Boondocking and Phantom loads.
I am curious what the serious boondocker does about the phantom loads in there TT. The few time I needed a non electric campsite I turned off the antenna booster, switched the Frig and water heate...
Forum Discussion
Chuck and Di wrote:mike-s wrote:Chuck and Di wrote:I'm guessing "The fridge operates on 120V" and he uses ice and coolers when boondocking. Or perhaps it's low enough draw that his solar and an inverter handle it. In any case, a fridge isn't a phantom load - it can be turned off.westend wrote:
I don't have any phantom loads. Engineering and ancient systems took care of that.
My alarms are battery operated. My "furnace" is a vented, stand-alone propane heater. The fridge operates on 120V. All lights are LED. The only other 12V devices that operate are fans and the water pump.
I have 235W of solar panel and 300AH of battery capacity. As long as the sun shines, I'm golden.
What powers your fridge?
True, however he calls a furnace a phantom load so you can't have it both ways. Indeed, a 120 V fridge, when boondocking would be a brutal load, and since most have electronics or even defrost heaters, there is a lot of electricity used that does not directly result in keeping it cold - some would define these as phantom loads.
I have 300 AH of battery capacity and 235W of solar panels. The dorm fridge has no door seal heater and operates right around 80W. The whole 12V system, inverter, and solar charging is designed to power the little fridge. That it runs everything else, indefinitely, is a bonus.
As long as the sun shines, I'm golden. I haven't started a generator or used a battery charger since putting everything together.
