Fullriver DC260 deep cycle batteries / Vitrifrigo 24v fridge
KFT said
05:20 PM Mar 10, 2013
G'day Di,
firstly is the voltage at the fridge you gave with the compressor running?
Is the fridge performing ok-temps?
What is the ambient temp where you are (outside temp)?
Can you see the state of charge of your battery bank? 100% or even 80% should be ok. Have you checked the voltage when there is no charging input?
If all of these seem ok then I would get a fridgie to check the gas charge in the fridge and also the thermostat.
let us know how you go with it
frank
PS I love your rig
-- Edited by KFT on Sunday 10th of March 2013 05:21:27 PM
busmartins said
08:22 PM Mar 10, 2013
Does anyone have these batteries in their motorhomes? We have 4 connected to our 6 x 120watt solar panels to provide power to our Vitrifrigo 24 volt fridge, lights, vacuum toilet etc. Our fridge is now constantly cycling (for the past week or so) and checking with a volt metre there are 25.6volts going into the fridge, which is sufficient. The fridge continues to cylce with the battery charger on. The charger shows the batteries are 100% full but I am wondering whether the batteries may in fact not be charging correctly. We are unsure of the age of the batteries as the manufacturer of our motorhome (which we've had for 15 months) didn't indicate how long he'd had them before installation. Would appreciate any assistance. Hard to know where to start.
Thanks Di
Loki said
12:09 AM Mar 12, 2013
I agree with KFT (above), re having the fridge checked. While not the same as yours, I have two 120 AH Full River AGM's and a small 12V Vitrifirgo fridge, which runs perhaps half the time. I did upgrade the wiring to a heavier wire and was pleased to see the amperage drop from 4A to slightly over 3A when running, but as you have 25+V to your fridge it would appear your batteries are well charged and it is supplying your fridge with an adequate voltage (in cases where the wiring isn't heavy enough, the voltage drop along the supply wires is enough to reduce the voltage at your firdge to below the level it will operate and it cuts out).
Also agree with KFT, " I love your rig".
busmartins said
12:27 AM Mar 12, 2013
Thanks Frank for your quick response.
Is the fridge performing well.......maybe not, the ambient temp is high...we've had high 30s-low 40s for days and on inspection there's not much venting behind the fridge, which is a bit of a worry. Kim is attending to that now, drilling a hole in the flow which should create some flow through, there is a small vent on the roof. Up until now the fridge has been working really well, only ramped up the temp control when summer set in with a vengance, during winter it was on 1 and was really really cold.
The thermostat is on 5 (the highest) and temp ranges from (4 top shelf - 9degrees bottom shelf). We've dropped the thermostat to about 3 today, which seems strange but just to see if there is an issue with the thermostat and if the temp changes.
The voltage at the fridge is 26.5 not running down to 25.5 running which appears to be just right.
The batteries are over 80% charged and everything else is working fine.
I know I have big expectations but would expect that the fridge should be working OK as it's only been operating for 15 months old. We thought a compressor fridge would be perfect (told it would work as well as a household fridge) having had issues in our old bus with 3-ways fridges which just never cut it.
Thankfully the wine and beer are keeping really cold in the Engel!!!
Will see if there are any changes over the next few days, and if not will have to call in a professional
A change in the weather might be helpful.
Thanks again Di
busmartins said
12:33 AM Mar 12, 2013
Hi Anton thanks we also love our rig. I tend to get a little frustrated with things I just don't understand I just expect things to last longer and work better than they tend to sometimes - maybe it's a female thing
Keep on having fun
Cheers Di
KFT said
02:26 AM Mar 12, 2013
Di thanks for posting that info,
My guess is that the venting is a real problem if the fridge has been working ok recently. high ambient temps will make tham work harder, particularly if the cabinet insulation(the fridge itself) is not up to scratch for aussie summers. you might be able to improve that if you have space around the outside of the fridge.
temps you mention- 4 at the top and -9 at the bottom. I would say your fridge is doing ok in those ambient temps.
If you could improve the venting to get the hot air away from the outside of the fridge then the compressor will not have to work as hard to pump the heat out from the inside. This would show up as the compressor not running as much through the day.
please remember that your household fridge is usually in a much cooler inside environment and usually has lots of airflow around it. you need to try to do this with your bus fridge if you can but by venting the hot air to the outside.
let me know what happens with what you have done up to now.
frank
msg said
03:31 AM Mar 12, 2013
My vitrifrigo was not keeping cool on the bottom shelf as much as I would like so son installed a small fan just under the freezer area which has helped. Its seems to cycle quite often also. Don't know if it is normal.
KevKim37 said
07:36 AM Mar 12, 2013
Di,
Does the fridge have a small fan forced condenser mounted close to the compressor the same as earlier models. If so is the fan working when compressor is running.?. I am not sure whether your fridge has this set up or they have redesigned the fridge to what they call a "Cleanskin Design" like most new household type fridges.
So if the fan is working on that small condenser, is the condenser still free/clean off dirt and lint build up as this can seriously affect the cooling operation of the unit. I have seen other fridges with this problem as some are hard to access to clean the condenser/fan unit.
If not of this design then I would find out if it is a "Cleanskin Design" and if so be checking to make sure that both sides of the fridge have an adequate airflow space from the top to the bottom. If all of this is not a problem,then have a fridge tech check the thermostat and next the gas charge of the unit. The Danfoss compressors also have a testing program which is accessed by fitting an small LED light at the electronic control module between the small positive/fan terminal to the "D"terminal. I have left this fitted permanently for easier checking if problems occur. For more on this try www.danfoss.com/pacific/ for a PDF Download of the compressor specs and test light set up.
I myself have a Waeco Coolmatic 220l which uses the same Danfoss BD50f compressor but doesn't have the same condenser design and it has a 90mm computer fan fitted as Std for cooling the compressor only. The condenser in my fridge is the same as the old type house fridges fitted up the rear of the fridge and doesn't require a fan for cooling purposes. I still have extra fans fitted in the top vent to assist in hot weather and an internal manually switched 80mm 12v fan fitted for air circulation/quicker cool down periods. Also have fitted an extra 50mm insulation around both sidewalls and top of fridge for the hotter climates plus have done away with the "Mechanical Thermostat" and retrofitted an "Electronic Digital display type thermostat" with a lot better control of the fridge operating cycles.
Hope some of this helps,
Cheers Kev.
busmartins said
09:03 PM Mar 18, 2013
Thanks Kev and Frank for your input. The LED testing was done and no issues there, so with all that having been said, it looks like it may be a thermostat issue. We've spent a lot of time on other forums and read a lot, and everything points to the thermostat as there is no problem with the voltage is fine. Venting is an issue, a shame that wasn't addressed properly during the build and Kim's looking into what he can do to make that better. The ambient temp has dropped too by more than 10 degrees, but the cycling hasn't changed. We've also removed the plastic "drip tray" from underneath the freezer, looks like that's a regularly removed item, as it certainly doesn't assist with defrosting the freezer and I've been able to turn the thermostat down due to this. So I hope we're on the home stretch and will await the arrival of thermostat. I guess at the end of the day Italy doesn't have the range of temperatures we do here in Oz. What a same a clever Australian company can't come up with a fridge that works really well in our weather conditions.
Have a great day.
Cheers Di
busmartins said
05:56 AM Apr 18, 2013
Hi Frank,
Just a follow up at last. We have finally souced a thermostat, and who would have thought that it would be so difficult and take soooooooo long. New thermostat installed and life is a joy. No more constant cycling and the fridge is working a treat. I have removed my nightly earplugs "oh the serenity" and I can now hear the birds in the morning which is such a dellight. It didn't happen overnight but it did indeed happen and I'm so gratefu l
vk6tnc said
06:16 AM Apr 18, 2013
Thanks for the follow up post. I hate reading old posts that just die without a conclusion. Isn't it a shame that we can't manufacture a fridge in Australia that just works !!! There is nothing worse than trying to sleep with a noisy fridge.....
G'day Di,
firstly is the voltage at the fridge you gave with the compressor running?
Is the fridge performing ok-temps?
What is the ambient temp where you are (outside temp)?
Can you see the state of charge of your battery bank? 100% or even 80% should be ok. Have you checked the voltage when there is no charging input?
If all of these seem ok then I would get a fridgie to check the gas charge in the fridge and also the thermostat.
let us know how you go with it
frank
PS I love your rig
-- Edited by KFT on Sunday 10th of March 2013 05:21:27 PM
Does anyone have these batteries in their motorhomes? We have 4 connected to our 6 x 120watt solar panels to provide power to our Vitrifrigo 24 volt fridge, lights, vacuum toilet etc. Our fridge is now constantly cycling (for the past week or so) and checking with a volt metre there are 25.6volts going into the fridge, which is sufficient. The fridge continues to cylce with the battery charger on. The charger shows the batteries are 100% full but I am wondering whether the batteries may in fact not be charging correctly. We are unsure of the age of the batteries as the manufacturer of our motorhome (which we've had for 15 months) didn't indicate how long he'd had them before installation. Would appreciate any assistance. Hard to know where to start.
Thanks Di
Also agree with KFT, " I love your rig".
Thanks Frank for your quick response.
Is the fridge performing well.......maybe not, the ambient temp is high...we've had high 30s-low 40s for days and on inspection there's not much venting behind the fridge, which is a bit of a worry. Kim is attending to that now, drilling a hole in the flow which should create some flow through, there is a small vent on the roof. Up until now the fridge has been working really well, only ramped up the temp control when summer set in with a vengance, during winter it was on 1 and was really really cold.
The thermostat is on 5 (the highest) and temp ranges from (4 top shelf - 9degrees bottom shelf). We've dropped the thermostat to about 3 today, which seems strange but just to see if there is an issue with the thermostat and if the temp changes.
The voltage at the fridge is 26.5 not running down to 25.5 running which appears to be just right.
The batteries are over 80% charged and everything else is working fine.
I know I have big expectations but would expect that the fridge should be working OK as it's only been operating for 15 months old. We thought a compressor fridge would be perfect (told it would work as well as a household fridge) having had issues in our old bus with 3-ways fridges which just never cut it.
Thankfully the wine and beer are keeping really cold in the Engel!!!
Will see if there are any changes over the next few days, and if not will have to call in a professional
A change in the weather might be helpful.
Thanks again Di
Hi Anton thanks we also love our rig. I tend to get a little frustrated with things I just don't understand
I just expect things to last longer and work better than they tend to sometimes - maybe it's a female thing 
Keep on having fun
Cheers Di
My guess is that the venting is a real problem if the fridge has been working ok recently.
high ambient temps will make tham work harder, particularly if the cabinet insulation(the fridge itself) is not up to scratch for aussie summers. you might be able to improve that if you have space around the outside of the fridge.
temps you mention- 4 at the top and -9 at the bottom. I would say your fridge is doing ok in those ambient temps.
If you could improve the venting to get the hot air away from the outside of the fridge then the compressor will not have to work as hard to pump the heat out from the inside. This would show up as the compressor not running as much through the day.
please remember that your household fridge is usually in a much cooler inside environment and usually has lots of airflow around it. you need to try to do this with your bus fridge if you can but by venting the hot air to the outside.
let me know what happens with what you have done up to now.
frank
Does the fridge have a small fan forced condenser mounted close to the compressor the same as earlier models. If so is the fan working when compressor is running.?. I am
not sure whether your fridge has this set up or they have redesigned the fridge to what they call a "Cleanskin Design" like most new household type fridges.
So if the fan is working on that small condenser, is the condenser still free/clean off dirt and lint build up as this can seriously affect the cooling operation of the unit. I have seen other fridges with this problem as some are hard to access to clean the condenser/fan unit.
If not of this design then I would find out if it is a "Cleanskin Design" and if so be checking to make sure that both sides of the fridge have an adequate airflow space from the top to the bottom. If all of this is not a problem,then have a fridge tech check the thermostat and next the gas charge of the unit. The Danfoss compressors also have a testing program which is accessed by fitting an small LED light at the electronic control module between the small positive/fan terminal to the "D"terminal. I have left this fitted permanently for easier checking if problems occur. For more on this try www.danfoss.com/pacific/ for a PDF Download of the compressor specs and test light set up.
I myself have a Waeco Coolmatic 220l which uses the same Danfoss BD50f compressor but doesn't have the same condenser design and it has a 90mm computer fan fitted as Std for cooling the compressor only. The condenser in my fridge is the same as the old type house fridges fitted up the rear of the fridge and doesn't require a fan for cooling purposes. I still have extra fans fitted in the top vent to assist in hot weather and an internal manually switched 80mm 12v fan fitted for air circulation/quicker cool down periods.
Also have fitted an extra 50mm insulation around both sidewalls and top of fridge for the hotter climates plus have done away with the "Mechanical Thermostat" and retrofitted an "Electronic Digital display type thermostat" with a lot better control of the fridge operating cycles.
Hope some of this helps,
Cheers Kev.
Have a great day.
Cheers Di
Hi Frank,
Just a follow up at last. We have finally souced a thermostat, and who would have thought that it would be so difficult and take soooooooo long. New thermostat installed and life is a joy. No more constant cycling and the fridge is working a treat. I have removed my nightly earplugs "oh the serenity" and I can now hear the birds in the morning which is such a dellight. It didn't happen overnight but it did indeed happen and I'm so gratefu l