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12 volt fridges

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AADIVER
Admiral

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USA
966 Posts

Initially Posted - 08/22/2006 : 22:09:57

Is a 12 volt fridge too much of a battery drain for 2-3 day cruises?
If not, how about this one from Sports Chalet:

Koolatron Auto Kool Wheeler
Item no: 2149398
OUR PRICE: $88.99
List Price: $106.99*

The Koolatron™ Auto Kool Wheeler features built-in wheels and a unique fold-out handle for easy portability. The 33-liter capacity can hold up to 54 12-oz drinks. The cooler can be used in chest or fridge position and includes a dual-position shelf/divider. The full-opening lid includes a small hatch for quick, easy access. There's no need for ice to keep things cool, just insert the 12-volt plug into your vehicle's power outlet.

Or...?

Frank Farmer
Long Beach, CA
aa.diver@verizon.net
http://mysite.verizon.net/aa.diver

PRETTY PENNY
'01 C-250 WK, Hull #558

Edited by - on

mday
Navigator

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197 Posts

Response Posted - 08/24/2006 : 00:23:42

Frank,

I don't think 2-3 days of running refridgeration will work out unless you have a rather hefty house battery bank or some method of recharging the battery(s). These devices typically draw around 4 amps, so an 80 amp-hour battery would probably be totally drained in less than one day. Koolatron didn't have online power specs for your Kool Wheeler.

They work great in a car, though. I use one (a Coleman) in the back of the Jeep when working on the boat.

Cheers, Max

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raulpou
Navigator

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144 Posts

Response Posted - 08/24/2006 : 11:42:45

If you look at Thermo electric coolers, they do not really work that well to begin with. I have used a Waeco CoolFreeze (AC/DC) and it draws only 2.5 amps with a low voltage indicator for your batteries. http://www.waeco.com/en/258.php It will keep burgers frozen for as long as you like. (I have used it for four days straight)

It is a little expensive but really works nice for food since it has a freezer and a refrigerator. These are actually being used in Australia and Africa on extended trips and they are definitely good machines.

The handles on the sides can be removed and the door is not hinged. You simply pull up on one side about 2" and then the lid comes off. I mostly go on weekend trips so what I do is pack it before I leave the house and keep it cold using the 12v in the car. As soon as i get to the boat plug it in. Believe it or not, I have brought hime chicken and burgers HARD FROZEN after a few days on the boat! No joke.

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raulpou
Navigator

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144 Posts

Response Posted - 08/24/2006 : 11:49:00

Here are the specs:

http://www.boatelectric.com/waeco_specs.htm

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aeckhart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1709 Posts

Response Posted - 08/25/2006 : 14:01:19

I recently received a - and I'm reading the back of the fridge, JH Fridge, model JH-7F, AC 120V 60hz, DC 12V at 0.75 amps. I had it running for two days while on a short cruise. About 10 hours of its use was on shore power. This is a hot and cold frig which has a 9"x8"x8" deep storage area. It worked fine with no appreciable battery drain. I have a solar panel and a 6 amp alternator on my motor and used both on the trip. I'll see if I still have the box if you need more info.

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Lightnup
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1016 Posts

Response Posted - 08/25/2006 : 20:35:29

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by aeckhart
 I have a solar panel and a 6 amp alternator on my motor and used both on the trip. <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
I'm a bit dimwitted in the area of electronics. (Clearly, Master Marine Consultant has no relation to knowledge.) Is there any problem with having the solar charger connected at the same time the alternator is charging the battery?

Thanks,

Steve

Edited by - Lightnup on 08/25/2006 20:37:47

mday
Navigator

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197 Posts

Response Posted - 08/25/2006 : 23:39:46

Steve,

I don't have a detailed technical explanation, but I've motored about with my solar panel (35W Siemens) hooked up and never experienced any adverse effects. Assuming you have a charge controller on a solar panel, I'm assuming that when the motor/alternator is charging the battery, the charge controller will cut off the solar panel.

Back to the refridge issue, I was basing my current drain figure on a report by Practical Sailor that was a couple years old. It looks like there's some more efficient refridgeration on the market now that may make it possible to run something on a weekend cruise ... if you're willing to pay for one of the better units. I'm still not sure about the Koolatron, however ... need to see some specs on what it draws.

Max

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aeckhart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1709 Posts

Response Posted - 08/26/2006 : 08:47:34

My motor's alternator is connected to a 3-position battery switch, then to the batterys. My Siemans solar panel is connected directly to my primary house battery with a charge controller between. With average daily battery drain I have had no over-charging problems with this system.

If we have several days of overcast weather however, the solar panel can't keep up with the drain from my mooring light even though I use a Davis mini light which has a photo cell. It takes about a week to drain the battery. I then have to take the battery out and charge it. This might happen once a year, especially if I'm not using the boat a lot.

By itself the 6 amp alternator on the motor will not fully charge the battery(s) unless I'm on a cruise and the motor is running for several hours at high rpm. I believe the longest I've ever run on the motor is about 5 hours, with no ill battery effects. My batterys get serviced four times per year, once in spring when installed, once during the summer sailing season, once in the fall when put away on battery maintainers for the winter, and once during the winter months. In this way I get about 6 years out of a house battery and much more than that out of my starting battery. My memory is fuzzy on this because I had to replace both four years ago when my hole system was fried by a lightning strike.

Hope this was helpfull. I'm not usually this long-winded in a thread.

Edited by - aeckhart on 08/26/2006 08:49:19

Lightnup
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1016 Posts

Response Posted - 08/26/2006 : 14:01:16

Thanks for the responses. I'll just plodding along with the solar panel connected while the motor's running.

Steve

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