few days prior and have the waco on as cold as I can get it for a day or so before leaving. Just remember to put the beer in later and not for too long.

If you have room partially fill a wine cask bladder with water and freeze it placing it on the top of your fridge

You will find this lasts a lot longer than bagged ice, as they only freeze it to the point of turning to ice to save money, take your bag of ice home stick it in the deep freeze for a few days and it will last longer too.

By doing this the Waco works for a least a day before it needs power from the Aux battery ( Depending on outside temp & how many times opened).

I have been told the 3 way fridges are only good for about 20-25 deg less than the ambiant temp and this might be a problem in warmer places, 40+ might result in spoilage? I know a few summers back up by the Murray the 3 way in the van struggled to keep beer cold and the freezer would not make ice cubes. (47+ Deg). (worth investigating).

Andrew

Hi again

Have a look at "what battery do you use" discussion in Discovery 2 section!

Andrew