When we camp, 90% of the time we're either dry camping or boondocking, so the 120V fridge in the outdoor kitchen is mostly useless to us. Buying a new 12V compressor fridge is absurdly expensive, but I was lucky enough to come across a used one, at a much cheaper price, that with slight modification fit the original spot perfectly.
The new fridge only uses 3A on 12V (it also runs on 120V AC and 24V DC), so I just tapped into the existing 12V wire going to the LED light in the outdoor kitchen. It's also 2.7cf, compared to the 1.6cf of the original fridge.
The original temp control module was installed on the top of the fridge. Unfortunately that made it too tall by 0.5cm, so I had to relocate the 120V transformer and temp control module to the side. I had to install some foam tape the back and bottom, so that it wouldn't vibrate as loud against the thin paneling.
I have it set to 2 out of 5 on the temp knob, which is more than cold enough for my drinks, but not really cold enough to make ice in the freezer tray. It uses 3A for about 20 minutes per hour, so about 20-23 AH per day? My 340W solar system is more than enough to recharge the battery to full by 2pm at latest. We'll see what the performance is like come autumn when we get less sunshine, or when I'm camping in the shade.
The new fridge only uses 3A on 12V (it also runs on 120V AC and 24V DC), so I just tapped into the existing 12V wire going to the LED light in the outdoor kitchen. It's also 2.7cf, compared to the 1.6cf of the original fridge.
The original temp control module was installed on the top of the fridge. Unfortunately that made it too tall by 0.5cm, so I had to relocate the 120V transformer and temp control module to the side. I had to install some foam tape the back and bottom, so that it wouldn't vibrate as loud against the thin paneling.
I have it set to 2 out of 5 on the temp knob, which is more than cold enough for my drinks, but not really cold enough to make ice in the freezer tray. It uses 3A for about 20 minutes per hour, so about 20-23 AH per day? My 340W solar system is more than enough to recharge the battery to full by 2pm at latest. We'll see what the performance is like come autumn when we get less sunshine, or when I'm camping in the shade.
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