Solar to keep fridge running
Hi, hope I posted in the correct category. We have a new Allegro (very nice) with residential fridge. We sometimes want to park it in storage for a few days between trips. I would like to have en...
Forum Discussion
I just want to know if there is a reasonable way to leave my fridge on for a few days while in storage. Obviously there are other benefits to adding solar (dry camping, glogal warming, etc.), but I didn't see the need to make a complete case for it.
I run a small 120V dorm fridge (80w draw, 1/4 duty cycle) using a single 235W panel and 300 AH of battery. As long as the sun shines every other day, I'm golden. Most larger reefers can use up to 1KW/day. It is an easy formula--divide the yearly wattage total that is on that yellow sticker (on every fridge) by 365. That will be a very close approximation.
For a big fridge, growing families, or the owner who must open the door every hour, size your solar array upwards to, say, 500W. You may still need a good bit of batteries for that shady parking spot or in a week of bad weather.
