Can anyone advise me on connecting a 120 amp solar panel to my car battery to run 95 litre fridge freezer (draws about 2-3 amps) over the easter break. Is it feasible?
Robyn & Al
oldtrack123 said
11:59 AM Apr 11, 2014
HI I believe you mean a 120Watt panel
That, in good light should give <7A output, so certainly will handel that fridge, if the current claimed is it's actual draw when running[.FRidge model would help ]
but you will need to take care that you do not overdischarge your crank battery at night .
One way to reduce that risk is to turn the fridge thermostat to a very cold setting while the sun is shining, & back to normal immmediately the sun disappers
Doing that will reduce the power used at night,keeping the fridge full will also help .
But I would suggest you keep check of the crank battery voltage or you could end up with a flat battery ,as you have not given the SIZE of the crank battery
PeterQ
allan davey said
04:54 PM Apr 11, 2014
Thanks Pete.
Did mean watt, sorry. I am not sure of the crank battery size in the Captiva. The fridge/freezer is a Fridgemate 95 litre.
I had thoughts of turning it off at night.
Cheers
Robyn & Al
Jaahn said
09:13 AM Apr 13, 2014
Hi Robyn &al,
Do you have some sort of regulator to connect the solar panel to the battery ?? If not then get one. You run the risk of uncontrolled voltages etc if not, and this may cause damage to the car.
With a regulator it will control the panel output and can also control the fridge current and turn it off if the battery voltage falls too low. Buy one you can set to a suitable voltage which will not drain the battery very much. And turn the fridge off at night. Regulators are not expensive.
Jaahn
oldtrack123 said
02:08 PM Apr 13, 2014
Jaahn wrote:
Hi Robyn &al, Do you have some sort of regulator to connect the solar panel to the battery ?? If not then get one. You run the risk of uncontrolled voltages etc if not, and this may cause damage to the car.
With a regulator it will control the panel output and can also control the fridge current and turn it off if the battery voltage falls too low. Buy one you can set to a suitable voltage which will not drain the battery very much. And turn the fridge off at night. Regulators are not expensive.
The actual battery at the cutout point will depend on size & length of cablesJaahn
HI
Yes, a regulator is essential
BUt All solar regs do not have batterySOC monitoring & auto shut down of the load.
Another point do not expect the" fridge mate" inbuilt battery monitor to protect your crank battery
It's standard setting of 10.5V represents a dead flat battery
Let it do that a few times & the crank battery will be very sick & have a short life
That can be adjusted to cut out with 12V at the fridge under load
& for a petrol vehicle ,may be enough to start the vehicle but unlikely to start a diesel
The actual battery voltage [SOC] at the cutout point will depend on size & length of cables between fridge & battery
PeterQ
-- Edited by oldtrack123 on Sunday 13th of April 2014 02:30:14 PM
allan davey said
08:27 PM Apr 15, 2014
Hi Jaahn & PeterQ,
Thanks for your advice. We have decided to play it safe and stick with ice over easter. Hopefully will have all the battery system set up and running in our van soon.
Hi everybody and happy easter.
Can anyone advise me on connecting a 120 amp solar panel to my car battery to run 95 litre fridge freezer (draws about 2-3 amps) over the easter break. Is it feasible?
Robyn & Al
HI
I believe you mean a 120Watt panel
That, in good light should give <7A output, so certainly will handel that fridge, if the current claimed is it's actual draw when running[.FRidge model would help ]
but you will need to take care that you do not overdischarge your crank battery at night .
One way to reduce that risk is to turn the fridge thermostat to a very cold setting while the sun is shining, & back to normal immmediately the sun disappers
Doing that will reduce the power used at night,keeping the fridge full will also help .
But I would suggest you keep check of the crank battery voltage or you could end up with a flat battery ,as you have not given the SIZE of the crank battery
PeterQ
Thanks Pete.
Did mean watt, sorry. I am not sure of the crank battery size in the Captiva. The fridge/freezer is a Fridgemate 95 litre.
I had thoughts of turning it off at night.
Cheers
Robyn & Al
Do you have some sort of regulator to connect the solar panel to the battery ?? If not then get one. You run the risk of uncontrolled voltages etc if not, and this may cause damage to the car.
With a regulator it will control the panel output and can also control the fridge current and turn it off if the battery voltage falls too low. Buy one you can set to a suitable voltage which will not drain the battery very much. And turn the fridge off at night. Regulators are not expensive.
Jaahn
HI
Yes, a regulator is essential
BUt All solar regs do not have batterySOC monitoring & auto shut down of the load.
Another point do not expect the" fridge mate" inbuilt battery monitor to protect your crank battery
It's standard setting of 10.5V represents a dead flat battery
Let it do that a few times & the crank battery will be very sick & have a short life
That can be adjusted to cut out with 12V at the fridge under load
& for a petrol vehicle ,may be enough to start the vehicle but unlikely to start a diesel
The actual battery voltage [SOC] at the cutout point will depend on size & length of cables between fridge & battery
PeterQ
-- Edited by oldtrack123 on Sunday 13th of April 2014 02:30:14 PM
Thanks for your advice. We have decided to play it safe and stick with ice over easter. Hopefully will have all the battery system set up and running in our van soon.
Cheers