Can I run a 115v fridge from 110v?

[NinjaDeathMonk]

I'm planning on getting a Bluetti to power my fridge on a blackout and just found out that this power station outputs 110v. My Maytag fridge runs on 115v and requires 7.2a for full load. I contacted Maytag and they just quoted the manual: "Your specific refrigerator has the electrical requirements to use a 115 volt, 60 Hz, AC only, 15- or 20-amp fused, grounded electrical supply". Could the Bluetti still work?

 

[SolarRat]

Yes, it will work fine. If the Bluetti can handle the start surge its battery may last 6 hours?

 

[NinjaDeathMonk]

Thanks. The surge should be around 864w and the Bluetti can do 1000w continuous. It should run the fridge for like 10 hours if it consumes about 130w on average.

 

[HighTechLab]

Usually the electrical grid itself regularly runs + or - 5% and in some cases up to 10%. In other words at 5% variation the 115v would actually be OK down to 109.25 volts and up to 120.75. I've personally seen grid power from 125v down to 105v depending on your area and how far you are from the transformer.

I would imagine in your case you would be just fine running your 115v unit on 110v. People in the electrical trade use 110, 115, and 120 volts pretty much interchangeably.

More concerning is if your inverter unit is able to handle the startup current of the fridge.

 

[DThames]

I'm planning on getting a Bluetti to power my fridge on a blackout and just found out that this power station outputs 110v. My Maytag fridge runs on 115v and requires 7.2a for full load. I contacted Maytag and they just quoted the manual: "Your specific refrigerator has the electrical requirements to use a 115 volt, 60 Hz, AC only, 15- or 20-amp fused, grounded electrical supply". Could the Bluetti still work?

You should fine even a little below 110v, but pay attention to what the situation really is. After you have it running on your Bluetti, look at the running amps. If the amps are not above 7.2a you are fine. If the are above that, then you will have to study the situation a bit. An induction motor will work to drive the load. If the voltage drops, the amps go up. The main heating is due to "slip" and the I^R heating. If you have any way to measure the heat on the outside of the motor/compressor unit, keep an eye on that. It can be too hot to touch/hold and be normal, so check it on 115v for a reverence.

 

[HighTechLab]

Another thing to keep in mind is that as the fridge runs, the compressor will build pressure in the system - Your startup amps after the unit has been sitting for a while may not be very much. Then once the compressor starts building pressure from running for a while and let's say you unplug it to readjust part of your setup then plug it in again, there can be a much greater startup surge because not only does the compressor need to get started, it's starting in an already loaded state. Easiest way to prevent this is to give the unit a bit between turning it off and then back on, but it is certainly something to figure out so you know how the unit behaves during normal cyclic use.

Also keep in mind if you are pulling the fridge down to temperature for the first time on this unit, it will use a significant amount of power as compared to what it takes to keep the fridge cold when it's already been pulled down (whether it be from grid power or another source).

 

[metalboy1111]

I'm planning on getting a Bluetti to power my fridge on a blackout and just found out that this power station outputs 110v. My Maytag fridge runs on 115v and requires 7.2a for full load. I contacted Maytag and they just quoted the manual: "Your specific refrigerator has the electrical requirements to use a 115 volt, 60 Hz, AC only, 15- or 20-amp fused, grounded electrical supply". Could the Bluetti still work?

Good rule of thumb..As long as the input is within 10% (plus or minus) with any electrical device all good.

 

[Ely]

In Europe the same, the labels on the refrigerators state 220 or 240 volts. The grid is between 218 and 242 volts. The sinus is sometimes a little imprecise and a good pure sinus inverter delivers a slightly better sinus.

 

[JAS]

I worry about this too... I would have the bluetti in my solar shed. Due to distance there could be a 1-2 volt voltage drop. So now I'd be at 108v. That's borderline for some things. (I know a UPS will start freaking out at that low of a voltage).

Not sure why they set the voltage to 110? (Did they not have the US market in mind?). All gas powered generators (both standard and inverter) have 120v output. All name brand standalone inverters use 120v output. Just seems weird. At least the new AC200 appears to have a programable voltage for the output! I guess I'm waiting on that and hoping for a reasonable price...

 

[NinjaDeathMonk]

I worry about this too... I would have the bluetti in my solar shed. Due to distance there could be a 1-2 volt voltage drop. So now I'd be at 108v.

A 12 gauge extension cord would help.

 

[efficientPV]

You could always use a small transformer 6-12V >10A to boost the voltage as an auto transformer. I don't think you need to worry much about that. Startup current on my fridge at 12V is about 120A. My fridge has a dedicated 2,000W inverter that I turn on and off with the thermostat to save idle current. I even removed the fans to save a few more watts. You need a hefty inverter to manage that startup current even though it is short.

 

[JAS]

A 12 gauge extension cord would help.

My shed is 50' away from the cabin with 10 gauge romex connecting my existing inverter to the panel inside the cabin. I'm getting 118v inside (so a 2v drop). It's conceivable that it could be 3v drop if the starting voltage is only 110v...

 

[gnubie]

One thing to be aware of with long extension leads is that your fridge's cabinet is likely tied to the earth wire of the lead. Under faults that can result in voltage appearing between the cabinet and the ground you stand on. Make sure you use an RCD protected circuit at the supply end of the lead.

 

[NinjaDeathMonk]

My shed is 50' away from the cabin with 10 gauge romex connecting my existing inverter to the panel inside the cabin. I'm getting 118v inside (so a 2v drop). It's conceivable that it could be 3v drop if the starting voltage is only 110v...

I finally got the Bluetti 2400Wh. I used a 50' AmazonBasics 12/3 SJTW Extension Cord, a watt meter and a 1000 watt electric burner. The voltage went from 110.10 to 109.25 when turning on the burner.

 

[JAS]

I finally got the Bluetti 2400Wh. I used a 50' AmazonBasics 12/3 SJTW Extension Cord, a watt meter and a 1000 watt electric burner. The voltage went from 110.10 to 109.25 when turning on the burner.

Good to know! Thx! I'm actually thinking about rewiring the main panel a bit so I can run a "solar generator" inside the heated cabin (in addition to the FLA setup I have out in the shed. Shorter run plus no worries about cold temperatures during hunting season

 

[squoril]

A 12 gauge extension cord would help.

you want the inverter as close to the battery as possible, voltage drop on the 12v side is 10x as bad as on the 120v side

 

[squoril]

What is your Locked Rotor Amperage? Running watts vs Starting (LRA) watts

It is usually 2-3x your running watts so your fridge may pull up to 2484w for 2-3 seconds before the compressor starts turning

 

[gnubie]

Keep in mind that these sorts of currents only apply to fridges where the compressor motor is direct off the AC supply. Inverter based fridges operate quite differently and do not, typically, have these large draws.

'Inverter' hin this post does not refer to the thing that takes battery power and produces AC (only said because this has been an area of confusion on the forum in the past).

 

[MrNatural22]

Running a compressor type fridge on too long or too small an extension cord is not recommended. Always use a minimum of 10-12g cord and under 50’ 25’ would be better ?