Jump to content

Fridge 12v/240


EnglishRose

Featured Posts

4 hours ago, Phoenix_V said:

I have just had my 12v fridge repaired, it only lasted 5 years as did the one before so if (when?) it fails again it will be skipped and I will be going the 240 volt route.

For the fridge it is important to look at the efficiency A++ under the old system or E on the new system. Also the total energy consumption (which will be much higher if there is a chiller compartment so consider carefully if you need that feature.)  Small efficient fridges are few and far between, that one you found is one of the few, it is quite small, if you have the space you may want to go larger. The same seller has larger efficient ones.

Then for the inverter you would need one which is large enough to cope with the fridge start up current (which is larger than the running current) 1000 watt pure sine wave (with peak of at least 1500) is normally suggested, the current the inverter takes when the fridge is not running is important too. Some inverters have an eco mode where they turn off almost completely until they sense a load but these have been reported as difficult to set up.

I was looking at fridges last night and wondered why they were F when only used slightly more power than an A+

4 hours ago, Phoenix_V said:

I have just had my 12v fridge repaired, it only lasted 5 years as did the one before so if (when?) it fails again it will be skipped and I will be going the 240 volt route.

For the fridge it is important to look at the efficiency A++ under the old system or E on the new system. Also the total energy consumption (which will be much higher if there is a chiller compartment so consider carefully if you need that feature.)  Small efficient fridges are few and far between, that one you found is one of the few, it is quite small, if you have the space you may want to go larger. The same seller has larger efficient ones.

Then for the inverter you would need one which is large enough to cope with the fridge start up current (which is larger than the running current) 1000 watt pure sine wave (with peak of at least 1500) is normally suggested, the current the inverter takes when the fridge is not running is important too. Some inverters have an eco mode where they turn off almost completely until they sense a load but these have been reported as difficult to set up.

I was looking at fridges last night and wondered why they were F when only used slightly more power than an A+

Link to comment
Share on other sites

48 minutes ago, Bargebuilder said:

Possibly because they cost the best part of £800. A LEC tabletop fridge costs £130 and the best 800w inverter money can buy, the Victron, only costs £250! Many are a lot less than that.

You can get them a lot cheaper then that depending on model and different makes are available, also EBay used. 
 My point is if she is only going to use the boat short stay/weekends does she need a full size fridge wired in permanently? If she had a Dometic type cool box she could just take that when needed and also use it in other ways ie: in the car for picnics out or dedicated drinks cooler in the garage/house.

Edited by PD1964
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks everyone. I'm going to look into options. It's not a full size fridge rather is a mini version of a fridge. It is being used for leisure purposes and the duration could be a few days or a few weeks depending on where we end up and it would also be handy for other things such as working remotely but it isn't a liveaboard. We are going to look at getting an inverter up and running but need to work out what sort of size we need. I've reached out to the BSS surveyor to ascertain exactly what his concerns were too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You could also look at “do you need an Inverter” as most only use them for fridge and TV, both have their 12v alternatives, maybe a 12v cool box would suit as I have mentioned and spend some money on batteries and improved Solar charging.

  No matter which route you go, your going to have to spend some money. I would not use that inverter if you feel you need one, I would look to get a good quality Victron with enough power for your requirements, I doubt you’ll need to go too high, just work out your power usage and buy what suits, also batteries, make sure you have enough and the means to charge then efficiently, be it solar or alternator.

Edited by PD1964
  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, peterboat said:

It is for me through winter Julian if I ain't there 

If you ain't there you don't need the fridge/inverter on, we turn ours off every time we leave the boat.

I suspect if you look closely at the figures a frugal 230v fridge with the inverter will draw less than a 12v one as the 12v ones don't use the best fridges in their conversions.

I deliberately didn't mention freezer as this thread is about fridges.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

was looking at fridges last night and wondered why they were F when only used slightly more power than an A+

They have changed the rating system it's no longer A+, A++ etc but F and E 😎

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, PD1964 said:

You could also look at “do you need an Inverter” as most only use them for fridge and TV, both have their 12v alternatives, maybe a 12v cool box would suit as I have mentioned and spend some money on batteries and improved Solar charging.

 

 

When my fridge gave up last year, I used our coolbox for a few weeks while I was trying to source a fix, (failed miserably and bought a new one). The coolbox ran pretty much continuously using loads of power and making a right racket.... I eventually fitted a thermostat with a temp sensor, so it didn't run continuously, but it still made a noise when running, and was really irritating.

 

Given the OPs description of likely use, I dont think a cool box of any kind will be satisfactory.

 

Dependent on the space available for a fridge, there may not be a suitable 240V model available. I couldnt find on that fitted my space, so ended up splashing just under £500 on a new Waeco/Dometic. Life was so much better from the moment it was fitted.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Loddon said:

If you ain't there you don't need the fridge/inverter on, we turn ours off every time we leave the boat.

I suspect if you look closely at the figures a frugal 230v fridge with the inverter will draw less than a 12v one as the 12v ones don't use the best fridges in their conversions.

I deliberately didn't mention freezer as this thread is about fridges.

 

No it's an A+ fridge freezer what they have used in the conversion, its when I am away at weekends I turn off the inverter and can leave the fridge freezer on. Power wise its very good better than the shoreline it replaced and the 240 volts fridge freezer it replaced years ago, I timed the power draw on both of the beasties and the LEC is on for less time in the hour. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Managed to get hold of the BSS surveyor and as luck would have it, he is pretty local to where we live and he passes our house regularly. He is going to pop over (was really helpful over the phone and sounds a lovely guy) and have a look and test the inverter/fridge as he is a bit confused by things and it may be the fridge doesn't need replacing after all, seems we may have got a few things crossed I'll explain once he's been but we should have lots more info then. 

  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.