Ive purchased a 2011 New Age Big Red 19 and it has a Mishto 165 litre compressor fridge.
Anybody here run the same fridge. If so Id like to hear what your thoughts area on the fridge, what you daily power consumption is and if you have the user manual for this fridge Id like to get a copy of it.
Yes a long shot, but trying
Mike Harding said
01:38 PM Sep 29, 2022
A quick Google suggests it's not an inverter fridge but rather a simple on/off type.
Power consumption is highly dependent upon the ambient temperature of your environment but (assuming it's a fridge/freezer) it will be roughly 1kWh per day for which you will need at least 200Ah of battery and around 800W of solar - again depending upon your local weather.
Clearly they are running it in the Artic with an ambient temperature of -20C.
Agree.
170 Wh/24h, I believe the technical term is BS!
My 28L fridge I have worked very hard on with extensive modifications uses about 180Wh/24h & that's running it at 5°C.
The Travelling Dillberries said
05:29 PM Sep 29, 2022
Type
165L Fridge Freezer
Compressor
ALPICOOL
Refrigerant
R134a 45g
Rated Power
75W
240V consumption
0.17kWh/24hrs
12V consumption
80A/24H approx
Max. ambient temp
38°C
Foam vesicant
C5H10/C-pentane
Temperature drop
30 degrees
Power Input
12/24/240V
Specs for 12vdc say 80A/24hr.Also soft start.
Whenarewethere said
06:35 PM Sep 29, 2022
12 volts:
80AH per 24 hours = 0.960kWh
240 volts:
per 24 hours = 0.170kWh
So 5.64 times more efficient running on 240 volts. Somehow I don't think so.
shakey55 said
06:04 AM Sep 30, 2022
So what you are all saying is, that there are better more efficient fridges around
Im still learning, so if I intend using off grid, I need a lot of solar to keep batteries up to the task of off grid camping while using this fridge, is that what you are telling me?
Whenarewethere said
09:03 AM Sep 30, 2022
The reason for so much solar is that when you have inclement weather it will produce next to nothing. So if you can get any solar great (a good MPPT 2 in series to squeeze low light days), but more importantly is that you can replenish a deeply depleted system quickly with enough solar.
Have you got the roof area for X amount of solar & the payload for additional solar panels.
The other option is do you really need a freezer. Just running a fridge will reduce energy consumption quite a bit.
Assuming the fridge has a condenser on the back with a fan. You could add additional insulation to the sides. Also the door while at it.
It is always a good idea to have a DC-DC charger (near batteries) so if you have crap weather, although not ideal but at least you can run the engine to charge up a bit. Also it will charge when driving.
At 80AH per 24 hours I would be looking at 300AH, but again, how much payload do you have. It's going to have to go over the weight bridge before you start doing anything so you know what you have to play with.
Mike Harding said
01:05 PM Sep 30, 2022
The newer "inverter" fridges use less energy that conventional on/off control fridges but only by around 15% iirc so your energy consumption would drop by about 150Wh per day which probably isn't worth buying and fitting a new fridge for.
As WAWT suggests the freezer is the killer and if you could manage with only a fridge energy consumption would drop to perhaps 250 to 400Wh per day.
This is the problem with compressor fridges in caravans; they do consume a relatively large amount of power which is why many prefer gas fridges which are not as efficient but will run for two weeks on a 9kg gas cylinder.
I've been doing some experiments in running my camping compressor 65L fridge/freezer at -18C/+2C on 240V for the past few weeks with 210Ah battery and 800W solar into a Victron MPPT and I have only needed to start the generator for additional charging twice. When I eventually switch to a compressor fridge in the van I'll go for 300Ah battery but still carry the gen. Modern solar, for camping, is great and largely effective but it's not a simple, easy or cheap sole solution as the enthusiasts so often portray. You only need flat batteries once and that's a freezer full of food into the bin.
Whenarewethere said
02:19 PM Sep 30, 2022
Mike Harding wrote:
I've been doing some experiments in running my camping compressor 65L fridge/freezer at -18C/+2C
Have you tried additional insulation.
Mike Harding said
03:24 PM Sep 30, 2022
Whenarewethere wrote:
Have you tried additional insulation.
Not worth doing for this experiment but I may do when I fit a compressor fridge into the van.
shakey55 said
06:38 AM Oct 1, 2022
Whenarewethere wrote:
The reason for so much solar is that when you have inclement weather it will produce next to nothing. So if you can get any solar great (a good MPPT 2 in series to squeeze low light days), but more importantly is that you can replenish a deeply depleted system quickly with enough solar.
Have you got the roof area for X amount of solar & the payload for additional solar panels.
I have two panels on roof which I think are 100 watt (not sure - how can I be sure) I intend buying additional panels (portable)
The other option is do you really need a freezer. Just running a fridge will reduce energy consumption quite a bit.
Assuming the fridge has a condenser on the back with a fan. You could add additional insulation to the sides. Also the door while at it.
It is always a good idea to have a DC-DC charger (near batteries) so if you have crap weather, although not ideal but at least you can run the engine to charge up a bit. Also it will charge when driving.
When I buy portable panels I will be installing quality solar charge controller (close to batteries). So as a backup I also need a decent DC2DC charger near the batteries.
At 80AH per 24 hours I would be looking at 300AH, but again, how much payload do you have. It's going to have to go over the weight bridge before you start doing anything so you know what you have to play with.
Recently been over weigh bridges having had ATM upgrade from 2660 to 3000 kgs and already have 360 amp of AGM battery power
Not changing to Lithium until current batteries die
-- Edited by shakey55 on Saturday 1st of October 2022 06:39:36 AM
A quick Google suggests it's not an inverter fridge but rather a simple on/off type.
Power consumption is highly dependent upon the ambient temperature of your environment but (assuming it's a fridge/freezer) it will be roughly 1kWh per day for which you will need at least 200Ah of battery and around 800W of solar - again depending upon your local weather.
Specs here if the same as yours..
165L Portable Fridge Freezer 12V 24V 240V For Camping Car Boating Caravan Bar 9352590003291 | eBay
It quotes a power consumption of 170Wh/24h!
For a fridge/freezer!?
Clearly they are running it in the Artic with an ambient temperature of -20C.
Agree.
170 Wh/24h, I believe the technical term is BS!
My 28L fridge I have worked very hard on with extensive modifications uses about 180Wh/24h & that's running it at 5°C.
Specs for 12vdc say 80A/24hr.Also soft start.
12 volts:
80AH per 24 hours = 0.960kWh
240 volts:
per 24 hours = 0.170kWh
So 5.64 times more efficient running on 240 volts. Somehow I don't think so.
Im still learning, so if I intend using off grid, I need a lot of solar to keep batteries up to the task of off grid camping while using this fridge, is that what you are telling me?
The reason for so much solar is that when you have inclement weather it will produce next to nothing. So if you can get any solar great (a good MPPT 2 in series to squeeze low light days), but more importantly is that you can replenish a deeply depleted system quickly with enough solar.
Have you got the roof area for X amount of solar & the payload for additional solar panels.
The other option is do you really need a freezer. Just running a fridge will reduce energy consumption quite a bit.
Assuming the fridge has a condenser on the back with a fan. You could add additional insulation to the sides. Also the door while at it.
It is always a good idea to have a DC-DC charger (near batteries) so if you have crap weather, although not ideal but at least you can run the engine to charge up a bit. Also it will charge when driving.
At 80AH per 24 hours I would be looking at 300AH, but again, how much payload do you have. It's going to have to go over the weight bridge before you start doing anything so you know what you have to play with.
The newer "inverter" fridges use less energy that conventional on/off control fridges but only by around 15% iirc so your energy consumption would drop by about 150Wh per day which probably isn't worth buying and fitting a new fridge for.
As WAWT suggests the freezer is the killer and if you could manage with only a fridge energy consumption would drop to perhaps 250 to 400Wh per day.
This is the problem with compressor fridges in caravans; they do consume a relatively large amount of power which is why many prefer gas fridges which are not as efficient but will run for two weeks on a 9kg gas cylinder.
I've been doing some experiments in running my camping compressor 65L fridge/freezer at -18C/+2C on 240V for the past few weeks with 210Ah battery and 800W solar into a Victron MPPT and I have only needed to start the generator for additional charging twice. When I eventually switch to a compressor fridge in the van I'll go for 300Ah battery but still carry the gen. Modern solar, for camping, is great and largely effective but it's not a simple, easy or cheap sole solution as the enthusiasts so often portray. You only need flat batteries once and that's a freezer full of food into the bin.
Have you tried additional insulation.
Not worth doing for this experiment but I may do when I fit a compressor fridge into the van.
-- Edited by shakey55 on Saturday 1st of October 2022 06:39:36 AM