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12 volt V 240v fridge .....opinions


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Ran a Victron Combi 3kw  70amp 24 volt set up for 11 years before selling the barge. Whilst on board the inverter always on and for the last few years had a 240 volt fridge rated A+ free standing which managed well with temperatures up to 40. After installing 400watts of solar we could stay moored for 5 or 6 days without running generator. We also had an ice maker which left space in the freezer compartment.

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42 minutes ago, dmr said:

How long have you had Tipton and what are your plans? I remember her as a quite pretty unconverted boat, are you doing an undercloth thing or putting on a full cabin? I believe she was previously purchased by a member of this forum who spent ages trying to get her. Before that she was a coal boat on the K&A, I assume this is the same boat?

 

..................Dave

You are thinking of the "other" Tipton Dave

This one has been in the owners care for 30 years

 

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Thats good news, Madcat has not posted here for ages so I worried that things might not be ok.

 

Damn confusing having two Tiptons but could be worse, could be a Kingfisher.

 

..................Dave

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1 hour ago, dmr said:

I would like to see real back to back figures, consumption for a 240v fridge and consumption for that same fridge converted to 12 volts. My guess is that the 12volt fridge would be better but I don't know by how much. A high quality DC compressor must do better than a mass produced 240v job? though the relative fundamental electrical  losses in 12v DC machine and a 240v AC machine will be a factor (think Travelpower).  The 240volt fridge will incur the inverter loss but the 12 volt fridge will have a little volt drop in its (thick) cables. 

 

If you are a 240volt boat with the inverter always on for other stuff then a 240v fridge must be the way to go, but installing an inverter just to drive a 240volt fridge? I am not sure. For many boats the fridge will be the biggest consumer of amp-hours so its worth getting it right

 

..................Dave

I have a shoreline fridge freezer works ok now on 24 volts after an inverter change, I bought it from Crick as a special offer and would have difficulty going back to 240 v after a couple of disasters early on in this boats life

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Just now, peterboat said:

I have a shoreline fridge freezer works ok now on 24 volts after an inverter change, I bought it from Crick as a special offer and would have difficulty going back to 240 v after a couple of disasters early on in this boats life

Although we live in relative luxury I do like a boat to be boaty, its all part of living on a boat, and I feel that running off 12 volts is a part of the boatiness.

Today is an engine running/battery charging/hot water making/washing machine day, once that's done its back to 12volts and trying to be a bit careful with how much leccy we use, its  the rhythm of boat life.

 

...............Dave

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1 minute ago, dmr said:

Although we live in relative luxury I do like a boat to be boaty, its all part of living on a boat, and I feel that running off 12 volts is a part of the boatiness.

Today is an engine running/battery charging/hot water making/washing machine day, once that's done its back to 12volts and trying to be a bit careful with how much leccy we use, its  the rhythm of boat life.

 

...............Dave

I have more solar than I know what to do with so 240v all around but fridge freezer firmly in the 12v/24v for me

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45 minutes ago, dmr said:

Thats good news, Madcat has not posted here for ages so I worried that things might not be ok.

 

Damn confusing having two Tiptons but could be worse, could be a Kingfisher.

 

..................Dave

Yes an easy mistake to make .. I just  say ours "is the other one " lol 

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11 minutes ago, Chris-B said:

Yes an easy mistake to make .. I just  say ours "is the other one " lol 

So whats the history? why are there two historic boats both called Tipton? Are the names original. The Tipton I referred too was less than full length, its not the two ends of the same original boat is it ? ?

 

...............Dave

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3 hours ago, WotEver said:

No it won’t. Not unless it keeps raising its voltage up to 20-odd volts.
 

The 600Ah batteries will eventually demand less than 6A. However, if the voltage then remains much above 14V then over a period of time it will cause both positive grid corrosion and eventual drying out of the electrolyte. But it won’t ‘pump out 20A until boiling point’. 

 I did have it bubbling the old lead acids to 16 amps, once!

Lead acids [dead] were replaced with AGM, as far as I am aware the optimum chrger for 600 amp hour nominal is 18 percent [80-100 amp charger/s] and minimum s 10 percent, ie a 60 amp charger. Modern boaty chargers are smart and can be ON 24/7 when on shorepower.

Edited by LadyG
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21 minutes ago, dmr said:

So whats the history? why are there two historic boats both called Tipton? Are the names original. The Tipton I referred too was less than full length, its not the two ends of the same original boat is it ? ?

 

...............Dave

Tipton #1 is a Yarwoods built Guccco Motor image.png.f0ec54e7602f463a59e72ab587610fcf.png

Tipton #2 image.png.d03825425d113c76c82bd51e86d37865.png we have number 2 ... Madcat's is #1---- all cleared up .....mmmmm beer 

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17 hours ago, Chris-B said:

Planning the fit on Tipton and got to thinking of fridges ... 

I have always previously gone down the shoreline 12 v route and been happy ..but technology and kit changes along with our needs 

Tip will be built for boating and is not intended to be a long term Liveaboard so I was thinking that a off the shelf household fridge running off the victron inverter whilst not as power frugal as a shoreline is a dammed sight cheaper 

please convince me why or why not to go down this road ...I am open to all suggestions 

thanks

We are looking to replace ours and are thinking the same, so I shall follow your replies with interest.  M

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7 hours ago, WotEver said:

Yes, 2.5mm2 would be fine for any 230V 13A socket outlet. 

What would this achieve? The cable still has to be run, which is the most time-consuming (ie expensive) part of the exercise. So run a correctly sized cable while stripping out the existing cable which can be kept for other uses.  

There is an existing DC cable to the fridge, it goes to bow, where 2 [of five] domestic batteries live, no idea of size of fridge cable, I assume the more efficient replacement fridge will not draw more power, possibly less.

Running a mains cable from bow to fridge is easy, running one from fridge to stern is not easy, might take two days.

I think I should it would be far simpler just to replace 12v fridge with same fridge, just a modern one. Cost £550. No electrician needed.

Or get an inverter to suit the mains fridge, site it near the bow, run mains cable to fridge, fit a socket and plug in. What inverter d I need for an undercounterfridge?

 

 

 

Edited by LadyG
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Back - a bit nearer the topic -

Out of satiable curtiosity I just looked of the official power consumption of both the Liebherr F/F that will go into the boat (when I get enough round-toits or the Batts unif finally goes to the great scrap heap in the sky)

and I find the official figures for a Shoreline FD171 (which is a bit smaller than the Liebherr)

                                      is 576 watt hours per day

The Liebherr CTP2121 is 482 watt hours per day

soo the Liebherr has it, the Liebherr has it.

Not only does it consume less power it's a larger uniit = more storage per watt.

Thus the fiction that mains voltage fridge freezers  are energy guzzlers when compared with DC units  of a similar size is not true.

 

 

 

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18 minutes ago, LadyG said:

There is an existing cable to the fridge, it goes to bow, where 2 [of five] domestic batteries live, no idea of size of fridge cable, I assume the more efficient replacement fridge will not draw more power, possibly less.

I think I should it would be far simpler just to replace 12v fridge with same fridge, just a modern one. Cost £550. No electrician needed.

Or get an inverter to suit the mains fridge, site it near the bow, run mains cable to fridge, fit a socket and plug in. What inverter d I need for an undercounterfridge?

 

 

 

If using a separate inverter for the fridge. I was impressed by this Bimble inverter - and its 'only' £170

https://www.bimblesolar.com/12v-inverters/1500w-epever-IP1500-12

it ran an older generation twin compressor tall fridge freezer when on thes and it didn't get more than warm.

 

 

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So how do I know what inverter I need the Cmes502 will fit.

I cant find data sheet.

update .... £785!

The bigger fridge freezers are the same, so for me, it's back to Dometic

Edited by LadyG
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