Temporary 12v battery setup for refrigerator

medic149 · Mar 29, 2021

I am awaiting my LiFePO4 Lishen batteries and some other parts for my solar setup, which means I probably won't be able to get it setup and running until late summer at this point.

I am planning on getting this Unique refrigerator https://uniqueappliances.com/product/unique-13-0-cu-ft-solar-powered-dc-fridge/
Since this runs on 12v, 24v or AC with adapter, I am wondering if I can run it off of a single 12v lead acid battery for a few months until I get the solar system setup. I do have 2 Honda 2200i generators and thought I could charge the 12 battery once a day to keep the fridge going, but unsure on the best way to charge the battery.

Has anyone done this or am I way off base trying to do this?

Mike Jordan · Mar 29, 2021

What size is your battery? The fridge specs say 587wh/24hrs. Thats nearly 50ah. You would need a FLA batt rated at at least 100ah (you can only use half) to run for 24hrs.

You need a charger for your generators to power, but they would certainly charge your batt. One gen should charge, no need for 2 just to charge the batt

medic149 · Mar 30, 2021

Mike Jordan said:
What size is your battery? The fridge specs say 587wh/24hrs. Thats nearly 50ah. You would need a FLA batt rated at at least 100ah (you can only use half) to run for 24hrs.

You need a charger for your generators to power, but they would certainly charge your batt. One gen should charge, no need for 2 just to charge the batt

Thanks for the feedback. Would probably get a 12v AGM battery. Even though the Honda 2200i has the ability to charge 12v, I've seen that it could overcharge. So, will probably need to get a charger to just plug into the 120v on the generator.

Bodyvana · Apr 20, 2021

I'm looking at a similar fridge but it seems to have a lot better energy use....I'm also trying to build my own batteries, are you doing 12v or 24v battery system? I think I want to buy 8 of the lishen cells so I can make two batteries, and if I'm understanding correctly, wire in parallel for a 24v system... I guess I'm not sure why I'm doing that, but I thought I needed it for the fridge.... Here is the link to the other model.

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medic149 · Apr 21, 2021

Bodyvana said:
I'm looking at a similar fridge but it seems to have a lot better energy use....I'm also trying to build my own batteries, are you doing 12v or 24v battery system? I think I want to buy 8 of the lishen cells so I can make two batteries, and if I'm understanding correctly, wire in parallel for a 24v system... I guess I'm not sure why I'm doing that, but I thought I needed it for the fridge.... Here is the link to the other model.

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I am actually building a 48v system using 16 Lishen batteries.

I really like the Unique line of products, even though they seem a bit pricey, but especially for 12 or 24v systems they really seem to be the most energy-efficient. My solar system will be supplying my cabin with regular 110 power, so now I am on the fence with the Unique 13cu/ft fridge I want. That fridge is able to run on 110, but there is no energy data on usage of 110v vs 12 or 24v. So, I may just end up with a regular 110 fridge. My other option would be to use a step-down converter and just use the 24v system for the fridge. Still on the fence with that.

If you are setting up a bus conversion, you might be better off with a 12v, 24v, or even a propane fridge instead of a fridge running on 110 because it will suck your power quickly. Myself, I don't care for propane fridges, but some people like them.

If you can go 24v system, I would do that rather than 12v. You can always buy the cheap step-down current modules to run 12v lighting. From what I've read, they always say bigger is better! If you can afford it.

Bodyvana · Apr 21, 2021

I'm shooting for 24v right now... how can I be sure that fridge will work and isn't the 110 you're mentioning?

medic149 · Apr 21, 2021

Bodyvana said:
I'm shooting for 24v right now... how can I be sure that fridge will work and isn't the 110 you're mentioning?

When I clicked on the "See Full Description" in your link, it brings me to: https://www.wayfair.com/appliances/...u-ft-refrigerator-unqe1029.html?piid=49674439

When you look at the specifications, it lists this fridge as 110 volts. You can use an inverter to get you up to 110 volts, but that would really drain your batteries quickly. You're much better off looking at 24 volt fridge. In my opinion

medic149 · Aug 19, 2021

So, since my LiFePO4 batteries still have not arrived, I am re-looking at a temporary setup for a refrigerator to use for the next year until my solar system is up and running.

Considering trying this, but not sure if it is accurate or not:

Honda EU2200i generator
Use IOTA 12v 55 Amp Charger Converter Power Supply w/Integrated IQ4 Sensor plugged into the AC outlet on the generator
12v 200ah FLA battery or two 6v in parallel
Refridgerator: not definite, but either https://uniqueappliances.com/product/unique-10-3-cu-ft-solar-powered-dc-fridge/ or https://www.recpro.com/rv-refrigerator-10-7-cubic-feet-12v-stainless-steel/

Use the generator to charge the 12v battery every other day or as needed to keep the refrigerator running off of the batteries as long as possible.

I know this isn't the most ideal, but really want to away from ice and coolers for the next year or until the solar system is up and running.

bedpan · Aug 21, 2021

I am brand new to playing with this stuff but thought I would share my experience. I plan on posting my own thread with some questions but here is what I did last week for a camping trip.

I had access to a 100ah renogy smart battery from work. I snagged it and fired up my 1000w pure sine wave inverter. I bought a 3.3cf fridge which is rated at 218kwh/year.
Rough math puts this around 2ah to run this fridge. So I would have to charge every 2 days. Reality I was 1.7ah so I got 2 days easy. I could not grab and panels to charge with so I charge with booster cables off my truck while running. The renogy limited to 50a when above 10-15% SOC so as long as I did not run the battery flat I was ok.

Again not knowing the numbers and all the math yet I would think a couple panels would carry this fridge no problem at all. Even on cloudy days. Worst case if you have a few days of bad weather charge up from a vehicle.

I imagine charging the way I did is probably frowned upon. I guess I should add a dc-dc converter to the mix. But in the end a very simple solution. Using just a standard 120v fridge get one that has the best efficiency you can. A few panels and a dc-dc charger and you are set.

The only problem I ran into is when I ran the battery flat. We were driving home but still had 6 hours or so to go. We stopped for a swim and I hooked up the booster cables. The renogy would only accept about .5a's though. So sitting for an hour added practically nothing to the battery. So we through a bag of ice in the fridge and headed home.

medic149 · Aug 21, 2021

bedpan said:
I am brand new to playing with this stuff but thought I would share my experience. I plan on posting my own thread with some questions but here is what I did last week for a camping trip.

I had access to a 100ah renogy smart battery from work. I snagged it and fired up my 1000w pure sine wave inverter. I bought a 3.3cf fridge which is rated at 218kwh/year.
Rough math puts this around 2ah to run this fridge. So I would have to charge every 2 days. Reality I was 1.7ah so I got 2 days easy. I could not grab and panels to charge with so I charge with booster cables off my truck while running. The renogy limited to 50a when above 10-15% SOC so as long as I did not run the battery flat I was ok.

Again not knowing the numbers and all the math yet I would think a couple panels would carry this fridge no problem at all. Even on cloudy days. Worst case if you have a few days of bad weather charge up from a vehicle.

I imagine charging the way I did is probably frowned upon. I guess I should add a dc-dc converter to the mix. But in the end a very simple solution. Using just a standard 120v fridge get one that has the best efficiency you can. A few panels and a dc-dc charger and you are set.

The only problem I ran into is when I ran the battery flat. We were driving home but still had 6 hours or so to go. We stopped for a swim and I hooked up the booster cables. The renogy would only accept about .5a's though. So sitting for an hour added practically nothing to the battery. So we through a bag of ice in the fridge and headed home.

That actually looks pretty good for short trips. Saves on buying ice and the mess of a cooler.

bedpan · Aug 21, 2021

medic149 said:
That actually looks pretty good for short trips. Saves on buying ice and the mess of a cooler.

It worked very well. All said with the smaller fridge I am confident it would easily run 24/7 off of single 100W panel. A larger apartment size uses about 30% more power. 1 panel might squeak by, but two should do it no problem.

Again rough math from a newbie.

Temporary 12v battery setup for refrigerator

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