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12 volt fridge

Camper24Camper24 Member Posts: 5
edited May 27 in Air Conditioning & Refrigeration
How many days will a 12 volt refrigerator in a 2021 Nucamp 320s run, daytime temps 80F or lower?
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  • AnOldURAnOldUR Member Posts: 1,513
    edited May 25
    The 12V fridge can draw somewhere between 25 and 35 amp hours per day depending on use plus ambient day and night time temperatures. So if you have a single 100Ah LiFePO4, you will get about three days with minimal use of other current draws. In reality, we use up to 50Ah per day total, but it is offset by solar. With solar, we can dry camping indefinitely most of the time.

    Edit to add that you didn't specify what battery you have. If it's a standard 80Ah lead acid you will only have about 40Ah of usable power. The math says you'd only get one day at best.
    Stockton, New Jersey
    2020 nuCamp T@B 320S * Jeep Wrangler
    (47,171 towing miles through the end of 2024)
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  • Camper24Camper24 Member Posts: 5
    Don't own the camper yet.  Looking at buying it but not impressed with 12v refrigerator.  Would prefer propane.  Thanks for your help.
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  • pthomas745pthomas745 Moderator Posts: 4,163
    The 12V fridges, paired with lithium batteries and solar, work quite well.  They just "work".  No muss, no fuss.  Lots of threads here with reviews and measurements.


    2017 Outback
    Towed by 2014 Touareg TDi
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  • AnOldURAnOldUR Member Posts: 1,513
    edited May 26
    Camper24 said:
    Don't own the camper yet.  Looking at buying it but not impressed with 12v refrigerator.  Would prefer propane.  Thanks for your help.

    You may want to research that more. The old absorption fridges that run on propane are outdated. Current battery and solar technology along with dropping prices have made them obsolete. A 12V compressor fridge can run indefinitely with the right battery/solar setup. A compressor fridge can hold food safe temperatures consistently regardless of outside temps. That was not the case with our old 3-way. Getting rid of it and replacing with a 12V was one of our best mods.
    Stockton, New Jersey
    2020 nuCamp T@B 320S * Jeep Wrangler
    (47,171 towing miles through the end of 2024)
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  • Camper24Camper24 Member Posts: 5
    AnOldUR said:
    Camper24 said:
    Don't own the camper yet.  Looking at buying it but not impressed with 12v refrigerator.  Would prefer propane.  Thanks for your help.

    You may want to research that more. The old absorption fridges that run on propane are outdated. Current battery and solar technology along with dropping prices have made them obsolete. A 12V compressor fridge can run indefinitely with the right battery/solar setup. A compressor fridge can hold food safe temperatures consistently regardless of outside temps.
    Trying to start the research now.  I appreciate your help, thanks.
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  • Camper24Camper24 Member Posts: 5
    pthomas745 said:
    The 12V fridges, paired with lithium batteries and solar, work quite well.  They just "work".  No muss, no fuss.  Lots of threads here with reviews and measurements.


    Thanks for the information.  We're new to this and looking for anything to help us decide if this is the camper for us.
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  • pthomas745pthomas745 Moderator Posts: 4,163
    I really liked my 2017 propane fridge...until it just started to fade away after only 5 years.  Some propane fridges chug along for a lot longer, of course.  I carry a portable 12V fridge with me in the camper now, and it works well for me, and the power use is easy to manage with a 100 amp hour lithium battery and portable solar.
    There may be other new campers out there still with propane fridges.  If you find one, ask very closely about who might be able to service a three way fridge, because that is the hurdle many owners have when dealing with a failing fridge.

    2017 Outback
    Towed by 2014 Touareg TDi
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  • SLJSLJ Member Posts: 591
    I've had a 12 volt fridge for over three years now. Never going back to a 3 way propane. 12 volt Gets cold fast and stays cold even in the summer. Sold my '21 T@B and made sure the new camper also had a 12 volt fridge (larger). Just got back from our first three week 2,500 mile trip with it and didn't even have to think about the fridge temp once.
    2021 T@B 320 S Boondock
    2025 KZ Sportsmen 130RD
    2023 Ford Maverick XLT
    The Finger Lakes of New York
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  • WayneWWayneW Member Posts: 228
    +1 on the 12v fridge. I like ours much better than a 3-way. We mostly boondock and haven’t had an issue keeping up with the battery. We have the rooftop solar plus a 100w portable panel and about 40 ft of cable so I can chase the sun. 
    2021 320S BD
    2017 F-150
    Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
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  • Basil48192Basil48192 Member Posts: 373
    I have to agree with the group.  I have had very good luck with my fridge and almost exclusively boondock.  
    I am actually running a little home test on my batteries right now to test a repaired, loose connection.  
    I am operating on just my batteries and, after 24 hours, have used up about 23 AH.  Since I'm not staying in the camper, the only draw has been my fridge and whatever small parasitic draw I might have.  This is consistent with the numbers posted above from @AnOldUR.  I am on the low end of the scale because it's been unusually cool here in Michigan and I haven't really been opening the fridge during the test.  
    I hope this helps.

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  • Camper24Camper24 Member Posts: 5
    Basil48192 said:
    I have to agree with the group.  I have had very good luck with my fridge and almost exclusively boondock.  
    I am actually running a little home test on my batteries right now to test a repaired, loose connection.  
    I am operating on just my batteries and, after 24 hours, have used up about 23 AH.  Since I'm not staying in the camper, the only draw has been my fridge and whatever small parasitic draw I might have.  This is consistent with the numbers posted above from @AnOldUR.  I am on the low end of the scale because it's been unusually cool here in Michigan and I haven't really been opening the fridge during the test.  
    I hope this helps.

    It helps tremendously!  All the comments have helped us greatly.  We have tent camped most of our lives.  We upgraded to a Coleman Colorado about ten years ago.  Tired of not having any furnace in that camper we then upgraded to a Jayco 806 pop-up.  That's getting a little hard setting up.  Have I mentioned we are in our early 70's!  We're looking at something a little easier to use.  We initially didn't like the idea of battery power; had no idea the technology had progressed so far.  This group has really been a great help to us.  Thank you all so much.
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