24 volt solar fridge questions

[Moosefinder]

Howdy…new member. have a 1000w system. 24 volts. My cabin/camp is all 120v now via inverter. 8 led acid 6V batteries.
At present I am using a propane fridge. we are going to purchase. New fridge from UNIQUE. I am wondering what would be best for us. A 24v fridge or stay with propane. Propane is costly and somewhat finiky. 24V should be cheaper to run but will I have enough power for living in the cabin from May to October??
And…I am not sure how to wire in a 24V fridge? Would love to hear some thoughts! Thankyou.

 

[Rednecktek]

The wiring is easy, just run from your bus block on the battefies to a fuse to the fridge.

As for power consumption, anything that runs on propane + anything is an absorbtion fridge and horrible. No compressor means it has to run a resistive heating element all the time and the slow pull down means it really adds up fast. Best bet would be to stick with propane, especially with the 50% limit on those batteries.

 

[Q-Dog]

I guess you are looking at these?

Solar DC Refrigerators & Freezers

Complete the look of your kitchen with a matching fridge/freezer and rangehood!

uniqueappliances.com

Figure out what model you want, then read the specifications to determine approximately how much power it will draw. Then it is a simple math problem to see if your batteries and solar panels will provide enough power to run the load.

 

[Moosefinder]

Yes, those are the dc fridges we have been looking at. (10 to 14cu/ft.
Thanks for the reply’s. Not sure what is meant by the above comment “50% of batteries” Because of there age?
I am leaning towards staying with propane. The unique models come with 120v back up which could be used for shorts periods I am guessing? I think I have enough power with what I have but…I struggle with figuring out the math to use. The unique 24= fidgets use 3.2 amps to run…so they say.

 

[Q-Dog]

In order to get decent life out of lead acid batteries, you only want to use approximately 50% of their capacity.

Refrigerators don't run constantly, so amp draw when running is fairly useless when trying to determine total power draw. But that company also lists total watt hour draw per 24 hours. That is the number you want to start with to figure out your total power draw per day. Use the bigger number.

 

[seneysolar]

Yes, those are the dc fridges we have been looking at. (10 to 14cu/ft.
Thanks for the reply’s. Not sure what is meant by the above comment “50% of batteries” Because of there age?
I am leaning towards staying with propane. The unique models come with 120v back up which could be used for shorts periods I am guessing? I think I have enough power with what I have but…I struggle with figuring out the math to use. The unique 24= fidgets use 3.2 amps to run…so they say.

Go for it. I did the same thing but went with a different brand. I couldnt be happier, no more propane smell. My camp only has 700w of solar to my 24v system. The Unique fridge using 3.2 amps is only ~75watts. You likely wont notice the power consumption, these are not resistive heating elements like old RV fridges. They are very efficient compressor designs.

You can wire directly from the batteries, properly fused of course or see if your charge controller has load connections. Put a switch on it so you can shut it off when gone.

I went with an Iceco freezer and just turn the temp up to make it a fridge. I absolutely love it.

 

[Moosefinder]

Thanks guys. Now the 24 volt sounds like a decent option. Will have to look at the figures closer. What size wire (awg) is required for the 24 volt. Total distance would be about 30-40 feet from fridge to batteries.

 

[seneysolar]

Thanks guys. Now the 24 volt sounds like a decent option. Will have to look at the figures closer. What size wire (awg) is required for the 24 volt. Total distance would be about 30-40 feet from fridge to batteries.

14ga would be fine. They are not voltage critical and have very low current draw.

Fyi, I kept my propane fridge for about a year before giving it away to the neighbor. Now, he just gave it away to go electric.