questions about running fridge off solar

rythmatix

Hi,
I am wondering if I get a 100 w solar panel for my T@B Clamshell if it will power my fridge? The fridge is a 2 way fridge and does not run off of propane. 

Michigan_Mike

rythmatix said:

Hi,
I am wondering if I get a 100 w solar panel for my T@B Clamshell if it will power my fridge? The fridge is a 2 way fridge and does not run off of propane. 

Your question obviously has variables tied in to it, but in a nutshell it is certainly doable.  If it were me, I would consider upgrading to two 6-volt batteries and something like a Zamp 120 watt portable panel or something comparable/larger.  Yes, they are spendy but also will provide you with a quicker charge capability in optimum sunlight conditions.  I like my 200 watt Zamp panel and for me it serves my purposes well and tops off my two 6-volt Interstate batteries in my tub.  We are all different in our wants and needs but I've enjoyed this product and both panels owned have served me well.  

And again and IMHO, solar can be very expensive on the front end, it isn't for everyone and people should weigh their camping needs/options (e.g., will you be boondocking and off the grid a lot or camping in RV parks, campgrounds, etc.?) before entering into the solar arena as opposed to letting a high end solar panel sit in the garage collecting dust.  

jkjenn

Depending on you other power consumption, probably.

Michigan_Mike

jkjenn said:

Depending on you other power consumption, probably.

Agree...  Solar use and consumption are balancing acts if you will and over time you do get a feel as to how to best accomplish your power needs and how to best conserve energy via individual needs when boondocking.  

HR_Taly

A good thing to note is that nothing runs off of solar - solar just replaces the energy in your battery.  So the fridge is pulling energy from your battery, and the solar is just replacing the energy into that battery.

That's why having a "bigger" battery (and by bigger, I mean more AH or amp hours) is really beneficial.  This can help store more energy to use over night or when you have very overcast or rainy days when your solar isn't pulling in much to replenish your battery or batteries.

Your dealer (if you bought new) would have installed the battery (nuCamp does not supply the battery), and they can vary depending on what that dealer installs.  Like the others said above, if they gave you a pretty good deep cycle battery, 100w of solar and the batter should (depending on conditions!) enable you to use the fridge without plugging in!

Tagalong5

Here is personal 2017 experience 8000 mile Calif to Alaska and return using solar related to fridge. This is first-hand info. I have no ax to grind.

When running the fridge on a tab320S RT Calif-Alaska. Before you start your trip plug your TAB (or any trailer using ammonia-gas refrig

(1) Chile the box initially with shore power. Reason: NH4 systems like Norcold or Dometic cannot chill the box on propane alone. Plugging your rig into 120vac for 12 hrs will chill the box. At this point you can switch your fridge fm shore to propane.

(2) Your propane will then keep the fridge cold enuf.

(3) Some units state that you should not use the standard propane above 4000 ft elevation. The issue is that the air is thinner and sea-level propane adjustments won't provide (potentially but not absolutely) enuf O2 to run safely. This is likely factual.

(4) So when you get to 4000 ft you want to turn off your propane and turn on running off 12v. The problem you WILL DISCOVER is that if you have normal deep-cycle battery(s) that you will have only about 4 hrs of energy running fridge off 12v.
So what do you do?  Depends. (sucky answer but there are options).
If you know that 4000+ is only 1 day just ignore the warning. Warning is REAL but only a warning. Over 4000 ft over 1 day travel I recommend from experience to carry and use a coleman cooler and buy some ice.

(5) in any case consider the 4000 ft as experience and significant but plan to employ option in (4).

(6) solar DOES NOT HAVE TO BE ZAMP or any other specific BRAND. The trailer plug directly connects to the battery of the tab trailer and expects a filtered regulated 12v DC supply. I use Renogy Brand. You can use ZAMP or GOAL ZERO or any other "brand". Just know that you have to have a solar panel WITH A charge controller (PVM OR MPPT) or you may damage your trailer battery.

(7) I have 15,000 miles and 23 US States, 3 Canadian Provinces, and including Alaska and other remote areas of North American and you can use solar and it really works. Not also that you can have your tow-vehicle charge your towing-vehicle WITHOUT any solar panels involved. The best use of a solar panel is when you are sitting at a fixed place for more than 2 days.

Write me with other questions and I will respond with only my first-hand experience on-the-road.  imajones at Comcast dot net

Solar works. Solar helps you enjoy your experience outdoors. there are a lot of people with great and accurate information. I hope that my experience and info is helpful to you. Irregardless, please go see our beautiful country. GO

mgreen2

You can always test it out at home. Put it in the driveway for several days with the fridge running and maybe a light with the solar panel connected and see it if it recharges enough. I was able to keep my T@G fridge at 5 degrees fine on battery alone for 2 days in July.

rkj__

rythmatix said:

Hi,
I am wondering if I get a 100 w solar panel for my T@B Clamshell if it will power my fridge? The fridge is a 2 way fridge and does not run off of propane. 

It depends largely on how many hours of bright, direct sunlight you will get, how large your battery bank is, and how much you open and close your fridge or re-load it with warm items to be chilled. 

With the stock group 24 battery, I think it would be a struggle, especially if you had to deal with any shade or cloud cover.

irvingj

After we sold our T@B, we purchased a Roadtrek SS Agile, which came equipped with a 12V (electric only) fridge. We have 300W of solar on the roof and two pairs of rather heavy 6-volt batteries for storage, so we have a fair amount there. In weeks on the road with this thing, we've never had to plug in when everything was working properly. (We did have an issue on our first trip, which has since been rectified.)

This was running that fridge 24/7 and our exhaust fan nearly every night, in addition to other sundry electric uses. That fridge performed very well, and even if the batteries were down to 50% or less in the morning, if it was a sunny day they were back up to snuff by 10AM.

Yes, it can be done, using a 12V fridge and solar, but you do need to have --as mentioned above-- adequate battery storage for that to work. We've been very pleased with our set-up.

Marceline

rythmatix said:

Hi,
I am wondering if I get a 100 w solar panel for my T@B Clamshell if it will power my fridge? The fridge is a 2 way fridge and does not run off of propane. 

I have a 2013 T@B CS-S with a 2-way fridge and a 100W suitcase setup.
I've had mixed results. If it's sunny, the 100w setup is enough to keep the battery topped up with the fridge running. But I wouldn't run the fridge on its coldest setting.
However, on my last 4-day trip I had one very foggy day and the solar panel couldn't keep up and I ran down the battery more than I would like (but it didn't kill the battery completely) even though the only power I used was the fridge and water pump (I used portable lanterns and no stereo or TV).
I really think that Pleasant Valley should consider some other fridge option for the CS-S. For example the T@G electric cooler or a marine-style top-loader.
I'll probably attempt the golf cart battery setup when I've killed my current 12V AGM battery.


 

Sharon_is_SAM

You can request to have the norcold chest refrig. Installed on a CS.

Drewcarrie

Well the 400 comes with a 235 amp hour battery. 200 watts of solar on the roof. This new bigger fridge keeps ice cream good on the 3 1/2 setting,haven't tried a lower setting. Power has gotten down to 1/3 full by morning of a heavy use day and some clouds. Sun tops batteries off by 11:00. I'm looking at an extra panel with thirty feet of cord just in case. I read that the new two way fridges use less power to run also. I haven't been to a plugin campground yet. So yes it can work