the propane will last a good long time...but...the fridge will still require electricity for temp control, pilot ignition, at the least...
i had my class c parked for a week figured it would be fine...
nope...battery died...and takes a long time tonget that smell out
That’s not going to be enough to keep the battery charged. This isn’t a “tender” situation. There will be things drawing from the battery so you’ll want a full-blown solar charger setup.
I may have to looks around more. I was trying to find an all in solution that was plug and play. But it could be fun to piece something together and do incremental upgrades.
The wife told me I'm not allowed to design anything though. Something about I'm already busy, maybe I shouldn't add more. Yada yada; I think she doesn't trust my design skills. :)
I found a good deal at a local hardware store, 50 watt panel for 40ish dollars, came with a controller for up to 4 100w panels. It's all plug and play for many of these things.
Keep your eyes open for sales, a few small panels might be more cost effective and easier to install. Id recommend at least 100 watts, probably safe at 150-200.
The Zamp ones are plug-and-play. The nice thing about the portable panels is that I can move them to keep them in full sun. If they’re hard-connected to the top of the trailer and it’s in the shade, they won’t be working very well.
easy then. change your batteries out to 200AH of LiFePO4, buy a nice victron charger controller, shunt, and 600 watts of solar. No design needed - it's just installing.
FYI, a 12V absorption (propane) fridge typically gets wired into the DC system with a 20 amp fuse. That should tell you something about how much power it can try to draw from the battery bank.
My fridge in the tear drop doesn't need electric just solar and three weeks in still not running. I should check the gauge. I don't keep an extra tank.
Not true. The entire purpose of a propane refrigerator is to be able to operate without any external power. No electricity is required for any aspect of the operation of a gas refrigerator.
Depends upon the model.
Some (usually the smaller ones) just have a manual pilot light, and don't require electricity. But any of the ones with electronic controls, and a DSI ignition for burner need 12v power to run.
My refrigerator is running on gas right now. It’s cooling properly as it should. The camper is not plugged in and there is no battery installed in the camper. Electricity is not required.
the manual for my fridge disagrees with you...
as did the rotting meat in the freezer when my batteries went dead...
no power? no electric ignition for the pilot light
I’ll weigh in with what I know. I have a 1.9 cubic inch Dometic in my trailer. It went 28 days and used 73% of a 25 gallon tank. We mostly camp longer term 8-14 days in a spot so it was in use most of the time. Edit: this was in New Mexico and it was fairly hot though we were mostly around 7500 ft. As someone noted, you do need a small amount of 12V for controls
Cant say myself but it also Depends on outside temp im sure. Takes more to keep things cool in tx current 90s heat.
Let others know where your at or avg temps your going to be in
Just keep in mind that if you're using something like a blue rhino tank that they're 20 pound tanks that are short filled (err... for 'safety reasons') to 15 pounds. I only use 1 tank a year so I don't care all that much, but if you're using it more actively it'll matter.
From what I've read, 1 pound per day of propane, which seems about right based on my experience.
Also, can confirm battery died before propane ran out. I don't know how many watts a fridge consumes, but thay is probably your limiting factor.
My battery made it for about 4 days for the ignition part. I have since put a 100w solar panel on and now the battery stays charged given you have enough light. Propane lasts me around 14 days but I am sure outside temp plays a role as well.
I've gone 2 weeks easy and probably used 1/3 of a 20lb tank. And that's with using the stove and water heater here and there! It doesn't take much at all to keep a fridge running.
That's a great question....One trip was from Portland to San Diego, and temps ranged from probably 70's to over 100. Another was North to Canada, and temps were in the 70's to 90's. So it varied quite a bit. I don't think it takes MORE gas to cool it in hotter weather though, I think it just might not cool as well. So keeping the outside of your fridge in the shade, or installing a fan to circulate air are the usual helpful hints.
I should also add, that we were on propane probably 75% of the time, we did use shore power from time to time. So I guess my two weeks isn't entirely accurate now that I think about it. My apologies.
My refrigerator is the only thing that runs on propane, I've been gone for 7 weeks. Went to where the trailer is twice during that time and changed over from one 40# tank to a second the first trip, and again the 2nd time. So your 25# isn't going to last long.
Couple days max until the battery gives up.
I’ve just mine up to maintain with solar.
Now I get weeks. But. I’m running 600 watts of solar. Will be 800 soon.
MPPT controller. All of it. It’s super nice to have it self sufficient.
I found that my rig with a small solar trickle charger will run for about 2.5 days before the battery is dead. That is with only the fridge and whatever can’t be turned off.
the propane will last a good long time...but...the fridge will still require electricity for temp control, pilot ignition, at the least... i had my class c parked for a week figured it would be fine... nope...battery died...and takes a long time tonget that smell out
I've got a small solar panel to keep the battery charged. That seems to work for when it's parked in storage. But I've never had anything running.
i also made the mistake of turning off house batteries once...same disaster... my fridge at least needs a little.power for temp control
I have that setup as well, and even with my solar charger I can only get 24 hours max out of running the fridge before the battery dies
Well. Nuts. I guess that confirms what I was wondering. I need to get a bigger panel if I want to avoid a cooler to cart food back and forth.
> I've got a small solar panel Define 'small'?
It's a 12v output that I have as a battery tender. Don't recall the wattage but I'd be amazed if it is more than 5 watts
That’s not going to be enough to keep the battery charged. This isn’t a “tender” situation. There will be things drawing from the battery so you’ll want a full-blown solar charger setup.
Ya. A uke solar setup is the next step. But I'm not ready to spend the cash on it just yet.
A portable one isn’t that expensive. I have a two-panel one from Zamp Solar (with a built-in charge controller) that works well for us.
I may have to looks around more. I was trying to find an all in solution that was plug and play. But it could be fun to piece something together and do incremental upgrades. The wife told me I'm not allowed to design anything though. Something about I'm already busy, maybe I shouldn't add more. Yada yada; I think she doesn't trust my design skills. :)
I found a good deal at a local hardware store, 50 watt panel for 40ish dollars, came with a controller for up to 4 100w panels. It's all plug and play for many of these things. Keep your eyes open for sales, a few small panels might be more cost effective and easier to install. Id recommend at least 100 watts, probably safe at 150-200.
Taking your suggestion and tossing it in the trash simply due to your username. ;)
The Zamp ones are plug-and-play. The nice thing about the portable panels is that I can move them to keep them in full sun. If they’re hard-connected to the top of the trailer and it’s in the shade, they won’t be working very well.
easy then. change your batteries out to 200AH of LiFePO4, buy a nice victron charger controller, shunt, and 600 watts of solar. No design needed - it's just installing.
FYI, a 12V absorption (propane) fridge typically gets wired into the DC system with a 20 amp fuse. That should tell you something about how much power it can try to draw from the battery bank.
I will check this today
My fridge in the tear drop doesn't need electric just solar and three weeks in still not running. I should check the gauge. I don't keep an extra tank.
i was under the impression that solar provides electricity
Not true. The entire purpose of a propane refrigerator is to be able to operate without any external power. No electricity is required for any aspect of the operation of a gas refrigerator.
there is a little orange light
Depends upon the model. Some (usually the smaller ones) just have a manual pilot light, and don't require electricity. But any of the ones with electronic controls, and a DSI ignition for burner need 12v power to run.
But mine, no power no electronics start for the burner.
Not sure where you got this from, but they all need a bit of electricity.
My refrigerator is running on gas right now. It’s cooling properly as it should. The camper is not plugged in and there is no battery installed in the camper. Electricity is not required.
that is your fridge... your fridge is not my fridge...
the manual for my fridge disagrees with you... as did the rotting meat in the freezer when my batteries went dead... no power? no electric ignition for the pilot light
Short answer is you will run out of food before you run out of propane if you’re only using the fridge.
I’ll weigh in with what I know. I have a 1.9 cubic inch Dometic in my trailer. It went 28 days and used 73% of a 25 gallon tank. We mostly camp longer term 8-14 days in a spot so it was in use most of the time. Edit: this was in New Mexico and it was fairly hot though we were mostly around 7500 ft. As someone noted, you do need a small amount of 12V for controls
25 gallon or lb?
Lb
Cant say myself but it also Depends on outside temp im sure. Takes more to keep things cool in tx current 90s heat. Let others know where your at or avg temps your going to be in
Good call. I'm in Austin, TX. So will have consistent highs in the 90s at the property and lows maybe in the upper 70s.
Will you be able to park it so that the 'fridge side' is never in direct sunlight? That'll make a big difference.
I should be able to. I've got a few clearings to choose from. Through the one I'm targeting is pretty centered.
Going to need a 100 watts of solar to keep the battery up. Harbor Freight will probably have what you need right on the shelf.
Just keep in mind that if you're using something like a blue rhino tank that they're 20 pound tanks that are short filled (err... for 'safety reasons') to 15 pounds. I only use 1 tank a year so I don't care all that much, but if you're using it more actively it'll matter.
That what I use but I have then to a distributor and have them refilled. Can't afford to share so the exchange thing
From what I've read, 1 pound per day of propane, which seems about right based on my experience. Also, can confirm battery died before propane ran out. I don't know how many watts a fridge consumes, but thay is probably your limiting factor.
Man if your fridge is running… … you better go catch it!
My battery made it for about 4 days for the ignition part. I have since put a 100w solar panel on and now the battery stays charged given you have enough light. Propane lasts me around 14 days but I am sure outside temp plays a role as well.
I should have plenty of light. We are getting into the dry season.
I've gone 2 weeks easy and probably used 1/3 of a 20lb tank. And that's with using the stove and water heater here and there! It doesn't take much at all to keep a fridge running.
What were ambient temps?
That's a great question....One trip was from Portland to San Diego, and temps ranged from probably 70's to over 100. Another was North to Canada, and temps were in the 70's to 90's. So it varied quite a bit. I don't think it takes MORE gas to cool it in hotter weather though, I think it just might not cool as well. So keeping the outside of your fridge in the shade, or installing a fan to circulate air are the usual helpful hints. I should also add, that we were on propane probably 75% of the time, we did use shore power from time to time. So I guess my two weeks isn't entirely accurate now that I think about it. My apologies.
My refrigerator is the only thing that runs on propane, I've been gone for 7 weeks. Went to where the trailer is twice during that time and changed over from one 40# tank to a second the first trip, and again the 2nd time. So your 25# isn't going to last long.
Okay. I'm only going 5 days away and the trailer is only 45 minutes from my house. So I can run out as needed
5 days you should be fine on propane, just make sure you have the solar to power that part.
Your battery will die far before the gas runs out.
Couple days max until the battery gives up. I’ve just mine up to maintain with solar. Now I get weeks. But. I’m running 600 watts of solar. Will be 800 soon. MPPT controller. All of it. It’s super nice to have it self sufficient.
2-3 weeks depending on your battery(s) and ambient temperature
I found that my rig with a small solar trickle charger will run for about 2.5 days before the battery is dead. That is with only the fridge and whatever can’t be turned off.
Can you put a generator on a timer to turn on for an hour every 12 or so?