mike-s wrote:
SidecarFlip wrote:
Big thing for me is the quick cool down, much more consistent temperature control and no hazardous chemicals inside (compressor fridges use enviromentally safe R134.
Hardly environmentally friendly - see here. It has over 1000 times the "global warming potential" of CO2. Better than the old R-12, though.
Ammonia and hydrogen, on the other hand, have very little environmental impact. Concentrated ammonia can be corrosive and toxic, but that's about it unless you dump it on ground/water. A slow leak from an RV fridge isn't a threat. The vast majority of ammonia is made for use as fertilizer.
SidecarFlip wrote:
A typical Secop/Danfoss compressor pulls less than 5 amps at 100% duty cycle and most time is pulling less than 2 amps. An ammonia fridge with auxillary cooling fans is approaching that and it's basically all the time.
Huh? My Dometic RM2652 draws about 0.7 A when running on propane, and I haven't bothered to disconnect the anti-condensation heater between the fridge and freezer. <1 A with the interior fans on. And that's when it's drawing power to keep the gas valve open.
In as much as I farm, I use granulated 46 Urea and anhydrous all the time so I already know that.
My fridge without any fans might pull 1/10th of an amp but I have 2 in the back cavity up top to pull the air through which is a necessity for me, that is 2 amps and two more inside to circulate the cold air, (another amp or so). A Secop unit pulls around 5 on max duty cycle but substantially less most of the time.
Far as the chemicals in the ammonia fridge, so long as they stay contained it's a non issue just like the 134. It's when they leak, they pose a hazard and can be a flammable mixture as evidenced by the many RV fires from them.
Other nice thing about a Secop unit is it don't have to be level to operate efficiently. No thermo siphon principle to consider. A Danfoss/Secop unit can operate at up to 30 degrees out of level. An ammonia unit cannot.
