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Old 07-16-2021, 08:54 PM   #1
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GE 12V refrigerator: experience thus far and power consumption testing

I discuss here my experience with my RV’s 12 volt General Electric 9.8 cubic foot refrigerator/freezer, model # GPV10FSNBSB. I also describe a test running the refrigerator on battery power in a controlled setting.

First, some background. My dealer had told me that Cherokee previously equipped its trailers with the Furrion 12V fridge but switched to GE because of unspecified problems with the Furrion. From subsequent reading here and elsewhere I get the impression that a number of different refrigerator brands, not just GE, are in many of these trailers. Therefore my experience may differ from those with other brands.

The dealer also said that with this fridge, the single 12V battery, and the 50W solar panel, I possibly could get 48+ hours of power for boondocking. I knew that a 50W panel wouldn’t provide much boost and I questioned whether the battery would do the job, but boondocking wasn’t high on my priority list at the time. My initial goal was to camp only with an electrical hookup. I would consider boondocking later if or when I was confident the trailer and all its systems could handle it -- or I learn how and what to upgrade.

I found that the refrigerator was slow to cool (not surprising based on others’ reported experiences) and recool after opening. A previous test on shore power showed that it took 11 hours to go from 84F to 40F, as measured by an analog refrigerator thermometer placed at the front of the top shelf and checked hourly. Therefore I always turn the fridge on and connect shore power in my driveway the day before a trip.

At the campsite the fridge temp often crept up to the mid-50s throughout the day as multiple camping companions made multiple fridge trips. At the same time, frost would form on the top of the back inside wall of the fridge and food in the back of the top shelf would start to freeze. For example, 3 or 4 eggs in the back of a carton on the top shelf froze enough to crack the shells.

The freezer reaches proper temperature much faster and has been more consistent in maintaining it. In the same test as the refrigerator from 84F, a separate thermometer showed 8F in only two hours, 4F in three, and between 2F and -2F thereafter. In practice it always shows between 10F and -10F.

I now take three steps either to minimize rise in temperature or to equalize it inside the fridge:
  • Freeze a gallon jug of water in advance to place in the fridge as a large thermal mass.
  • Keep items that people open the fridge for frequently (drinks especially) inside a cooler instead of the fridge. It kind of defeats the purpose of a refrigerator but I don’t want my meat spoiling in the fridge.
  • Use a fan to distribute the temperature inside the fridge more evenly.
The combination of these steps seemed to help on my most recent trip, where the highest fridge temperature I observed was 40F. Heavy shade and cooler temperatures (4200’ elevation) than some of my other trips helped as well, so how much improvement can be attributed to my actions versus the environment is uncertain.

Now I’m seriously considering boondocking. For now I expect to boondock mainly as a stopover for a night or two on the way to a campground with electric hookups. When I consider boondocking as a destination or otherwise for more than a day or two, or if I expect to need AC, I’ll consider a generator.

To confirm (or refute) the dealer’s assertion that I could boondock with the refrigerator running for two days I ran a test of the effect of the refrigerator’s operation (plus parasitic draw and minus any current inflow from the solar juice pack) on the battery’s voltage and state of charge. I also measured the temperature itself to assure continued proper operation as the battery approached 12V.

The battery is a 12V lead-acid, Xpedition brand, 100 amp-hours. It pretty much has been babied in the ten months since I bought the trailer, with shore power being used for virtually every trailer electrical task except, on occasion, lights and the tongue jack motor. The battery disconnect switch is almost always off when home. The juice pack seems to keep the battery nicely charged in my sun-drenched driveway. Every time I spot-checked the trailer’s voltmeter throughout the winter, it usually showed 13.6, always 13+.

The test was done in my driveway on a mostly sunny day in mid-July. The RV was in full or partial sunlight from about 8:30 AM until about 6:30 PM. Daytime high was in the low 90s. To try to keep the RV’s interior temperature close to that outside, I opened the side door and rear ramp/door. I also placed a 20” fan on the floor, connected to a household circuit via an extension cord.

This of course doesn't replicate the real world exactly. I don’t expect to camp without air conditioning or a generator in this kind of heat. Therefore the refrigerator likely had to use more power to try to maintain temperature than it would have normally. The refrigerator was empty, so there was no cooling effect of previously chilled food (or a block of ice in a milk jug). Offsetting these factors to some unknown extent is that the refrigerator and freezer were never opened; I used a grill thermometer with a wired external monitor to check fridge temperatures.

To assure a fully charged battery and proper refrigerator operating temperature, the RV was on shore power and the refrigerator turned on to its coldest setting for 36 hours before the test. At 9 AM on the day of the test I disconnected the shore line and started logging refrigerator temperature and, from a recently installed Victron SmartShunt, battery voltage and state of charge (SOC). The test would stop when the battery reached 12V or SOC reached 50%, whichever came first.

Results:

Time Voltage SOC Temp(F)
9AM 12.76 100% 36
10AM 12.70 96% 34
11AM 12.67 93% 34
12PM 12.64 90% 35
1PM 12.61 87% 36
2PM 12.54 83% 38
3PM 12.52 80% 39
4PM 12.43 76% 40
5PM 12.39 71% 40
6PM 12.31 66% 41
7PM 12.21 60% 41
8PM 12.11 54% 40
8:30PM 12.06 50% 40

[Sorry for the table formatting. I spent two hours monkeying with the *&$!@# table, first trying to embed an image from my Excel file using the Insert Image button and three different URLs (DropBox, Google Drive, and this forum's gallery). Then trying to paste the table itself. Then typing the values in manually here, with spaces added to create aligned columns. For the latter, the app thought it was smarter than I am and kept deleting extra spaces. ]

SmartShunt also records cumulative amp-hours after a history reset, which I did at the beginning of the test. That was 51Ah, which I was happy with from a 100Ah off-brand lead-acid battery. But I can’t expect significant boondocking with this battery, in warm weather anyway, if the battery can’t power the fridge for 12 hours. It should be better in cooler weather, but I doubt it still will be enough. This current draw of course doesn't consider other likely sources of real-world power usage such as a light or 12V fan.

So my choices: 1) don’t use the fridge while boondocking, 2) carry a generator, and/or 3) upgrade the battery. I want to use the fridge, even if in a modified way as suggested earlier in this post. And I don’t want to lose use of the freezer. So I’ve ruled out #1 unless it’s unavoidable. I prefer to avoid a generator for now, and of course some sites won’t allow them anyway. So I’ve ordered a 100Ah Battle Born lithium battery, scheduled to arrive next week.

I also could upgrade the solar power system, but that’s on the back burner for a variety of reasons.

I plan to repeat this test after installation of the BB battery, with testing end points adjusted as appropriate for a lithium battery. Logging intervals will be adjusted too; I’m not staying awake for the expected 24 or so hours to record data. I will post the results in this thread. I may also repeat the test in the fall with a lower ambient temperature.

With the BB expected to provide double (at least) the useable amp-hour capacity of the stock battery, I’m optimistic I then can boondock at least one night with power to spare. With its faster charge rate, I’m hoping it will recharge enough via the tow vehicle while on the road to the next boondocking site for another night. And so on.

Two BB batteries would be even better but money and space are limiting factors.

Questions and, in particular, critiques of my testing methods and conclusions are welcome.

Sorry for the length of this post, but nerdiness and verbosity aren’t always a good mix.
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Old 07-16-2021, 11:22 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimbo K. View Post
I discuss here my experience with my RV’s 12 volt General Electric 9.8 cubic foot refrigerator/freezer, model # GPV10FSNBSB. I also describe a test running the refrigerator on battery power in a controlled setting.

First, some background. My dealer had told me that Cherokee previously equipped its trailers with the Furrion 12V fridge but switched to GE because of unspecified problems with the Furrion. From subsequent reading here and elsewhere I get the impression that a number of different refrigerator brands, not just GE, are in many of these trailers. Therefore my experience may differ from those with other brands.

The dealer also said that with this fridge, the single 12V battery, and the 50W solar panel, I possibly could get 48+ hours of power for boondocking. I knew that a 50W panel wouldn’t provide much boost and I questioned whether the battery would do the job, but boondocking wasn’t high on my priority list at the time. My initial goal was to camp only with an electrical hookup. I would consider boondocking later if or when I was confident the trailer and all its systems could handle it -- or I learn how and what to upgrade.

I found that the refrigerator was slow to cool (not surprising based on others’ reported experiences) and recool after opening. A previous test on shore power showed that it took 11 hours to go from 84F to 40F, as measured by an analog refrigerator thermometer placed at the front of the top shelf and checked hourly. Therefore I always turn the fridge on and connect shore power in my driveway the day before a trip.

At the campsite the fridge temp often crept up to the mid-50s throughout the day as multiple camping companions made multiple fridge trips. At the same time, frost would form on the top of the back inside wall of the fridge and food in the back of the top shelf would start to freeze. For example, 3 or 4 eggs in the back of a carton on the top shelf froze enough to crack the shells.

The freezer reaches proper temperature much faster and has been more consistent in maintaining it. In the same test as the refrigerator from 84F, a separate thermometer showed 8F in only two hours, 4F in three, and between 2F and -2F thereafter. In practice it always shows between 10F and -10F.

I now take three steps either to minimize rise in temperature or to equalize it inside the fridge:
  • Freeze a gallon jug of water in advance to place in the fridge as a large thermal mass.
  • Keep items that people open the fridge for frequently (drinks especially) inside a cooler instead of the fridge. It kind of defeats the purpose of a refrigerator but I don’t want my meat spoiling in the fridge.
  • Use a fan to distribute the temperature inside the fridge more evenly.
The combination of these steps seemed to help on my most recent trip, where the highest fridge temperature I observed was 40F. Heavy shade and cooler temperatures (4200’ elevation) than some of my other trips helped as well, so how much improvement can be attributed to my actions versus the environment is uncertain.

Now I’m seriously considering boondocking. For now I expect to boondock mainly as a stopover for a night or two on the way to a campground with electric hookups. When I consider boondocking as a destination or otherwise for more than a day or two, or if I expect to need AC, I’ll consider a generator.

To confirm (or refute) the dealer’s assertion that I could boondock with the refrigerator running for two days I ran a test of the effect of the refrigerator’s operation (plus parasitic draw and minus any current inflow from the solar juice pack) on the battery’s voltage and state of charge. I also measured the temperature itself to assure continued proper operation as the battery approached 12V.

The battery is a 12V lead-acid, Xpedition brand, 100 amp-hours. It pretty much has been babied in the ten months since I bought the trailer, with shore power being used for virtually every trailer electrical task except, on occasion, lights and the tongue jack motor. The battery disconnect switch is almost always off when home. The juice pack seems to keep the battery nicely charged in my sun-drenched driveway. Every time I spot-checked the trailer’s voltmeter throughout the winter, it usually showed 13.6, always 13+.

The test was done in my driveway on a mostly sunny day in mid-July. The RV was in full or partial sunlight from about 8:30 AM until about 6:30 PM. Daytime high was in the low 90s. To try to keep the RV’s interior temperature close to that outside, I opened the side door and rear ramp/door. I also placed a 20” fan on the floor, connected to a household circuit via an extension cord.

This of course doesn't replicate the real world exactly. I don’t expect to camp without air conditioning or a generator in this kind of heat. Therefore the refrigerator likely had to use more power to try to maintain temperature than it would have normally. The refrigerator was empty, so there was no cooling effect of previously chilled food (or a block of ice in a milk jug). Offsetting these factors to some unknown extent is that the refrigerator and freezer were never opened; I used a grill thermometer with a wired external monitor to check fridge temperatures.

To assure a fully charged battery and proper refrigerator operating temperature, the RV was on shore power and the refrigerator turned on to its coldest setting for 36 hours before the test. At 9 AM on the day of the test I disconnected the shore line and started logging refrigerator temperature and, from a recently installed Victron SmartShunt, battery voltage and state of charge (SOC). The test would stop when the battery reached 12V or SOC reached 50%, whichever came first.

Results:

Time Voltage SOC Temp(F)
9AM 12.76 100% 36
10AM 12.70 96% 34
11AM 12.67 93% 34
12PM 12.64 90% 35
1PM 12.61 87% 36
2PM 12.54 83% 38
3PM 12.52 80% 39
4PM 12.43 76% 40
5PM 12.39 71% 40
6PM 12.31 66% 41
7PM 12.21 60% 41
8PM 12.11 54% 40
8:30PM 12.06 50% 40

[Sorry for the table formatting. I spent two hours monkeying with the *&$!@# table, first trying to embed an image from my Excel file using the Insert Image button and three different URLs (DropBox, Google Drive, and this forum's gallery). Then trying to paste the table itself. Then typing the values in manually here, with spaces added to create aligned columns. For the latter, the app thought it was smarter than I am and kept deleting extra spaces. ]

SmartShunt also records cumulative amp-hours after a history reset, which I did at the beginning of the test. That was 51Ah, which I was happy with from a 100Ah off-brand lead-acid battery. But I can’t expect significant boondocking with this battery, in warm weather anyway, if the battery can’t power the fridge for 12 hours. It should be better in cooler weather, but I doubt it still will be enough. This current draw of course doesn't consider other likely sources of real-world power usage such as a light or 12V fan.

So my choices: 1) don’t use the fridge while boondocking, 2) carry a generator, and/or 3) upgrade the battery. I want to use the fridge, even if in a modified way as suggested earlier in this post. And I don’t want to lose use of the freezer. So I’ve ruled out #1 unless it’s unavoidable. I prefer to avoid a generator for now, and of course some sites won’t allow them anyway. So I’ve ordered a 100Ah Battle Born lithium battery, scheduled to arrive next week.

I also could upgrade the solar power system, but that’s on the back burner for a variety of reasons.

I plan to repeat this test after installation of the BB battery, with testing end points adjusted as appropriate for a lithium battery. Logging intervals will be adjusted too; I’m not staying awake for the expected 24 or so hours to record data. I will post the results in this thread. I may also repeat the test in the fall with a lower ambient temperature.

With the BB expected to provide double (at least) the useable amp-hour capacity of the stock battery, I’m optimistic I then can boondock at least one night with power to spare. With its faster charge rate, I’m hoping it will recharge enough via the tow vehicle while on the road to the next boondocking site for another night. And so on.

Two BB batteries would be even better but money and space are limiting factors.

Questions and, in particular, critiques of my testing methods and conclusions are welcome.

Sorry for the length of this post, but nerdiness and verbosity aren’t always a good mix.
That's good to know. I'm considering a future refrigerator swap to your 12v compressor style.

But here's a twist. I use a Victron BMV-712 battery monitor (the smart shunt had not been invented when I bought my 712). With it I have been able to discern that my Parasitic Draw is about 2.5amps per hour. That's 30amps in a 12 hour period. I'm wondering how much of your 50A, 12 hour, battery life was drained by the 12v fridge vs 12 hours of Parasitic Draw. Maybe you could run a Parasitic Draw test so we could determine how much of the 50amps the fridge actually used.
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Old 07-17-2021, 04:48 AM   #3
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The parasitic draws on my Roo 23SS is 3.5 amphours/day. Surprised yours is nearly 10x that. In my trailer only the LP detector, radio memory, and the draw from the Trimetric 2020 amphour meter are always connected.

Regarding the battery test: was the door opened to check the temperature? If this is buried in the text I missed it and it's early. Great data!

-- Chuck
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Old 07-17-2021, 05:25 AM   #4
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Maybe you could run a Parasitic Draw test so we could determine how much of the 50amps the fridge actually used.
Easily enough done. Might be a few days. I'll probably wait until after the lithium battery is installed. Delivery is scheduled for next Tuesday.
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Old 07-17-2021, 05:32 AM   #5
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Regarding the battery test: was the door opened to check the temperature? If this is buried in the text I missed it and it's early.
I know, a lot stuff piled high for an individual factoid to get buried in! I didn't open the door. I monitored the temp with a grill thermometer with a wired external monitor.
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Old 07-17-2021, 07:52 AM   #6
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Here's a list of my Parasitic draws. To truly be a parasite it should be fairly difficult to turn off. But l view my fridge fans as items I can't or shouldn't turn off. Also, some of these are related to my 2-way fridge which would probably not be present if I switch refrigerators. My 2.5ah statement above looks to be in error.

Edit; now you've got me wondering. I'm going to selective turn off the outside and inside refrigerator fans and see what they use. Will report back later.


RV Parasitic Draw List of EQ
About 2.1Ah,

InCommand (Keystone computerized control)
Fridge circuit board
Fridge defrost cycle
(Fridge fans I installed)
Furnace circuit board
Water heater circuit board
Bathroom LED wall switch
Dimmer LED wall switch
Propane sniffer
Carbon monoxide sniffer
Smoke detector
MaxxAir remote receiver
USB ports, 4x double ports
Radio head unit
TPMS relay
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Old 07-17-2021, 07:55 AM   #7
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Easily enough done. Might be a few days. I'll probably wait until after the lithium battery is installed. Delivery is scheduled for next Tuesday.
Thanks, looking forward to the test. BTW You're going to love that battery. I put two in, and have 320 watts of solar on the roof (2x 160w panels).
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Old 07-17-2021, 08:54 AM   #8
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Here's a list of my Parasitic draws. To truly be a parasite it should be fairly difficult to turn off. But l view my fridge fans as items I can't or shouldn't turn off. Also, some of these are related to my 2-way fridge which would probably not be present if I switch refrigerators. My 2.5ah statement above looks to be in error.

Edit; now you've got me wondering. I'm going to selective turn off the outside and inside refrigerator fans and see what they use. Will report back later.


RV Parasitic Draw List of EQ
About 2.1Ah,

InCommand (Keystone computerized control)
Fridge circuit board
Fridge defrost cycle
(Fridge fans I installed)
Furnace circuit board
Water heater circuit board
Bathroom LED wall switch
Dimmer LED wall switch
Propane sniffer
Carbon monoxide sniffer
Smoke detector
MaxxAir remote receiver
USB ports, 4x double ports
Radio head unit
TPMS relay
Good list, helps me think about some things in my RV I might have overlooked. I had accounted for the sound system, CO/propane detector, and smoke detector. I had not considered the USB ports, but their LED lights will draw a bit. There's also the solar controller with its LED lights (at least) even after dark.

This fridge has no fans, at least not inside (unfortunately).

Hadn't thought about the circuit boards you mention. I can pull the fuses (fridge & furnace fan) or turn off the breaker (water heater) for those if needed for testing.

I don't have any of the other devices.

Actually I started testing the parasitic draw a while ago, with the solar panel covered to eliminate its current inflow. I initially thought I'd repeat the 11.5-hour battery test with the fridge turned off. Which probably wouldn't happen with storms and showers in the forecast the next 2-3 days. But the parasitic draw should be pretty constant around the clock. I did pull the fridge fuse to assure that all the parasites were non-fridge related.

I'm going out this morning so I'll check the SmartShunt cumulative Ah and report back after I get home, probably early to mid PM.
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Old 07-17-2021, 09:49 AM   #9
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Good list, helps me think about some things in my RV I might have overlooked. I had accounted for the sound system, CO/propane detector, and smoke detector. I had not considered the USB ports, but their LED lights will draw a bit. There's also the solar controller with its LED lights (at least) even after dark.

This fridge has no fans, at least not inside (unfortunately).

Hadn't thought about the circuit boards you mention. I can pull the fuses (fridge & furnace fan) or turn off the breaker (water heater) for those if needed for testing.

I don't have any of the other devices.

Actually I started testing the parasitic draw a while ago, with the solar panel covered to eliminate its current inflow. I initially thought I'd repeat the 11.5-hour battery test with the fridge turned off. Which probably wouldn't happen with storms and showers in the forecast the next 2-3 days. But the parasitic draw should be pretty constant around the clock. I did pull the fridge fuse to assure that all the parasites were non-fridge related.

I'm going out this morning so I'll check the SmartShunt cumulative Ah and report back after I get home, probably early to mid PM.
I don't think I would pull any fuses because in real life boondocking we don't want to go to such extent.

If you open the breaker between the solar charge controller and the panels, you won't have to go on the roof to cover the panels. I'd also probably leave the SCC on, I don't think it draws from the battery and if it does, that's just one of the parasites we live with.

Our fridge came with 1 outside fan. In 105 degs in Boise it did not do enough. I added 2 more. They're on a thermostat but almost never turn off. I have a better thermostat I haven't installed yet.

No hurry on the test. Appreciate you taking the time to do it.
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Old 07-17-2021, 09:53 AM   #10
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It will be good to see the difference in when the Battleborn is in play.

We have a Coachmen Spirit 1943 that has a 12v Furrion with one dry camp experience and am reasonably pleased. On the roof is 1-100w panel, I have 2-6V GC2 batteries for 220ah.

I did a couple of tests in the driveway with the set up before camping, the first was in full sun for a 24 hour period, the second moving on the street under the canopy of our large oaks, also for 24 hours. My monitoring was a bit primitive as I hadn’t decided which monitor I was going to do, so took readings of the battery level with my multi meter. I was very pleased with the full sun test, the surprising test was when shaded. I thought I’d need to plug it in with in 6 hours but never did in the 24 hour test.

Our dry camping was at a FS campground for 4 nights. Shaded till about 10am, then full sun the till about 7pm. I kept an eye on the battery level again using my meter. Never had to pull the cord on the generator. What I learned was a need for a bit more array on the roof, or blend with a portable unit. In the next day or so I’ll have the BMV712 monitor installed so the next 4 night dry camping will have some better ability to see exactly what the batteries are doing.
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Old 07-17-2021, 10:09 AM   #11
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Following along as I'd like to learn more about 12v fridge performance. I'm really unhappy with my Norcold gas/electric, as its performance is just not up to par with other gas/electric units we've had in the past. I have 540Ah of Battle Borns with 900W of solar, so I'm not at all concerned with power for a 12v fridge.

I don't think you're going to come out of this without the addition of some solar, however, if you really don't want to add it, you can whack the Battle Born you're getting with a lot of charge very quickly via a quality LiFePO4 charger. 1-2 hours of generator time will most likely bring the battery back up to full with the right charger.
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Old 07-17-2021, 10:19 AM   #12
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It will be good to see the difference in when the Battleborn is in play.

We have a Coachmen Spirit 1943 that has a 12v Furrion with one dry camp experience and am reasonably pleased. On the roof is 1-100w panel, I have 2-6V GC2 batteries for 220ah.. .
I love the lithium because I get full use of the rated Ahrs. Your 2 GC batteries already give you twice the usable Ah of the one FLA 100Ah battery in the first test.

I've been testing "use and recovery time" for the past 1+ weeks here in Cortez Colorado. Making no effort to conserve battery use, my overnight usage ranges 35-45 Ah. Overnight is defined as the point the sun is low enough that the panels do not produce useful amps to about 6am when I wake up and check. But "overnight" continues to about 9:30am when I begin to finally get some useful amps from the solar panels.

We've had bright sun, overcast days, rain, hot humid nights (run the MaxxAir all night) and cold as heck nights. In almost all cases I was recharged by noon or 1pm. The worst rainy day was about 3-3:30pm. I think I have enough Ah with two Battleborn, but I might need another solar panel if I change refrigerators.
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Old 07-17-2021, 10:49 AM   #13
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It's 9:45am. I'm making 12 amps, but barely 7a are going into the batteries. On the other hand, someone has all the lights on and is doing the dishes. Something in my lizard tail of a brain stem is telling me to just be quiet...
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Old 07-17-2021, 12:09 PM   #14
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I have a 2021 Cherokee 23MK with a Caonnon 12 volt fridge. I love it1. Cools fast , uses low current after cooled down. Best fridge I have ever owned.
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Old 07-17-2021, 12:32 PM   #15
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Thanks for tour info, it does help a bit.

Lithiums will be the last component I decide I , reason being I’m not so sure I want to give up the inside storage space quite yet since it would come from under the bed. Still settling on where things are kept inside. With the limited space in the pass through it would be the very last inside spot I’d consider. With the monitor install, change to an MPPT controller and a few other things going in the pass through getting Lithiums inside is part of where I’m locating those components.

We live in western Oregon and plan to theee season camp so highly unlikely we would camp in below freezing weather. I would consider leaving Lithiums in the LA spot on the tongue and just pull
them then keep in the basement in the winter months.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mikec557 View Post
I love the lithium because I get full use of the rated Ahrs. Your 2 GC batteries already give you twice the usable Ah of the one FLA 100Ah battery in the first test.

I've been testing "use and recovery time" for the past 1+ weeks here in Cortez Colorado. Making no effort to conserve battery use, my overnight usage ranges 35-45 Ah. Overnight is defined as the point the sun is low enough that the panels do not produce useful amps to about 6am when I wake up and check. But "overnight" continues to about 9:30am when I begin to finally get some useful amps from the solar panels.

We've had bright sun, overcast days, rain, hot humid nights (run the MaxxAir all night) and cold as heck nights. In almost all cases I was recharged by noon or 1pm. The worst rainy day was about 3-3:30pm. I think I have enough Ah with two Battleborn, but I might need another solar panel if I change refrigerators.
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Old 07-17-2021, 12:44 PM   #16
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Thanks for tour info, it does help a bit.

Lithiums will be the last component I decide I , reason being I’m not so sure I want to give up the inside storage space quite yet since it would come from under the bed. Still settling on where things are kept inside. With the limited space in the pass through it would be the very last inside spot I’d consider. With the monitor install, change to an MPPT controller and a few other things going in the pass through getting Lithiums inside is part of where I’m locating those components.

We live in western Oregon and plan to theee season camp so highly unlikely we would camp in below freezing weather. I would consider leaving Lithiums in the LA spot on the tongue and just pull
them then keep in the basement in the winter months.
I have to admit that I ** don't ** like leaving 2 Battleborn out on the tongue for the taking. But life dictates we take "some" risk. I couldn't give up inside space either. So I chose to hide them in plain sight. I cut and carved on these two battery boxes to make two group 27 fit and still leave no visible way to see the bright blue Battleborn battery.
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Old 07-17-2021, 01:01 PM   #17
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I have been considering a younger box at Harbor Freight that has a decent lockbut first want to see where my actual tongue weight is.

May this route in the interim since it’s cheap and would be enough to send the burglar head to another TT. https://youtu.be/4bl_j3rmABQ

Yours certainly looks stealth!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mikec557 View Post
I have to admit that I ** don't ** like leaving 2 Battleborn out on the tongue for the taking. But life dictates we take "some" risk. I couldn't give up inside space either. So I chose to hide them in plain sight. I cut and carved on these two battery boxes to make two group 27 fit and still leave no visible way to see the bright blue Battleborn battery.
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Old 07-17-2021, 01:06 PM   #18
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Originally Posted by Mikec557 View Post
That's good to know. I'm considering a future refrigerator swap to your 12v compressor style.

But here's a twist. I use a Victron BMV-712 battery monitor (the smart shunt had not been invented when I bought my 712). With it I have been able to discern that my Parasitic Draw is about 2.5amps per hour. That's 30amps in a 12 hour period. I'm wondering how much of your 50A, 12 hour, battery life was drained by the 12v fridge vs 12 hours of Parasitic Draw. Maybe you could run a Parasitic Draw test so we could determine how much of the 50amps the fridge actually used.
Stick with the 712. I thought, oh who needs the meter, I will be reading from the phone. So I saved $80 bucks and got the Smart Shunt. Bad decision. Seems it does not log ongoing activity while the phone is not logged in. So I get cumulative totals but not the minute by minute, hour by hour tracking. And since in our mostly metal motorhome I have about five feet of Bluetooth range, I sure wish I had the 712.
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Old 07-17-2021, 01:43 PM   #19
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Distance away from the device is exactly why I spent the extra $$ for the BMV712 over the Smart Shunt. Read many users in the Smart Shunt comments in the short distance, wanting to be able to read it from where I sit in our TT or outside with the phone app. I’m placing the monitor for it in the pass through where I’m mounting the shunt but can move it inside if need be.

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Stick with the 712. I thought, oh who needs the meter, I will be reading from the phone. So I saved $80 bucks and got the Smart Shunt. Bad decision. Seems it does not log ongoing activity while the phone is not logged in. So I get cumulative totals but not the minute by minute, hour by hour tracking. And since in our mostly metal motorhome I have about five feet of Bluetooth range, I sure wish I had the 712.
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Old 07-17-2021, 03:00 PM   #20
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Stick with the 712. I thought, oh who needs the meter, I will be reading from the phone. So I saved $80 bucks and got the Smart Shunt. Bad decision. Seems it does not log ongoing activity while the phone is not logged in. So I get cumulative totals but not the minute by minute, hour by hour tracking. And since in our mostly metal motorhome I have about five feet of Bluetooth range, I sure wish I had the 712.
That's interesting. But I'm not sure about the minute to minute, hour to hour data. Here's the three screens the phone app shows me. Does the display (that I don't look at) have additional data?
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