Fridge/Solar panel

[Mrs Frost]

Hello we are new to the canal and are looking to install a new fridge to our boat. We have been talking

to lots of people regarding this and wonder if you can advise on what we might do. Someone said to get a

seperate Battery and solar panel to power the fridge- all suggestions would be greatly appreciated, Many Thanks

[blodger]

Hello we are new to the canal and are looking to install a new fridge to our boat. We have been talking

to lots of people regarding this and wonder if you can advise on what we might do. Someone said to get a

seperate Battery and solar panel to power the fridge- all suggestions would be greatly appreciated, Many Thanks

Do not dedicate a battery as it will not last long, By all means have another battery and augment your battery bank whereupon the peukert phenomenon will give you more amphours than you have added; Look at the Smartguage (SG) site.

 

In summer a 60/100 watt solar panel may well more or less run a modern efficient 12v fridge. Again, at about 2.00 per watt get a reasonable size panel(s) 100/200w and keep your batt bank topped up don't try routing to a load; you'll get more out of them that way.

 

Do not let DeanS tell you differently without a supporting diagram

Edited October 4, 2011 by blodger

[Chris Pink]

Hello we are new to the canal and are looking to install a new fridge to our boat. We have been talking

to lots of people regarding this and wonder if you can advise on what we might do. Someone said to get a

seperate Battery and solar panel to power the fridge- all suggestions would be greatly appreciated, Many Thanks

 

Cut out the battery.

[bottle]

Hi Mrs Frost and welcome to the forum.

 

The above holds true if you already have a 'domestic' battery bank and it will be a 12v or 24v fridge. (that will depend on your set-up)

[Jenny53]

New 12 volt fridges are very efficient they are more expensive to buy but you will save in the long run. We know people who have bought cheap 24 volt fridges and they have to turn them off at night as they are power hungry. Plus if you go the 24v route you will need to run an inverter constantly.

 

New 12 volt fridges are very efficient they are more expensive to buy but you will save in the long run. We know people who have bought cheap 24 volt fridges and they have to turn them off at night as they are power hungry. Plus if you go the 24v route you will need to run an inverter constantly.

[matty40s]

I have 12v shoreline fridge and solar (100w) , it is very near the time when I disconnect fridge for winter and rely on a coldbox in the cratch. (well it would be if it went cold...)

I would say that you plan may work if you turn fridge off at night, and the winter is sunny, but otherwise, like others, run it from the main bank and charge bank as normal. Winter solar of 60-200W is not consistent enough to run anything large from, without other input from wind or genny/alternator power.

[bottle]

New 12 volt fridges are very efficient they are more expensive to buy but you will save in the long run. We know people who have bought cheap 24 volt fridges and they have to turn them off at night as they are power hungry. Plus if you go the 24v route you will need to run an inverter constantly.

 

New 12 volt fridges are very efficient they are more expensive to buy but you will save in the long run. We know people who have bought cheap 24 volt fridges and they have to turn them off at night as they are power hungry. Plus if you go the 24v route you will need to run an inverter constantly.

 

Hi

 

Whereas I meant 24v I think you mean 240v (ac)

[sueb]

You don't have battery problems with a gas fridge.

Sue

[blodger]

You don't have battery problems with a gas fridge.

Sue

Perhaps you should expand a bit regarding effectiveness and cost. I have limited experience with caravans which turned me against them. Do or don't they have an icebox because I cannot remember.

[DeanS]

Hello we are new to the canal and are looking to install a new fridge to our boat. We have been talking

to lots of people regarding this and wonder if you can advise on what we might do. Someone said to get a

seperate Battery and solar panel to power the fridge- all suggestions would be greatly appreciated, Many Thanks

 

 

Hellooooo

Are you planning on living aboard?

Of all the things on a boat which suck the battery power, a fridge is probably one of the greatest, simply because it is on permanently. You cant rely on solar to feed it. In this country the sun is a luxury. After 6months living aboard, the only way we managed to keep a 12V freezer going, was to use a gennie to recharge a dedicated battery every few days. If we were doing long trips, we'd connect it to the main bank with a jumper lead and let the alternators recharge it. We kept it seperate from the main bank most of the time, because we needed some batteries to remain above a certain charge, else the invertor would switch off...and we were happy to sacrifice the freezer to keep laptops and tvs going. The cost of a solar panel and a 12V fridge is probably around £800. For that price you could get a nice quiet gennie, and an extra few batteries...and a cheap 220V fridge, powered through an invertor I dont have a drawing on hand.. A gas fridge is a good way to go....if you're living aboard.

[blodger]

Do not let DeanS tell you differently without a supporting diagram post*2

I dont have a drawing on hand

 

Useful real experience of DeanS

Edited October 5, 2011 by blodger

[deletedaccount]

During the summer a decent sized solar panel will keep your batteries nice and topped up while powering your fridge.

 

During the winter you'll need to run the engine longer anyway to produce hot water (it starts of colder), charge the batteries more (you're inside more with lights on etc). It balances out ime.

[sebrof]

Hellooooo

Are you planning on living aboard?

Of all the things on a boat which suck the battery power, a fridge is probably one of the greatest, simply because it is on permanently. You cant rely on solar to feed it. In this country the sun is a luxury. After 6months living aboard, the only way we managed to keep a 12V freezer going, was to use a gennie to recharge a dedicated battery every few days. If we were doing long trips, we'd connect it to the main bank with a jumper lead and let the alternators recharge it. We kept it seperate from the main bank most of the time, because we needed some batteries to remain above a certain charge, else the invertor would switch off...and we were happy to sacrifice the freezer to keep laptops and tvs going. The cost of a solar panel and a 12V fridge is probably around £800. For that price you could get a nice quiet gennie, and an extra few batteries...and a cheap 220V fridge, powered through an invertor I dont have a drawing on hand.. A gas fridge is a good way to go....if you're living aboard.

 

It all depends whether you regard your fridge as a cold drink dispenser or as a way of keeping food fresh. Fridges don't use a lot of power if you don't open the door too often.

 

In my experience, an 80/100 watt panel will power a fridge and a laptop (for a couple of hours) and the water pump on a reasonable day. But I am not going backwards and forwards to the fridge all the time.