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How much is too much Solar Power and how much is just enough?


Porcupine

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Fridges without an icebox do use less power than ones with -- for example, here's a direct comparison for two otherwise identical (but too wide for the OP...) AEG models:

 

https://www.aeg.co.uk/compare/?c=125218&query=999154&query=1104574

 

185kWh/year vs. 116kWh/year, so 60% higher for the one with the icebox -- but then you need a small freezer if you want anything frozen and don't have an icebox, which adds back much more power than you've just saved...

 

I know these are official ratings but this does account for things like door openings; the average power figures come out to 0.51kWh/day and 0.32kWh/day, or 21W and 13W on average. Obviously much more peak power when the compressor is running, but this only happens a small fraction of the time.

Edited by IanD
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I have a 12/24 volts Lec fridge freezer it's replaced a shoreline same thing, it's so much better than the shoreline.

I used to have a problem with the freezer defrosting in the winter if the boat was cold, no issues with the Lec, its definitely drawing less electric than the shoreline. 

Back onto solar though since the sun has been shining my hookup has been disconnected nearly 2 weeks now so clearly I have enough solar 

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I find my fridge to be pretty useless, it is a very old 12v thing, 

Installed like a domestic fridge under countertop sandwiched between cupboards. In summer it heats up the galley and wakes me up at night. In winter it sucks the batteries dry. 

I don't use it, I have my food delivered or visit local shops. 

If starting from scratch I would ensure the fridge was drawing cold air from bilges and out putting hot air above the worktops, or a small fan to the exterior. 

Even in fairly remote places, it is easy to get food delivered, probably twice a week. So  except in a heatwave your food would probably keep in cool boxes. You can get ice in bags. Not really expensive if it extends food life by 24 hours. Some of these cool boxes can fit a car cigar lighter thingy.

Edited by LadyG
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1 hour ago, LadyG said:

I find my fridge to be pretty useless, it is a very old 12v thing, 

Installed like a domestic fridge under countertop sandwiched between cupboards. In summer it heats up the galley and wakes me up at night. In winter it sucks the batteries dry. 

I don't use it, I have my food delivered or visit local shops. 

If starting from scratch I would ensure the fridge was drawing cold air from bilges and out putting hot air above the worktops, or a small fan to the exterior. 

Even in fairly remote places, it is easy to get food delivered, probably twice a week. So  except in a heatwave your food would probably keep in cool boxes. You can get ice in bags. Not really expensive if it extends food life by 24 hours. Some of these cool boxes can fit a car cigar lighter thingy.

 

I dont know why the idea of drawing in cold air from outside the boat hasn't been explored more by boaters looking to save electricity and keep their food cool during winter. A small computer fan would suck in enough air to cool the fridge. 

 

But I will confess that I'm quite lazy, so for me personally, the idea of using cool boxes and getting more frequent deliveries is more hassle than I fancy. Also, where I am now, near Tattenhall, I'm not sure a supermarket would deliver to this location as they are all about 7 miles away in Chester.  

 

Even an inefficient fridge like mine only needs about 40Ah a day, so for me the lesser evil was to just generate the extra power needed, and solar does it for most of the year. Then from Nov to Feb, I can generate the 40Ah needed in about 25 mins of engine running. 

There is certainly a cost involved (extra solar etc) in running a fridge, but for me it was worth doing it for the convenience.

 

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2 hours ago, peterboat said:

I have a 12/24 volts Lec fridge freezer it's replaced a shoreline same thing, it's so much better than the shoreline.

I used to have a problem with the freezer defrosting in the winter if the boat was cold, no issues with the Lec, its definitely drawing less electric than the shoreline. 

Back onto solar though since the sun has been shining my hookup has been disconnected nearly 2 weeks now so clearly I have enough solar 

So where did you source the LEC

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11 minutes ago, Tony1 said:

Also, where I am now, near Tattenhall, I'm not sure a supermarket would deliver to this location as they are all about 7 miles away in Chester.  

Seven miles is close by 🤭

Waitrose Holsworthy delivers to us and we are 20miles away from the store.

You will be surprised just how big an area stores cover.

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15 minutes ago, Tony1 said:

 

I dont know why the idea of drawing in cold air from outside the boat hasn't been explored more by boaters looking to save electricity and keep their food cool during winter. A small computer fan would suck in enough air to cool the fridge. 

 

But I will confess that I'm quite lazy, so for me personally, the idea of using cool boxes and getting more frequent deliveries is more hassle than I fancy. Also, where I am now, near Tattenhall, I'm not sure a supermarket would deliver to this location as they are all about 7 miles away in Chester.  

 

Even an inefficient fridge like mine only needs about 40Ah a day, so for me the lesser evil was to just generate the extra power needed, and solar does it for most of the year. Then from Nov to Feb, I can generate the 40Ah needed in about 25 mins of engine running. 

There is certainly a cost involved (extra solar etc) in running a fridge, but for me it was worth doing it for the convenience.

 

We had a Tesco delivery a few years ago to Tattenhall.

  • Greenie 1
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3 minutes ago, Loddon said:

Seven miles is close by 🤭

Waitrose Holsworthy delivers to us and we are 20miles away from the store.

You will be surprised just how big an area stores cover.

 

Thinking about it. they would have to cover a decent distance for the rural customers. 

 

I need to get on the case. I've been using the local Spar at Tattenhall when I could have had Waitrose delicacies delivered to the marina nearby...

 

 

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29 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

So where did you source the LEC

I bought it secondhand from Mark he was on this forum but is on Thunderboat, it was 100 squids not very old and in excellent condition. He has a hotel boat so has bought a large 240 volts one which is killing his batteries! Thing is normally he is on the move daily so it doesn't matter 

29 minutes ago, LadyG said:

More to the point, where did he source the sun 😎

It's been sunny in Rotherham for a couple of weeks same for next few days I believe 

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